Plastic & Cosmetic Surgery

Partner with doctors at Adventist HealthCare who specialize in plastic & cosmetic surgery. Benefit from expert care close to you in Maryland.

Plastic vs. Cosmetic Surgery, Which is Right for Me?

While they are frequently grouped together, plastic and cosmetic surgery have two different goals.

Plastic surgeons are medical doctors who specialize in surgery to improve a person’s appearance. The goal of plastic surgery is to repair or reconstruct in effort to restore “normal” appearance or function, such as surgery for a birth defect such as a cleft palate, or surgery following an injury or the removal of cancer.

Cosmetic surgeons are medical doctors who specialize in enhancing your appearance and improving a person’s overall aesthetic appeal. The goal of cosmetic surgery is to improve the size, shape, and overall look of the patient. Cosmetic surgery is elective.

Plastic & Cosmetic Surgery Procedures

The plastic and cosmetic surgeons at Adventist HealthCare may specialize in the following procedures and conditions:

• Abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) – removes excess skin and fat from the abdominal area and tightens abdominal muscles
• Blepharoplasty (eye lid surgery) – removes excess skin, fat, and muscles from the eyelids to correct drooping eyelids and remove bags and puffiness
• Brachioplasty (arm lift) – reshapes the under portion of the arm from the underarm to the elbow
• Breast augmentation – places an implant under the breast tissue or the chest muscle to make the breast larger
• Breast reduction -removes excess breast tissue and skin to reshape and lift the breast
• Botox injections – a protein that weakens the muscles of the face to reduce wrinkles
• Brow lift – a cosmetic procedure to tighten the forehead and raise the eyebrows
• Burns – damage to the skin causes by extreme heat or fire
• Calf augmentation – a cosmetic procedure to enhance the calf with implants
• Chemical peel – the use of a chemical solution to remove the top layers of skin, allowing new skin to grow.
• Chin surgery – a cosmetic procedure to reshape the chin and lower jaw
• Cleft lip or palate – treatable birth defects when the tissues of the upper jaw, nose or roof of the mouth don’t develop properly
• Dermabrasion – the use of a fine wire brush or diamond wheel with rough edges to remove the upper layers of skin, allowing new skin to grow.
• Facial implants – a cosmetic procedure to enhance areas of the face with implants
• Facial fat grafting – a procedure when fat is moved to the face from another part of the body
• Filler injections – used to smooth wrinkles and pitted scars in the skin, or enlarge lips
• Electrolysis – the use of electric current to remove hair roots or small blemishes
• Gender affirming surgery – a procedure to change the look and function of your physical sex so that it matches the gender you identify with
• Hair transplant surgery – reduces the appearance of bald spots or hair loss by moving hair from one part of the head to another
• Laser hair removal – the use of a laser light treatments to heat and destroy hair follicles
• Laser resurfacing – the use of a laser light to heat, damage or destroy the upper layers of skin
• Liposuction – uses suction, ultrasound, or laser to remove stubborn fat that has not gone away with healthy weight loss diet and exercise
• Lip lift – a cosmetic procedure to remove excess tissue from the upper lip
• Mastopexy (breast lift) – a cosmetic procedure to remove excess skin from the bottom of the breast or from around the nipple to tighten and lift the breast
• Neck lift – a cosmetic procedure to remove excess skin and tighten the neck
• Pressure injuries – when constant pressure on an area of skin reduces blood supply to the skin and nearby tissue
• Skin cancer – the abnormal growth of skin cells
• Sclerotherapy – reduces or removes the appearance of small varicose veins and spider veins
• Rhinoplasty (nose job) – reshaping of the nose by removing  or rearranging its cartilage and bones
• Rhytidectomy (face lift) – removes excess skin and fat and tightens the muscles to smooth the face
• Thighplasty (thigh lift) – a cosmetic procedure that removes excess skin and fat to reshape the thigh
• Varicose vein surgery – procedure to remove large varicose veins

Treatment Options

Expect your plastic and cosmetic surgeons to work closely with other members of your care team, including your primary care physician and other specialists, to find the best treatment option to fit your needs.