Facial Plastic Surgery:

It is a surgical subspecialty that can be performed by Maxillofacial Surgeons, Plastics, otolaryngologists, ophthalmologists and dermatologists who have been trained in this area and aims to correct and / or improve abnormalities present in the face of congenital, acquired, tumor or involutional requiring repair or replacement of the corporal form and function.

Facial plastic surgery has been divided from a practical standpoint in two fields of action.

• Reconstructive or restorative surgery, including microsurgery, focuses on disguise and reconstruct the destructive effects of an accident or trauma, defects and congenital malformation or tumor cancer resection of the face. Reconstructive or restorative surgery uses different techniques: osteosynthesis, transfer of tissue with autologous transplants or flaps from the healthy parts of the body to affected ones, etc.
• Aesthetic or cosmetic surgery, is generally for healthy patients and is performed in order to change parts of the body that are not satisfactory for the patient to improve their quality of life. In many cases, however, there are medical reasons (for example, blepharoplasty in serious cases of dermatochalasis which prevent vision or rhinoplasty in order to improve respiratory function).

In Spain, there are several medical specialties depending on their training programs that can perform reconstructive procedures or cosmetic surgery on the face. These specialties are: Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery; Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Otorhinolaryngology and Cervical-Facial Pathology, Ophthalmology and Medical-Surgical Dermatology and Venereology. Any of these specialties can perform different facial plastic surgery procedures whenever surgeon training is adequate.

Facial Plastic Surgery is one of the most complex branches of plastic surgery and that more hours of study and training required to provide patients with adequate surgical outcome and quality. Holding the title of specialist in any of the five fields mentioned above, theoretically empowers to perform all or some of the various procedures laid down in Facial Plastic Surgery. However, the mere fact that a surgeon holds the title of specialist in one or another specialty, is not sufficient to guarantee optimal results, so the patient should always seek out a specialist within the referred specialties, who has been formed and intensively trained specifically in the surgical procedure that the patient will undergo.