Skip to content
  • About
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Book
  • Careers
  • Podcast
  • Recommended
  • Speaking
  • All
  • Physician
  • Practice
  • Policy
  • Finance
  • Conditions
  • .edu
  • Patient
  • Meds
  • Tech
  • Social
  • Video
    • All
    • Physician
    • Practice
    • Policy
    • Finance
    • Conditions
    • .edu
    • Patient
    • Meds
    • Tech
    • Social
    • Video
    • About
    • Contact
    • Contribute
    • Book
    • Careers
    • Podcast
    • Recommended
    • Speaking

Plastic surgery is about more than cosmetic procedures

Lara Devgan, MD, MPH
Physician
October 31, 2013
Share
Tweet
Share

Halsted once described plastic surgeons as “the surgeon’s surgeons.” Yet in today’s era of media hype about cosmetic surgery, this turn of phrase feels long-forgotten. Despite what reality television may have you believe, the specialty remains at its core about reconstructive surgery, and collaboration is still a key element.

Here, a few points that show those words are as true now as they ever were:

We manage a patient’s expectations. Patients may have high expectations for how their scars will look, particularly on cosmetically sensitive parts of the body. Whether it is a thyroidectomy incision on the neck, a sternal wound on the chest, or a facial laceration on a child, when a patient expresses concern about “not wanting to have a scar,” it may be a good idea to get a plastic surgeon involved. We, as a group, may be able to explain what to realistically expect from a scar after surgery. We may also be able to offer optimal wound closure (to a plastic surgeon, this is based on fundamental principles of layered, tension-free closure). Finally, we may be able to help with scar management after surgery, using an array of silicone gel, silicone sheeting, and steroid injections to help achieve the desired results.

We can share the responsibility for a high-risk patient. Some patients have the decks stacked against them. They may be older, frail, beleaguered by other medical conditions, or operated on multiple times. For individuals in these subsets – those who are likely to encounter roadblocks in the healing and recovery process – a plastic surgeon may be able to help. Whether your case involves a vasculopath with an infected groin wound; a cardiac surgery patient with diabetes; a knee replacement candidate with a connective tissue disease; or anyone who is elderly, sarcopenic, or likely to have a wound complication – a plastic surgeon who performs a wound closure is shouldering the responsibility should that wound break down. This is a very real way to help you sleep better at night.

Advanced techniques have come a long way. As a discipline, plastic surgery has evolved tremendously in the past fifty years. Grafts, pedicled flaps, and free flaps are some of the many techniques now in our armamentarium. We can use a patient’s own skin, muscle, bone, and cartilage to fill a hole or cover an important structure. There are also dozens of new biomaterials made from donor humans and animals that can help with difficult reconstructive surgery problems. For patients with chronic wounds – venous stasis or decubitus ulcers, for example – there are many new types of dressings and treatments available. The state-of-the-art standard is always changing, and we can offer patients excellent techniques and options that previously eluded us.

In our daily lives as attendings, many of us are so busy juggling families and careers that we forget how much fulfillment we got out of working alongside our peers during medical school and residency. Plastic surgery is my own specialty, of course, and I am passionate about its applications and potential. However, consulting a plastic surgeon for assistance with a difficult case is just one way to reach out to a fellow doctor in your community or at your hospital. Most importantly, no matter the specialty, collaborating to solve a challenging patient care problem can offer deep value to the case, and as such can be extremely personally and professionally satisfying.

Lara Devgan is a plastic and reconstructive surgeon and can be reached on the self-titled site, Lara Devgan, MD, MPH.  This article originally appeared in The Doctor Blog.

Prev

The memories of my first hospital job remain fresh

October 31, 2013 Kevin 1
…
Next

Why I recommend LinkedIn to physicians

October 31, 2013 Kevin 9
…

Tagged as: Surgery

Post navigation

< Previous Post
The memories of my first hospital job remain fresh
Next Post >
Why I recommend LinkedIn to physicians

ADVERTISEMENT

More by Lara Devgan, MD, MPH

  • I’m a woman and a plastic surgeon. This is what beauty means to me.

    Lara Devgan, MD, MPH
  • What does a doctor look like?

