For the average person, cosmetic and plastic surgery are often interchanged terms. While plastic surgery is typically associated with celebrities, cosmetic surgery tends to be associated with minor enhancements. They’re often lumped together as procedures done to improve a person’s physical appearance, but that’s not exactly the case.
Despite the confusion, they are more similar than you might think. But, what makes them different? What examples fall into each category? And, where does stem cell therapy live in all of this?
What is cosmetic surgery?
To its core definition, cosmetic surgery is the procedures, techniques, and principles done to enhance a person’s appearance. This can include improving or changing a person’s:
- Aesthetic
- Symmetry
- Proportion
Cosmetic surgery services can be done on any portion of the body, from the feet to the face. It’s often procedures that are desired by a person but don’t pose any functional purpose. From moms looking to bounce back after their pregnancy to people who have significantly lost weight wanting to remove excess skin, cosmetic surgery can resolve a variety of use cases. The most common cosmetic surgeries include:
- Breast enhancement
- Facial contouring
- Skin rejuvenation
- Tummy tucks
- Lasik
What is plastic surgery?
Plastic surgery is a procedure done to reconstruct or change a bodily defect. They are surgeries that take place to improve the quality of life of a person — such as with birth defects, trauma, burns, and disease. Plastic surgery has often been confused with cosmetic surgery, but that’s because cosmetic surgery is one sub-category of plastic. The other categories include:
- Disorders
- Hard surgery
- Reconstructive surgery
- Trauma surgery
- Congenital defect repair
While cosmetic surgery plays a small role in all plastic surgeries that take place, it tends to be the reason these terms have become interchangeable. Instead, the most common plastic surgery procedures include:
- Breast reconstruction
- Burn repair surgery
- Cleft Palate or other defect repairs
- Scar revision surgery
- Hand surgery
Cosmetic vs Plastic Surgery
So, where do stem cells fall into these categories? While stem cells have been known to enhance appearances, Innovations Medical uses adult stem cells from fat to improve your quality of life. This includes birth defects and issues caused by chronic conditions. It’s this fluidity between the two categories that make it a cosmetic surgery within the plastic surgery field.
Contact Innovations Medical for Stem Cell Therapy
If you have a bodily defect or chronic condition that’s causing you pain and are looking for relief, Innovations Medical is here for you. Our skilled professionals help you decide which stem cell therapy treatment is best for you – keeping you informed and confident in the next steps. We’ve been helping our patients look and feel their best since 2005, and even our most advanced procedures are often minimally invasive.
To find out if stem cell therapy is right for you, and to learn how Innovations Medical can improve your life, call us at (214) 643-8665 or schedule an appointment.