The art of Craniofacial, Aesthetic and Plastic Surgery is an all-encompassing branch of surgical speciality that surpasses the limits of the human systems. It percolates every tissue and every part of the human body.
There are a lkot of misconceptions about plastic surgery being merely cosmetic. The truth is that surgeons have united all surgical diversities by bringing together a craniofacial unit, specialized reconstructive units, an ultramodern Burn care Centre and a hand and face clinic — to ensure that harm to the dermis does not become permanent.
These days, we are moving a step ahead into reconstructive transplantation of body parts in adjunct to the conventional transplantation of organs. Craniofacial Centres deals with all structural and functional deficits of the head, neck and face. We treat a wide spectrum of anomalies ranging from congenital malformations, trauma induced deformities, tumors, aesthetic surgeries are just a few to mention. Restoration forms a root of any treatment modality. We have specialized surgeons to reconstruct structural deficits using various options from skin grafting to major microsurgeries.
Patients who have undergone cancer resection are treated by restoring the deficits with extensive microvascular reconstructive surgeries. At most Burns Centres we have equipment to stabilise and then treat scars, contractures of the hands, feet and face are also surgically corrected.
Hand is the most utilitarian and functional part of the human body. Reimplantation of severed parts of the hand, surgical restoration of a dysfunctional hand and surgeries to revert anomalous hands are a few to mention. Rehabilitation goes hand in hand. Even in cases of accidents and emergencies, wee are planned surgeons who are proud to be involved — working with replantation of severed hands and fingers, soft tissue injuries, burns and faciomaxillary bone injuries. We have worked with facial surgeries varying from correction of abnormal facial features to aesthetic enhancement of the normal face.
(The author is a surgeon who retired from the Govt Stanley Hospital and currently works at ICAPS, SIMS)