Weird Facts About Plastic Surgery
Plastic surgery was once a topic reserved for discussion among those in wealthy circles. But now, it’s much more commonplace and available to a wider cross-section of people.
Yet, for as much as you may think you know about plastic and cosmetic surgery, you might be surprised to discover some weird facts about plastic surgery.
We’ll take a look at some of them here.
Weird Facts About Plastic Surgery
Don’t worry. If you’re considering plastic surgery, there’s not anything too bizarre here that will sway you! If anything, it will illustrate how safe modern plastic surgery is.
- Cosmetic Surgery Goes Way Back
Many consider the “early days” of plastic surgery to be the 1950s and 60s. But plastic surgery dates back as far as 2000 B.C. The first medical texts about plastic surgery were published in India in 600 B.C. And in ancient Egypt, healers used reeds to keep the nostrils open during nose reconstruction.
Meanwhile, in ancient Rome, surgeons were using early methods of plastic surgery to restore the physiques of gladiators. And some of the earliest techniques for breast reductions, as well as ear, lip, and nose reconstruction, are outlined in the ancient Roman text “De Medicina.”
After the fall of the Roman Empire, new developments in cosmetic surgery fizzled out for hundreds of years during the Middle Ages and Renaissance as Christianity forbade surgical changes to the body during that time.
- Botox Was Created to Treat Crossed Eyes
Today, Botox is most often associated with plastic surgery. But using it to smooth wrinkles was not its original intent.
It was an ophthalmologist who worked with a biochemist and physiologist to develop medicine that would help relax the muscles around the eyes to treat those who suffer from crossed eyes. When they began to do the experimentation on volunteers in the late 1970s, subjects discovered that not only did it help with crossed eyes, but it also smoothed facial wrinkles.
Today, along with treating crossed eyes and wrinkles, Botox can be used to treat disorders such as migraines, excessive sweating, and muscle contractures following strokes.
- Liposuction Wasn’t Always Simple
In the early 1920s, a French surgeon began experimenting with scraping away fat beneath the skin for body contouring purposes. Unfortunately, the lack of modern antibiotics and anesthesia meant that patients didn’t always fare well.
Then in the 1970s, two Italian gynecologists developed hollow canulas through which fat could be sucked without disrupting blood vessels. In the 1980s, a dermatologist perfected the tumescent technique that reduced bleeding and skin rippling.
Further advancements in liposuction techniques continue to make it one of the simplest yet most effective procedures.
- The First Breast Augmentation Did Not Use Implants
The first breast augmentation was in 1895. And strangely enough, the implant was actually a tumor.
Okay, that sounds bizarre. But when a Victorian woman needed to have the cancerous tumor removed, the surgeon decided to augment the breast using a large benign fatty tumor from her flank. Because he was using her own tissue to replace the cancerous tumor, her body didn’t reject it as a foreign object.
Since that time, surgeons have experimented with many more substances (including glass balls, ground rubber, ivory, wool, and ox cartilage) before finally landing on the modern implants and fat grafting techniques that exist today.
Plastic Surgery Has Come a Long Way
Weird facts about plastic surgery aside, you can feel confident in knowing you’ll now be in far safer hands for whatever procedure you’re considering today.
So if you’re ready to explore your options, contact us today to speak with our board-certified plastic surgeons and aesthetic specialists.
You’ll be glad you did.
