Plastic, cosmetic, and reconstructive surgery refers to a variety of operations performed in order to repair or restore body parts to look "normal," or to change a body part to look better. These highly-specialized types of surgery begin with careful preparation of the patient's skin and tissues, followed by precise cutting and suturing techniques and care to minimize scarring. Recent advances in the development of miniaturized instruments, new materials for artificial limbs and body parts, and improved surgical techniques have expanded the range of plastic surgery operations that can be performed.

Although these three types of surgery share some common techniques and approaches, they have somewhat different emphases. Plastic surgery is usually performed to treat birth defects and to remove skin blemishes such as warts, acne scars, or birthmarks. It includes a number of different procedures, such as laser resurfacing...