Plastic Surgery - or in German Plastische Chirurgie

Plastic surgery is the term applied to medical procedures involving surgical and non-surgical techniques to alter the appearance of a person’s body. Plastic surgery can be a reconstructive procedure - following an illness or accident - or a cosmetic procedure for personal aesthetic reasons. In the latter case plastic surgery is more commonly referred to as Cosmetic Surgery. This article provides some information about three aspects of cosmetic surgery and their availability in German Cosmetic Surgery Clinics with their state of the art facilities.

Liposuction - is the common name for the procedure that removes fat from different parts of the body; most usually the stomach, thighs, buttocks and upper arms. The correct name for the procedure is suction lipectomy, which means suction assisted fat removal. A hollow tube (cannula) is inserted into the patient and the fat is literally sucked out of the body by an aspirator. Whilst the procedure is an alternative to exercise and dieting for fat removal, it should be seen primarily as a way to remodel the body rather than as method by which to lose weight. During a typical liposuction procedure it is not normal to exceed the removal of more than 5 kilograms of fat in any one session. The removal of fat will re-shape the body but overuse of the procedure can lead to lumpiness in the part of the body that has been treated. Of course a reputable clinic will advise you closely on the optimum liposuction procedure suitable to you. (Or in German –
“optimale Fettabsaugung“.)

Breast Augmentation - in Germany this type of cosmetic surgery is referred to as Brustvergrößerung. Increasing a woman’s breast size by augmentation is also referred to as breast enlargement and more commonly as a ‘boob job’. It involves the insertion of an implant, or prosthesis, into the breast by any one of five different procedures. The different procedures are used to attain the desired effect sought after by the woman having the procedure carried out. Two main types of implant are used - saline or silicone. Saline implants are most commonly used in the USA, but throughout most of the rest of the world and certainly in Germany a silicone implant is more likely to be used. Whilst a saline implant can leave less scarring most plastic surgeons are agreed that silicone implants are by far the superior product in terms of end-results. Many women who have breast augmentation operations – ( Brustvergrößerung ) - are young, healthy and married; yet they also often suffer from low self-esteem due to their perceived dissatisfaction with their breast shape or size. Before agreeing to carry out a breast augmentation a responsible surgeon will discuss with the patient their reasons for seeking to have the operation, their expectations after the operation and any post-operation instructions they must follow.

Hair transplant - this form of cosmetic surgery is mainly carried out on men who lack confidence and have low self-esteem often through premature hair loss. Just about any man trying to hide their baldness with a wig or toupee will have had glances in their direction with people clearly thinking ‘that’s not real’, which is leading increasing numbers of men to undergo hair transplants or haartransplantation. The transplanting of hair means the moving of the persons balding resistant hair follicles from the back or sides of the head to the area of the head that is balding. Today’s hair transplanting technique is more correctly called follicular unit transplanting (follicular Maßeinheit Verpflanzen) as follicular units of hairs, 3 or 4 hairs at a time, are transplanted rather than individual hairs. Hair transplanting techniques have been carried out since the 1930s. However, it is only in the last ten years or so that the procedure has become really effective with the advent of follicular unit transplants. As the procedure becomes more common, what was until recently a prohibitively expensive procedure becomes accessible to many more people. The cost is, of course, dependant on the size of the area that needs working on, but then again the cost needs considering against the benefit and gain in confidence and self-esteem.