Reconstructive surgery is a type of surgery that aims to restore form, function, and appearance to areas of the body that may have been damaged or disfigured due to various reasons such as birth defects, injury, disease, or aging. The word "reconstructive" means to rebuild after something has been damaged or destroyed. Reconstructive surgery can be performed to treat body parts affected aesthetically or functionally by congenital defects, developmental abnormalities, or trauma. Some examples of reconstructive surgery procedures include:
- Breast reconstruction (typically after a full or partial mastectomy)
- Cleft lip and palate repair
- Craniosynostosis surgery (head reshaping)
- Gender confirmation surgeries (transfeminine/transmasculine)
- Lymphedema treatment
- Migraine surgery (chronic headache relief)
- Panniculectomy (body contouring)
- Septoplasty (deviated septum correction)
This list is just a small percentage of procedures, as reconstructive surgery covers all sorts of trauma, cancers, and problems caused by infections. Reconstructive surgery is typically considered medically necessary and is covered by most health insurance plans. However, there is often significant overlap between reconstructive and cosmetic plastic surgery since they share many of the same underlying surgical principles.
