Is Plastic Surgery A New Age Science?

While the advancements in technology giving rise to the possibility of diverse cosmetic surgery procedures is tempting to want to label cosmetic surgery as a new age science, the overall facts seem to indicate otherwise. On the whole, one can safely say that the science of plastic surgery has been around for a very, very long time.

Plastic or reconstructive surgery is an ancient science, with the Indians having documented evidence of its use as far back as 600 B.C. The proponent of this procedure in those days was the renowned Susruta, whose work Susruta Samhita (Susruta's Treatise) is the earliest possible written document about the techniques applied in plastic surgery. Susruta was famed in those times for his skin grafting, otoplastic, and rhinoplastic procedures.

Other ancient civilizations too have been using plastic surgery, e.g., the Romans, the Egyptians, the Byzantines, and the Hellenes. Thus, plastic surgery is by no means a new age science. Advanced techniques and technology has merely enhanced the range, scope, and types of procedures.