Excelsior Correspondent
Plastic Surgeon with a Compassionate Heart Excelsior 
Correspondent This was one of the many such cases of physical deformities, which Dr Monisha Kapoor, daughter of the soil, and the first woman from J&K to qualify for super specialization in Plastic Surgery, encounters everyday, more so in monthly camps in Jammu, where the due to lack general of awareness about plastic surgery, such conditions considered as untreatable by the of patients as well as others. As a specialist, plastic surgeon, she feels that despite the phenomenal developments in plastic surgery, there is lack of awareness about this medical specialty concerned with the correction or restoration of form and function and its benefits still remains unclear to the public at large, especially in regional centers like that of Jammu. The purpose to hold such camps in Jammu is to create awareness as well as offer treatment to patients suffering from certain conditions and problems of human body that cannot be cured by medicine, she said. A post graduate of Jammu Medical College (2008), she has been awarded MCH, the Super Specialty Degree in Plastic and Maxilo-facial Surgery from Safdarjang Government Medical College, Delhi in November 2011. Dr Monisha Kapoor says that basically Plastic surgery is a medical specialty concerned with the correction or restoration of form and function. Though cosmetic or aesthetic surgery is the best-known kind of plastic surgery, most plastic surgery is not cosmetic: plastic surgery includes many types of reconstructive surgery, hand surgery, microsurgery, and the treatment of burns. She said that every where we find many adults and children with congenital abnormalities or effects right from the time of birth such as cleft palates or cleft lips; developmental abnormalities; infection and disease; and cancer or tumors. These can be addressed to through reconstructive surgery which is also performed to correct functional impairments caused by burns; traumatic injuries, such as facial bone fractures and breaks. The most common reconstructive procedures are tumor removal, laceration repair, scar repair, hand surgery, and breast reduction and enhancement, she said. She said one of the areas which plastic surgery deals with is Face and Neck Rejuvenation. Face lift or rhytidectomy or surgery for removal of facial wrinkles is perhaps the oldest cosmetic surgery procedure performed. The other areas which are also taken care include lips reshaping, chin and jaw surgery, dimple creation, revision of unsightly scar caused by accidental injuries, burns or previous surgery, hairy or plain moles and birthmarks. The Eye Lid Surgery or Blepharoplasty is also common nowadays. Not only it can take care of loose wrinkled skin of the eyes, drooping eyebrows and eyelids, presence of bulgings and baggy eyelids, but such anomalies including Ptosis or the drooping of one or both upper eyelids can make a lot of difference in the outlook of a person. Nose Reshaping: ‘Nose job’ or ‘rhinoplasty’, is one of the most commonly performed cosmetic surgery procedure especially in the younger age group. But other than the above the blocked nose with difficulty in breathing responds well to septum correction surgery or septo-rhinoplasty. Also popular is Ears reshaping and Body Reshaping which includes Tummy Tuck referred to as Abdominoplasty in Plastic Surgery. This procedure is very commonly performed in the middle age group. In this operation all the unwanted loose skin and fat flaps are removed from the lower abdomen. Recounting the benefits of Tummy Tuck, Dr Monisha said that this surgery dramatically improves the overall shape of the belly and the waist line, getting rid of all the stretch marks due to obesity or pregnancy. This also lessens the chances of Hernia formation in the future. One can also go for Arms Reshaping, Body and Thigh Lift. She said another important aspect of plastic surgery is Liposuction-a procedure for removing fat by suction method. The other areas where plastic surgery has been quite successful are Hair Removal, Hair Transplant and Sex Reassignment. Giving a word of caution, she emphasizes that before going in for any of such procedure, the Patients must have a pre-surgical consultation and thorough examination prior to the surgery where individual needs and expectations are discussed at this time. Patients are individually counseled and educated on what to expect, including possible risks, benefits, and options. Despite living in Delhi for better professional exposure, Dr Monisha is returning to Jammu every month, with an aim to serve the poor and neglected people of her home State. She is daughter of Kiran Kapoor and P C Kapoor, an enterprising engineer, who is more known as a social worker and. Dr Monisha’s services to the poor of J&K State indeed would go a long way in serving the humanity.
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