Why see a plastic surgeon

Training to become a specialist

To become a plastic surgeon is a long and exacting process. Following graduation from medical school at University, all doctors must perform an internship in a public hospital to become a fully qualified doctor. Following this there are many paths that can be taken. To become a GP, a doctor could leave the public hospital system at this point and enter training with the Royal Australasian College of General Practitioners which involves a period of apprenticeship and training with fully qualified General Practitioners in the community. To become a specialist, which includes medical specialists such as General Physicians, Cardiologists etc or a surgical specialist such as the General Surgeon, Orthopaedic Surgeon or Plastic Surgeon, a much more extended period of hospital-based training is required. Each candidate becomes registered by their national college and enters into a strictly formatted period of training.

Surgical training generally requires several more years of residency working in a variety of fields such as accident and emergency, intensive care and a variety of surgical specialties. This is called the period of basic training. An exacting entrance exam (Royal Australasian College of surgeons part one exam) needs to be successfully completed prior to commencing what we call advanced surgical training.

As a plastic surgeon is faced with a diverse range of problems, each of which is uniquely individual, much of the training is on the basic principles of reconstruction, form, function and aesthetics. Throughout our training, plastic surgeons are taught when to and when not to apply each of the various skills that we have learnt to achieve the best outcome for our patient in terms of form, function and aesthetics. These basic principles are then applied to routine conditions such as skin cancer excisions as well as complex problems such as major reconstructions and cosmetic facial surgery.

For plastic and reconstructive surgery, the period of advanced surgical training includes a year of surgery in general followed by four years of plastic and reconstructive surgery training. From the time of graduation from University, the entire training period will frequently takes 10 or more years. Following completion of specialty training, it is frequent for Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons to gain more experience in fields that specifically interest them at an overseas location with particular expertise in these areas.

Short history of plastic and reconstructive surgery:

Plastic and reconstructive surgery is a relatively new specialty. The term plastic surgery comes from the Greek word Plastikos which means to mould. Plastic surgery commenced as a specialty in times of conflict during the First and Second World Wars. The fathers of plastic surgery, Sir Harold Gillies and Sir Archibald MacIndoe, were instrumental in the establishment of specialised units in the United Kingdom that dealt specifically with trauma victims of war. In these early days plastic and reconstructive surgery was applied specifically to disfigured trauma victims and burn patients.

In times of peace, plastic and reconstructive surgery slowly expanded to include other fields of reconstruction and the recreation of form. While trauma patients were still frequently being treated by plastic surgeons, the scope also included people born with congenital deformity and requiring reconstruction after cancer. It was plastic surgeons who were responsible for developing advanced reconstructive techniques such as microsurgery which is now a common basic skill for a modern plastic surgeon. This is applied in fields such as major reconstruction, hand surgery and the replantation of amputated parts.

With their high level of understanding of the principles of form, function and aesthetics it was also plastic surgeons who pioneered the surgical techniques of cosmetic surgery that are now commonplace today.

Short history of plastic and reconstructive surgery:

Today the modern plastic surgeon will operate on a diverse range of problems. The scope includes areas such as: Breast surgery including breast enlargement, breast reduction, breast lift male breast reduction, breast asymmetry and breast reconstruction. Body contouring surgery such as abdominoplasty, liposuction and arm reduction.

Facial plastic surgery such as face/neck lift, brow lift, eyelid surgery and ear surgery.

Burn surgery for both new burn injuries and the scar management of older injuries.

The management of congenital deformity such as cleft lip and palate, congenital hand and facial deformity as well as asymmetry of the breast and breast deformities. You should check the qualifications of your surgeon. Often your GP will be able to help you. Alternatively, the medical board of each state will be able to verify your doctor's credentials (Queensland 07 3225 2515, New South Wales 02 9879 6977. You can visit the Australiasian Society of Plastic Surgeons website by following this link or alternatively you can call their office in Sydney (02 9437 9200 or 1300 367 446)).