Plastic surgery is something that Western society is very familiar with. Billions of dollars are spent each year on these types of procedures. The oldest type of plastic surgery is reconstructive. It developed to meet the need to treat wounded soldiers in war and help them recover afterward. This type of plastic surgery is used to reconstruct severely fractured bones, perform skin grafts and implant prosthetics. Plastic surgery was later introduced to treat birth defects like lip lock and remove skin blemishes. This was the beginning of plastic and cosmetic surgery, from the almost necessary correction of cleft lips in children to nose jobs, facelifts and alteration of breast size in adults. Cosmetic surgery is perhaps the most well-known form of plastic surgery today. These surgical procedures can affect the psychological health of the patient in a negative or positive way. Many plastic surgeries have effects on the patient's health, they can improve a patient's physical abilities using a prosthesis, or they can improve the patient's self-esteem by improving their overall physical appearance. Any surgical procedure carries possible risks and negative health effects, but it is up to the patient and their doctor to decide whether they will take the risk and undergo plastic surgery. Reconstructive plastic surgery is necessary to treat any type of skin wound. The skin, muscles and bones of the human body must be repaired or replaced in order to function normally as before the injury. This type of surgery is primarily used to "reattach body parts severed in combat or accidents, to perform skin grafts after severe burns, or to reconstruct parts of the patient's body missing at birth or surgically removed." (Fey 1). If a person's arm is severely damaged... middle of paper ...... improve a person's beauty appearance with non-evasive and evasive procedures. Cosmetic plastic surgery can change the shape, size and texture of a body part according to the patient's desires or needs. Both types of plastic surgery can improve the patient's physical and mental health. The psychological health of patients may also be affected negatively or positively, surgery could boost self-esteem or have undesirable results that lead to depression or more surgical procedures to achieve a perfect body. Any surgical procedure carries risks, but it's up to patients to decide whether the risks and possibly permanent side effects that accompany natural body modification are worth the attempt. Plastic surgery has improved the health and lives of thousands of people around the world, and with new technologies it will improve the lives of many more people in the future..