5 Indications of the Invention of Cosmetic Surgery

There is no clear answer or record as to who is actually responsible for the invention of cosmetic surgery; however, cosmetic surgery was already practiced in India as early as 500 BC and evidence has been found of it in the Byzantine era, plastic surgery procedures were also performed by the Romans and ancient Egyptians, it was in the year 1400s that cosmetic surgery emerged in Europe, western physicians learned cosmetic surgery procedures from India, and many syphilis-infected patients and soldiers from World Wars I and II benefitted from cosmetic surgery.

Cosmetic surgery is one of the most frequently performed medical procedures in the world. About 11 million plastic surgery procedures are done in the United States every year. Cosmetic Surgery in San Diego may either be surgical or non-surgical, and for aesthetic or medical purposes. There is no specific person credited with actually inventing cosmetic surgery but you can trace back it’s history to other parts of the world and much early times.

Cosmetic surgery was already practiced in India as early as 500 BC and evidence of it has also been found in the Byzantine era

During the earliest centuries of the Hindu civilization, individuals found guilty of committing crimes were punished by cutting off their noses. From this practice, a Hindu doctor named Susrata developed a technique that could restore noses that were cut off or clipped in battle. The technique would significantly improve physical appearance even though the procedure was not very advanced. This method spread so widely that it was evident on Byzantine Emperor Justinian’s statues that he had also undergone such a procedure after a nasal amputation around 700 CE. This technique later became the improved rhinoplasty procedure.

Plastic surgery procedures were also performed by the Romans and ancient Egyptians

The Romans as well the ancient Egyptians were among the earliest civilizations to carry out basic cosmetic surgery procedures. During the 1st century BC, ears that had been damaged in war were commonly repaired.

It was in the year 1400s that cosmetic surgery emerged in Europe

The Brancas, a family of Sicilian surgeons, developed new suturing techniques to repair ear and lip wounds. Gaspare Tagliacozzi, a surgeon in Bologna, later experimented with skin grafting by cutting a portion of skin from one part of the body and then attaching it to another. However, it was not carried out regularly only until Sir Astley Cooper performed the first successful skin grafting procedure in 1817.

Western physicians learned cosmetic surgery procedures from India

Many western physicians, including surgeon Joseph Constantine Carpue, traveled to India to learn cosmetic surgery procedures such as rhinoplasty. Carpue spent twenty years in India learning these techniques. It wasn’t until 1815 that he returned to the western world and successfully performed the first major cosmetic surgery operation.

Many syphilis-infected patients and soldiers from World Wars I and II benefitted from cosmetic surgery

With the spread of new reconstructive surgery techniques as well as innovation in medicine, many patients with syphilis also benefitted from cosmetic surgery during the 18th century. Since losing one’s nose is one of the debilitating effects of the disease, many patients opted to undergo rhinoplasty even without the use of any anesthetic just to repair one’s face. World Wars I and II brought thousands of injured soldiers suffering from burns and amputated body parts. While techniques in cosmetic surgery have improved over the years, these events drove physicians further in developing advanced techniques for cosmetic surgery. Famous cosmetic surgeons during these times include Archibald McIndoe, Harold Gillies and Vilrav Blair.

The invention of cosmetic surgery supports the importance of one’s features and how your appearance affects your confidence.