Dr. Loren Borud Compares Plastic from Cosmetic

In terms of purpose, plastic surgery can be differentiated from cosmetic surgery, according to Dr. Loren Borud. From his experience, as a noted plastic surgeon, people come up to him and often ask what he can do to enhance their nose, breasts, etc. Borud says that this is not what plastic surgery is all about and that they may be confusing his practice with cosmetic surgery.

Plastic surgery is also known as reconstructive surgery. This means that the operations deal with fixing deformed body parts or facial features that are caused by accidents and birth abnormalities to make them look normal. A good example of this would be an article about ear reconstruction in Iraq that he mentions in his blog.

Over 3500 victims of torture and abuse in Iraq were found to commonly have amputated ears. It was discovered that this was a common form of punishment in the country. It is a plastic surgeon’s task to repair the damage and give these victims their ears back.

Cosmetic surgery, on the other hand, deals with enhancing body parts that are already there. This refers to breast enlargement, nose jobs, face lifts, etc. What can be seen on celebrities would be a good example of this type of surgery. According to Dr. Loren Borud, this is more for aesthetic reasons and not to repair a deformity. Cosmetic surgery aims to make a person more attractive while plastic surgery returns damaged parts to normal.

It is good that these days, more people are aware of the difference of the two practices since plastic surgery has become more exposed in the news scene. The war has been able to increase the demand for reconstructive surgery because of injured soldiers wanting to get their normal lives back, post-service.

To be able to know the difference, one should ask what the operation is for: Is it done to enhance beauty or is it the fixing of a damaged body part? The answer to this question will dictate the kind of surgery one will need.