| Dr. Randolph Wong is a plastic surgeon certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. Here the Doctor has answered some of the common questions Bizymoms visitors have about Reconstructive Surgery.
Q. What is reconstructive surgery?
Reconstructive surgery is designed to restore function to tissues that have been deformed from trauma, cancer, or congenital defects. "Plastic" surgery derives from the Greek root "plastikos" pertaining to "form". So, we specialize in the innovation of surgical solutions for "form and function"
Q. What is the difference between Cosmetic and Reconstructive surgery?
There is a lot of confusion in the terminology commonly used around plastic surgery. "Cosmetic" is commonly used to describe the non-functional improvements to one’s appearance, whereas reconstruction surgery is focused on optimizing functional structure. This has been why medical insurance will commonly cover reconstructive surgery but not cosmetic surgery. Another definition that has long been held by the American Medical Association is that reconstructive surgery serves to bring an abnormal form back to normal, and cosmetic surgery serves to improve on what may be considered normal form. That being said, there are always differences in perspective as to what constitutes "normal".
Q. What benefits does Reconstructive surgery provide?
Reconstructive surgery provides a wonderful opportunity at restoration of form and function for patients limited by their physical structure. This may include postural symptoms caused by heavy breasts or inflammatory skin conditions caused by chafing under abdominal folds. Any condition which limits range of motion or interferes with abilities to perform work or activities of daily life may be considered for reconstructive surgery.
Q. Who is a good candidate for Reconstructive surgery?
Patients who are otherwise in good health with functional limitations of physical structure are ideal candidates. There’s no such thing as too old, however, each patient is individually evaluated for safety and proper indications prior to surgery.
Q. Does Reconstructive surgery have possible risks and complications?
Complications are rare, but do occur in less than 3-5% of cases. All surgery may involve risks or complications such as infection, bleeding, scarring, implant rejection or failure, asymmetry, damage to surrounding tissue, or the need for revisional procedures.
Q. How long does it take to recover from Reconstructive surgery?
Depending on the complexity of the case, recovery may take as little as a few hours up to several weeks. I do provide detailed instructions on activity, diet, work, and body position to optimize the patient’s results.
Q. Does Reconstructive surgery leave any visible scarring?
Plastic Surgeons are expected to leave no scars, however, this is a myth. Any surgery will leave scars that may be visible up to several years or more. With proper placement, meticulous closures, and appropriate scar control maneuvers, the scars may be visibly pink or red for a few months, but often difficult to find after a couple of years. Some of the techniques I use to help scar visibility issues are silicone ointments, massage, peptide gels, and low level laser. Cosmetics and judicial clothing styles are helpful to camouflage most scars.
|
