Speaking about the plastic surgery history it's necessary have basic imagination about what plastic surgery means, why and how it can be performed.

It's a common knowledge that plastic surgery is a major and general term for instrumental treatment and operative manual performed particularly for functional or aesthetic reasons. As a matter of fact the word "plastic" derives from the Greek verb ?plastikos? which means ?to shape? or ?to mould?; here the use of this word isn't connected with the modern plastics.

The main and principal areas of plastic surgery include two well-known fields. The first one is reconstructive surgery, which means microsurgery, focus on undoing or masking the injurious effects of surgery, trauma or some kind of disease. This kind of surgery may also include various closing defects with flaps (moving skin tissue from other parts of the human body). The second kind of plastic surgery is cosmetic (or aesthetic) one. This surgery is considered to be the most often performed one. It is used with the purpose of changing some body or face features found by the patient unflattering. However, there are lots of other reasons according to which the patient may need cosmetic surgery, for example such medical reasons as orthopedic problems requiring breast reduction.

The plastic surgery history goes back to the Ancient world. The first people who were able to perform simple plastic surgery techniques were Romans. It's interesting to admit that Romans were the first plastic surgeons repairing damaged ears. Ancient India has also made a contribution into the plastic surgery history and development of plastic surgery techniques. Well, Indian physicians (including the well-known surgeon of that time Susrutha) had a practice of utilizing skin drafts (usually for reconstructive work) and even performed nose reconstruction with the help of forehead portion. It was as early as 800 BC when amputation of nose was known as a punishment for certain crimes.

An interesting fact of the plastic surgery history is that in the middle of the 15th century Heinrich von Pfolspeundt, a European medical expert, made a clear description of the process of ?making new nose for the one who entirely lacks it?. It was then made by removing certain part of skin from the back of the person's arm and suturing it on the particular place.

Nevertheless, the plastic surgery history wasn't full of bright events till the 19th century. Before this plastic surgery hadn't become a commonplace. The reason was rather simple ? plastic surgery was associated with danger it is possible to cause. Later the plastic surgeon known as Dr. John Peter Mettauer performed the first cleft palate operation in 1827 and changed the previous imagination about plastic surgery. As a matter of fact the operation was performed with the instruments the doctor designed himself.

Thus, the progress in plastic surgery moved gradually for hundred years? Plastic surgery history has some peculiarities and is studies because the mankind's nature always entails to self-improvement.