One of the most commonly asked questions of plastic surgeons is why the specialty is named “plastic” surgery. Patients make many assumptions about the origin of this term. Some patients assume that it’s because synthetic plastic has been utilized in the past for reconstructive purposes. Other patients assume that following surgery, patients have an artificial or plastic look and this is the origin of the term.In reality, plastic surgery received its name long before synthetic polymers were developed and at no point have plastic surgeons desired a plastic or artificial look in patients receiving surgery. The actual origin of the term comes from the Greek language. The Greek word “plastic” means to mold or give form.
The specialty of plastic surgery involves the shaping and remodeling of living tissue for both reconstructive and cosmetic purposes. Occasionally, synthetic materials are used for both cosmetic and reconstructive surgery.
The first reported plastic surgery was performed in India in 600 B.C. The first use of the term “plastic surgery” was used by the French in 1798. The first textbook published was in Germany in 1838. The American Board of Plastic Surgery was then formed in 1937.
