When it comes to plastic surgery facts, the history is a long and storied one.

Historians believe that plastic surgery has been on going since at least 2,500 BC. By 800 BC, Indian doctors were performing reconstructive surgeries. The physician Susrata is considered the father of Indian plastic surgery, especially rhinoplasty. He practiced his craft around 500 BC

So renown were Indian methods of rhinoplasty that in the 18th and 19th centuries western doctors traveled to India to study how their doctors performed this type of plastic surgery. Even before this, the Italian plastic surgery pioneer Gaspare Tagliacozzi, had written a treatise on plastic surgery, including rhinoplasty. His approach was different from the Indian approach in that the new nose was created from a flap of skin from the patient’s arm.

Two of the more interesting cosmetic surgery facts arise from why rhinoplasty was so important to Indian and Italian surgeons. In India, people had their noses cut off for committing crimes, while in Italy people lost their noses in war.

Another of the more interesting plastic surgery facts is that the flap of skin used in Tagliacozzi’s rhinoplasty stayed attached to the patient’s arm until it developed a blood supply from the face. This meant the patient had to live with his arm raised against his face until this happened. Afterwards, the flap was severed and sculpted into a serviceable nose.

More Fascinating Plastic Surgery Facts

Modern plastic surgery came into its own with the advent of World War I, when soldiers suffered grotesquely disfiguring injuries. Training in plastic surgery began even before the war under the auspices of Dr. Hippolyte Morestin, who specialized in reconstructive surgeries of the face and jaw.

The first maxillofacial deformities Dr. Morestin repaired were caused by tumors. His techniques were then used to treat the facial traumas of soldiers. As the war went on, Armenian-born Dr. Varaztad Kazanjian improved upon these techniques. By World War II, military plastic surgery centers were set up around the United States.

Cosmetic Surgery Facts

Plastic surgery for cosmetic reasons has also been around for a surprisingly long time. One of the first recorded facelifts occurred in Berlin in 1901 and was performed by Eugen Hollander. The first textbook on facelifts was published in 1907.

The first breast augmentation was performed in 1895. A new breast was created by using a graft from the patient’s back. A few years later, the first breast implant materials were created out of oil, beeswax and paraffin. They were injected, but the results were unsatisfactory.

After that, surgeons used all manner of materials for breast implants. They ranged from cartilage harvested from oxen, ivory, gutta-percha, sponges, glass balls and polyethylene chips. It wasn’t until the early 1960s that doctors came up with the breast implants filled with saline or silicone gel that are used today.

Want To Know More About Plastic Surgery? Call Us at PSS

Knowledge is a powerful thing. If you think you need plastic surgery or just want to know more about it, call our plastic surgeons at PSS at 866-540-3911 to set up a consultation at our Annapolis and satellite offices.