Authors

  1. Zavrides, Harris MD, PhD

Article Content

The word "plastic" comes from the Greek verb "platho," which means "to mold" or "to give form." Plastic surgery is the medical specialty that enables the molding and the re-forming of the human body. Plastic surgery helps us regain our self-esteem and self-respect. All the procedures that aim the natural renewal of the face (face lift, neck liposuction, neck lift, blepharoplasty, eyebrow lift, and dermabrasion) can be carried out together constituting one procedure. In my opinion, the international medical community must introduce a new term, "prosopoplasty," which will include all these procedures. Face means "prosopo." The word "prosopo" comes from the Greek phrase "pros opa." "Pros opa" in the ancient Greek language means "the part of the head which is toward the eyes." I personally agree with this term and I am in favor of this new terminology, mainly because of its Greek origin. All the terminology in plastic surgery has Greek origin as it express the procedures in the best way: blepharoplasty, rhinoplasty, abdominoplasty, otoplasty, mastoplasty. As far as I know, there is not any other article in a peer review journal in the international medical literature that suggests the term "prosopoplasty" except from an article that I have published in the Archives of Plastic Surgery (the official journal of the Korean Society of Plastic Surgery). I have also published one article in the Greek language in Cyprus Medical Journal (the official journal of the Cyprus Medical Society). There is not any other written text about the need of this term except from a book's chapter of Dr Panfilof. In my opinion, Dr. Panfilof did not say specifically what "prosopoplasty" is. My opinion is that "prosopoplasty" is the operation that includes the aesthetic surgical procedures on a face for facial rejuvenation. Nonaesthetic surgical procedures like tumor resection, facial burns and skin cancer, nonsurgical procedures like laser and botox, procedures that change the characteristics of the face like rhinoplasty and otoplasty, procedures that change the profile of a face like genioplasty do not belong in "prosopoplasty." Dr. Panfilof suggests that all these procedures can belong to the term "prosopoplasty." My personal opinion is that this is wrong, because the term "prosopo" is the part of the head that is toward the eyes. The word "prosopo" comes from the ancient Greek phrase "pros opa." So everything that is not correlated with the "prosopo"; with the part of the head that is toward the eyes cannot be "prosopoplasty." Moreover, in the medical terminology, the term "plasty" always refers to a surgical procedure (Horch, 2004; Foustanos, Pantazi, & Zavrides, 2007; Moss & Harris, 2009; Foustanos & Zavrides, 2006; Graf & Biggs, 2002; Zavrides, 2014a; Zavrides, 2014b; Panfilof, 2007).

  
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REFERENCES

 

Foustanos A., Pantazi L., Zavrides H. (2007). Representations in plastic surgery: The impact of self-image and self-confidence in the work environment. Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, 31, 435-442. [Context Link]

 

Foustanos A., Zavrides H. (2006). An alternative fixation technique for the endoscopic brow lift. Annals of Plastic Surgery, 56, 599-604. [Context Link]

 

Graf R., Biggs T. M. (2002). In search of better shape in mastopexy and reduction mammaplasty. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, 110, 309. [Context Link]

 

Horch R. E. (2004). The role of plastic surgery in remodelling the body image. MMW Fortschritte der Medizin, 146(42), 32-36. [Context Link]

 

Moss T. P., Harris D. (2009). Psychological change after aesthetic plastic surgery: A prospective controlled outcome study. Psychology Health and Medicine, 14, 567-572. [Context Link]

 

Panfilof D. E. (2007). The face as a dynamic mosaic work-prosopoplasty, Chapter 1. In Aesthetic surgery of the facial mosaic (pp. 3-4) Berlin: Springer. [Context Link]

 

Zavrides H. (2014a). Prosopoplasty: A new term? Archives of Plastic Surgery, 41(5), 3-4. [Context Link]

 

Zavrides H. (2014b). Prosopoplasty: A new term? Cyprus Medical Journal, 28(2), 10-12. [Context Link]