Glossary

Abdominoplasty (tummy tuck):a procedure that minimizes the abdominal area. In abdominoplasty, the surgeon makes a long incision from one side of the hipbone to the other. Excess fat and skin are surgically removed from the middle and lower abdomen and the muscles of the abdomen wall are tightened.

Anesthesia: lack of a normal sensation brought on by an anesthetic drug.

Blepharoplasty (eyelid lift): a procedure in which the physician surgically removes excess fat, muscle, and skin from both the upper and lower eyelids to redefine the shape of the eye.

Breast lift (mastopexy): frequently, a woman elects this surgery after losing a considerable amount of weight, or losing volume and tone in her breasts after having children. The plastic surgeon relocates the nipple and areola (the pink skin surrounding the nipple) to a higher position, repositions the breast tissue to a higher level, removes excess skin from the lower portion of the breast and then reshapes the remaining breast skin. Scars are around the areola, extending vertically down the breast and horizontally along the crease underneath the breast. Variations on this technique, in some cases, may result in less noticeable scarring.

Plastic surgery: the surgical specialty that deals with the reconstruction of facial and body tissue that requires a reshaping or remolding due to disease, a defect, or disorder - in order to approximate a normal appearance or to repair working ability.

Breast augmentation (breast enlargement): Surgical procedure which involves the use of a prosthetic implant to increase the size or change the appearance of the breast.

Gynecomastia (male breast reduction): Excessive developmentof the male mammary gland.

Cosmetic surgery: Surgery which has the purpose to improve and alter appearance

Reconstructive surgery: Surgical procedure to restore, construct or reconstruct the shape and appearance of the body and facial structures which are missing, deformed, damaged or misshapen.

Rhinoplasty (nose correction): Plastic surgery of the nose to correct deformity or alter appearance

Facelift: Surgical procedure to reduce the signs of ageing from the face or neck.

Liposuction: Removal of body fat from the contours of the body with a suction device.