World Plastic Surgery Day celebrated at KIMS Hospital
Hyderabad, 15th July 2022: Plastic surgery is an ancient surgical speciality that has its origins in India in the 7th Century BC. Sage Sushruta the ancient Indian physician and Worlds first surgeon, who wrote the Sushruta Samhita is considered the Father of Plastic surgery. The importance of ancient India in the field of medicine and surgery arose out of a letter by a British surgeon named Lucas, appearing in the Gentleman’s Magazine in October 1774, describing a forehead flap for nasal reconstruction, a technique practised by a Brickmaker in India. Joseph Carpue, a surgeon from London, after reading it, performed the procedure on a mutilated soldier.
In the backdrop of the negative image of Plastic Surgery due to some news that has become sensational, plastic surgeons now feel the need to enlighten the general public about the role of their speciality. The scope of modern plastic surgery is not just confined to cosmesis but has a wide spectrum of reconstruction as well. Plastic surgical intervention is needed in trauma, re-implantation of severed limbs, hand injuries, fractures with exposed bones – vessel and nerve injuries, wound healing complications, brachial plexus injuries, complex craniofacial-maxillary injuries, reconstruction of breast following cancer resection, reconstruction of the jaw and soft tissues of head and neck cancers, hand transplants and correction of birth defects like cleft lips, hand anomalies, ear anomalies, skull malformations and also burns and post-burn deformity corrections.
Such a large spectrum is unique for this speciality demanding extreme surgical skills. There is a lack of awareness about the speciality and the possibilities of treatment options available among the general public and even health care providers. It is painful to see patients approaching us very late which affects the outcome of surgery. For example, a person with an amputated body part has to reach the hospital in time with a properly preserved part i.e. wrapped in gauze or a clean cloth and put in a waterproof container or plastic bag that is in turn put in a container with ice (not put the part directly in ice). A child with microtia (small deformed or absent ear) would require reconstruction before 14 years of age so that the rib cartilage is not hardened. A lady with breast cancer can have primary breast reconstruction at the time of mastectomy itself if detected early, therefore women should have regular screening, especially if any family history of cancer is present.
To look good has become an important part of a person's life in the modern world.
Looking and feeling good immensely improves one’s self-esteem. That’s the reason a plastic surgeon is said to be a psychiatrist with a knife. Many people choose to go under the knife and have benefited immensely.
World Plastic Surgery Day was celebrated in KIMS Hospital Secunderabad on the 15th of July.
Dr B. Bhaskar Rao inaugurated the event and launched the KIMS Plastic surgery website. They were pleased to announce that they reached the ten thousandth mark of the number of surgeries performed at this hospital since its inception. Plastic surgeons Dr N. Hemanth Kumar, and Dr Shruti. K and Dr Vinay. R showcased their work to the public and healthcare providers.