Why "Plastic" surgery

Plastic surgery takes its name from the Greek word “Plastikos” (πλαστικός) which means “fit for moulding”.

The term “plastic” in the specialty name does not suggest that modern polymeric materials, now known as “plastics”, are essential to this surgery.  It also does not imply anything artificial.  Instead, it refers to repairing human tissues by moulding or forming them from other parts of the body.  Therefore “plastic” the material and “plastic surgery” are separate terms with similar meanings but originating from the same Greek word.

The origin of the term “plastic” goes back to well before the use of the word for either a branch of surgical endeavour, or the polymeric manufacturing material. “Plassein” is the Greek for “moulded” or “formed”, “plastikos being the adjective derived from it, adopted by the Romans in the Latin “plasticus” and from which we get the English “plastic”. It ancient Greece it was used to describe the work of artists, sculptors and potters

Karl Ferdinand von Graefe first coined the term “plastic” in surgery, particularly in the context of reconstructive nose surgery.  His 1818 book “Rhinoplastik” drew inspiration from the earlier work of British surgeon Joseph Carpue.  Graefe likely adopted the German translation of “plastic” to describe his technique of shaping a nose from forehead tissue as the term had gained traction to describe both artistic endeavours and biological transformation at the start of the 19th century. Later, in 1838 Edward Zeis extended the concept of skin flap-based reconstructive procedures for a range of facial defects in his book “Plastische Chirurgie”. This work gave its name to the range of procedures later brought together in the distinct specialty of plastic surgery.

The suffix “-plasty” is today used for a range of procedures in various surgical specialties which involve a manipulation, repair or reconstruction of organs and tissues by changing their shape, organisation and function. Examples being “gastroplasty” – changing the shape and size of the stomach, “pyeloplasty” – changing the shape of the ureteric outlet of the kidney and “arthroplasty” – realigning or reconstruction of a joint often with prostheses.