Dr. Bray's Plastic Surgery Blog
Serving Los Angeles, Manhattan Beach, & Palos Verdes, California
Thursday, March 6, 2008
The Ancient Art of Rhinoplasty
The first recorded use of rhinoplasty is in India, where it was used first to reconstruct severed noses from at least the sixth century BCE. It is described in detail in the Sushruta Samhita, written by the surgeon Sushruta, a practitioner of plastic and skin surgery. The text describes many types of plastic and reconstructive surgery, including:
Sushruta's technique involved the transplantation of tissue from the cheek, although others used tissue transplanted from the buttocks. The tissue was shaped to match the missing portion of the nose, and small tubes were inserted to allow the patient to breathe, as well as to provide shape and support for the nostrils.
By the fourth century, Indian scholars had noted that functional results could be improved if some of the skin from the transplanted tissue were turned inside the nostril to create the inner lining. Then the procedure was modified to the use of a forehead flap by the fifteenth century AD, about the time the procedure spread to Persia and thence to Arabia, Egypt, and Italy. The Shushruta Samhita was translated into Latin in 1844, providing one of the seminal texts for the budding interest in cosmetic surgery in the West.
Since then, rhinoplasty has been reformed by the use of advanced medical techniques, but the goal is still the same: to provide people with a remedy for perceived cosmetic problems of the nose.
- Reconstruction of the nose
- Repair of cut earlobe
- Repair of cut lip
- Skin grafting
Sushruta's technique involved the transplantation of tissue from the cheek, although others used tissue transplanted from the buttocks. The tissue was shaped to match the missing portion of the nose, and small tubes were inserted to allow the patient to breathe, as well as to provide shape and support for the nostrils.
By the fourth century, Indian scholars had noted that functional results could be improved if some of the skin from the transplanted tissue were turned inside the nostril to create the inner lining. Then the procedure was modified to the use of a forehead flap by the fifteenth century AD, about the time the procedure spread to Persia and thence to Arabia, Egypt, and Italy. The Shushruta Samhita was translated into Latin in 1844, providing one of the seminal texts for the budding interest in cosmetic surgery in the West.
Since then, rhinoplasty has been reformed by the use of advanced medical techniques, but the goal is still the same: to provide people with a remedy for perceived cosmetic problems of the nose.
posted by Patti at 2:20 PM
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