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Before looking into the history of plastic surgery. Let's look into why it is called plastic surgery. The word plastic is derived from the Greek word plastikos meaning “to mold" or “give form." Isn't that essentially what plastic surgery does, to mold and give form to patients? However the beginnings of plastic and cosmetic surgery were even before this word was created. Even though it has gone through various changes, it has always led to mankind's pursuit of improving their appearance.
Probably one of the earliest known uses of plastic surgery was in 3000 B.C. when ancient Egyptians surgical treated facial traumas. Also there is evidence that skin grafts were used for reconstructive surgery in India, as early as 800 B.C. During the middle ages, the methods of facial reconstruction continued. However when Pope Innocent III prohibited surgical procedures in the 13th, that put a halt on the advancements of reconstructive surgery. Most of the physicians during the Middle Ages considered reconstructive surgery to be dishonorable. During the Renaissance, was a time of rebirth for science and medicine, and also a rebirth for reconstructive surgery. However, there was very little advancement during this time period also. Unfortunately it took a dark in time in our history to boost the advancements in plastic surgery. This time was World War I.
During the war, jaws were shattered, noses and lips were blown off, and such tragic injuries caused the need for major reconstructive procedures. Physicians in different countries all over the world helped to restore the injured faces of their countrymen during World War I. Then after the war, two physicians came to the United States, which led to a major advancement of plastic surgery in this country.
Dr. Gustave Aufricht and Dr. Jacques Maliniac were two Jewish doctors that came to the United States when things became inhospitable for Jews in Europe. In New York, Dr. Maliniac convinced the City Hospital system in New York to establish the first plastic surgery division in a public hospital. Then both doctors became the founding fathers of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) in 1931.
Then World War II came and once again, plastic surgeons used their skills to help their countrymen. This led to more plastic surgery advances. Then by the 1950s, plastic surgery was fully integrated into the medical community. In the 1960s, the concept of plastic surgery grew in the consciousness of the American public as more physicians performed plastic surgery procedures. Plus in this decade, silicone started being used in plastic surgery and started becoming a part of our culture. Now in the 1970s, the plastic surgeon became one of the leading medical professions. And in the 1980s, plastic surgery was expanding all over the country. By the 1990s, there thousands of board-certified plastic surgeons and the numbers continue to grow, even today. Now there are thousands of plastic surgeons, offering a variety of plastic surgery procedures to patients not just in the United States, but all over the world.
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