Cosmetic surgery is the type that fulfills the typical connotation of
plastic surgery. Reconstructive is its contrast. The most defining
factor that differentiates these two is the determination as to whether
the operation is elective or medically necessary; this is also
pertinent when referring to a patient’s health care insurance.
The most common type of cosmetic surgeries is breast augmentations or
reductions and rhinoplasties, and while these may at first though seem
cosmetic, each procedure can be categorized as either.
Those with no medical issues, emergencies, or needs who desire to have
a plastic surgery will be deemed as having cosmetic surgery, and this
will not be covered by insurance. It is important to comprehend that
the connotations of the words “elective” and “cosmetic” do not negate
the seriousness of the procedure. It is major plastic surgery even
though it is not medically necessary, and it should be treated as such.
Patients should educate themselves of all the risks affiliated with all
the elected procedure and properly comply with all orders concerning
preparation and recovery.
Reconstructive beginnings are where cosmetic procedures have their
history. It was during the First World War that surgeons began to toy
with aesthetics in addition to function when dealing with injured
warriors. It was thought that the positive psychological impact of the
cosmetic component of needed reconstructions would benefit the healing
of the injured. Doctors in the field began to not only try save the
life of the person with the injury, but they also began, once a life
was sustained, to try to salvage as best they could the natural look of
the injured body part.
Today, even though an operation may be deemed medically necessary and
therefore reconstructive or non-elective, the cosmetic aspect is
certainly considered. A person, for example, who has undergone as
mastectomy, may have breast reconstructive which essentially means that
the surgery will be billed to her insurance. She can elect to have it
or to forgo it, but it will be considered reconstructive. Another type
of procedure that is considered reconstructive is skin grafting as a
result of trauma. Even though the effect of the grafting will yield
cosmetic enhancements, these enhancements are considered the side
effects of the primary purpose of the procedure which is to replenish
the skin at the injured sight to protect the area from further damage.
In conclusion, the difference in the two categories can come down to
how the procedures are billed to the insurance by the surgeon. A
rhinoplasty that is chosen to address a deviated septum may be
considered reconstructive, but if the patient desires a “nose job”
simultaneously, the procedure may be half billed to insurance and half
billed to the patient. Some instances, such as this one walk a fine
line. The most important thing to know is that whether a procedure is
deemed cosmetic or reconstructive, it is still a major surgery and
carries all the accompanying risks associated with any operation.
