Plastic surgery is absolutely crucial in treating tissue damages, particularly trauma injuries, burns and birth defects.
CLICK on the pictures to learn more about each patient's story and how reconstructive plastic surgery saved and rebuilt their life.
Simon Brown
Simon is a 39-year-old former soldier from Leeds. He was serving in the British army as the commander of the recovery team in Southern Basra, Iraq when he suffered facial injuries after being shot in the face.
Tulsi Vagjiani
Tulsi Vagjiani, 38, is a survivor of a plane crash that happened in India 28 years ago.​
Beth Angella
Beth Angella is a final year English student at the University of Nottingham who was born with a unilateral cleft lip and palate.
James Partridge
James was driving to North Wales with a group of friends after obtaining his driver’s license at the age of 18 when the car toppled over at a bend and exploded.
Dr Caroline Payne
Specialist in plastic and reconstructive surgery
Not many people know that a plastic surgeon can save your life if you've got an infection.
Dr Joannis Constantinides
Consultant plastic surgeon
Through the development of reconstructive techniques, that gives the ability to surgeons to use these techniques laterally to enhance appearance in the form of cosmetics surgery.
Despite the gradual change of representation of plastic surgery in the media as well as efforts by charities and organisations to educate the public, some plastic surgeons still find the need to explain their speciality not only to the general public but other doctors as well.
Click on the pictures to listen to the explanation of each plastic surgeon on the reality of plastic surgery
In 2006, researchers at the University of Manchester analysed 1,191 original articles published in the UK national newspapers that contained the term 'plastic surgery'. The result showed 89 percent of the articles used the term in context of cosmetic surgery and only 10 percent referred to reconstructive surgery. The remaining one percent was on other subjects such as waiting lists.
With the national press constantly perpetuating the misconception of plastic surgery as a method for beauty enhancement, it is no surprise for the general public to have a lack of understanding in the reconstructive side of plastic surgery. In 2008, the British Association of Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS) interviewed journalists from national press such as The Times, The Daily Mail and BBC News Online to find out journalists' perception of plastic surgery. Many journalists felt that plastic surgery was synonymous with cosmetic surgery, indicating that cosmetic purpose is at the forefront of the media.
However, the representation of plastic surgery in the media has seen a positive change in recent years. Television shows and documentaries on reconstructive plastic surgery are increasingly being broadcasted on television in an effort to educate the public on the benefits of plastic surgery for trauma patients. One example is BBC's The One Show in 2017 that featured plastic surgeons performing a reconstructive operation to remove a benign tumour that was destroying the patient's jaw.
Background picture credit: Lucy Norris