    Lara Devgan, MD, MPH
  • When women speak: Is there a gender bias in medicine?

    Lara Devgan, MD, MPH

More in Physician

  • Why more doctors are choosing direct care over traditional health care

    Grace Torres-Hodges, DPM, MBA
  • How to handle chronically late patients in your medical practice

    Neil Baum, MD
  • How early meetings and after-hours events penalize physician-mothers

    Samira Jeimy, MD, PhD and Menaka Pai, MD
  • Why medicine must evolve to support modern physicians

    Ryan Nadelson, MD
  • Why listening to parents’ intuition can save lives in pediatric care

    Tokunbo Akande, MD, MPH
  • Finding balance and meaning in medical practice: a holistic approach to professional fulfillment

    Dr. Saad S. Alshohaib
  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • Why timing, not surgery, determines patient survival

      Michael Karch, MD | Conditions
    • Why health care leaders fail at execution—and how to fix it

      Dave Cummings, RN | Policy
    • How digital tools are reshaping the doctor-patient relationship

      Vineet Vishwanath | Tech
  • Past 6 Months

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
    • The hidden health risks in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act

      Trevor Lyford, MPH | Policy
  • Recent Posts

    • FDA delays could end vital treatment for rare disease patients

      G. van Londen, MD | Meds
    • Pharmacists are key to expanding Medicaid access to digital therapeutics

      Amanda Matter | Meds
    • Why ADHD in women requires a new approach [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • AI is already replacing doctors—just not how you think

      Bhargav Raman, MD, MBA | Tech
    • Why doctors must stop ignoring unintentional weight loss in patients with obesity

      Samantha Malley, FNP-C | Conditions
    • Why more doctors are choosing direct care over traditional health care

      Grace Torres-Hodges, DPM, MBA | Physician

Subscribe to KevinMD and never miss a story!

Get free updates delivered free to your inbox.


Find jobs at
Careers by KevinMD.com

Search thousands of physician, PA, NP, and CRNA jobs now.

Learn more

Leave a Comment

Founded in 2004 by Kevin Pho, MD, KevinMD.com is the web’s leading platform where physicians, advanced practitioners, nurses, medical students, and patients share their insight and tell their stories.

Social

  • Like on Facebook
  • Follow on Twitter
  • Connect on Linkedin
  • Subscribe on Youtube
  • Instagram

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Most Popular

  • Past Week

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • Why timing, not surgery, determines patient survival

      Michael Karch, MD | Conditions
    • Why health care leaders fail at execution—and how to fix it

      Dave Cummings, RN | Policy
    • How digital tools are reshaping the doctor-patient relationship

      Vineet Vishwanath | Tech
  • Past 6 Months

    • Forced voicemail and diagnosis codes are endangering patient access to medications

      Arthur Lazarus, MD, MBA | Meds
    • How President Biden’s cognitive health shapes political and legal trust

      Muhamad Aly Rifai, MD | Conditions
    • Why are medical students turning away from primary care? [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • The One Big Beautiful Bill and the fragile heart of rural health care

      Holland Haynie, MD | Policy
    • Why “do no harm” might be harming modern medicine

      Sabooh S. Mubbashar, MD | Physician
    • The hidden health risks in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act

      Trevor Lyford, MPH | Policy
  • Recent Posts

    • FDA delays could end vital treatment for rare disease patients

      G. van Londen, MD | Meds
    • Pharmacists are key to expanding Medicaid access to digital therapeutics

      Amanda Matter | Meds
    • Why ADHD in women requires a new approach [PODCAST]

      The Podcast by KevinMD | Podcast
    • AI is already replacing doctors—just not how you think

      Bhargav Raman, MD, MBA | Tech
    • Why doctors must stop ignoring unintentional weight loss in patients with obesity

      Samantha Malley, FNP-C | Conditions
    • Why more doctors are choosing direct care over traditional health care

      Grace Torres-Hodges, DPM, MBA | Physician

MedPage Today Professional

An Everyday Health Property Medpage Today
  • Terms of Use | Disclaimer
  • Privacy Policy
  • DMCA Policy
All Content © KevinMD, LLC
Site by Outthink Group

Leave a Comment

Comments are moderated before they are published. Please read the comment policy.

Loading Comments...