GLOSSARY OF TERMS

Abdominoplasty – Removal of excess abdominal skin
Aesthetic – Cosmetic, physical attractiveness as seen through the eyes
Apronectomy – Wedge excision of abdominal skin and fat with no other dissection
Artery – Vessel that carries blood to an organ or flap
Augmentation – Enlargement usu referring to breasts, lips, buttocks etc
Autologous – Using the patient’s own tissue
Bacteria – Bugs that cause infections which need treatment with antibiotics. It is normal to have millions of bacteria living on your skin and this is the usual cause of surgical infection.
Biofilm – A subclinical infection usually with a bacteria called Staph Epidermidis which is thought to have a role in producing capsular contracture.
Blepharoplasty – Eyelid tuck – may be upper (more common) or lower eyelids
Botox – Botulinum toxin which is a temporary muscle paralysing agent which lasts 3-6 months
Brow lift – Procedure to lift the eyebrows
Capsular Contracture – A pathological capsule which is harder than a normal capsule and can cause displacement of the implant and pain in the late stages.
Capsule – A normally occurring layer of scar tissue around every breast implant as a result of the body trying to “wall off” a foreign material
Cosmetic – Improving the appearance of something – pertains to body parts in surgery
DIEP – Deep inferior epigastric artery perforator flap. A flap taken from the abdomen which spares the rectus muscle (six-pack muscle)
Flap – Piece of vascularised tissue which is used from reconstruction and moved in some fashion around the body
Free flap – A flap with blood vessels that is disconnected from the body and reconnected up to where it is needed by the use of microsurgery. It requires an artery and a vein.
Gynaecomastia – Inappropriate growth of male breasts. All males have some breast tissue but gynaecomastia is defined by a benign overgrowth of breast tissue. “Man Boobs” (Colloquial)
Hyaluronic acid – Naturally occurring molecule similar to collagen however with a better profile for injecting
Juvederm – A natural occurring filler composed of hyaluronic acid
Latissimus Dorsi – Large muscle from the back which is sometimes used in breast reconstruction
Liposculpture – Liposuction, lipoplasty, removal of fat by suction through tiny incisions
Mastopexy – Breast lift
Meloplasty – Facelift
Otoplasty – Commonly known as having the ears pinned back
Pathological – Means there is something wrong that does not normally occur in the body for example a disease process
Ptosis – Droop or sag of the breast
Reconstructive – To recreate what is missing – specifically part or whole body parts
Rhinoplasty – An operation to improve the appearance of the nose
Septoplasty – Straightening the cartilage septum inside the nose
SIEP – Superficial inferior epigastric artery perforator flap. It can only be used in 5-10% of patients for breast reconstruction
Tissue expansion – The creation of new tissue using an inflatable implant which stretches tissue (usually skin). This occurs naturally during abdominal girth growth in pregnancy.
TRAM – Transverse rectus abdominus myocutaneous flap.
Tubigrip – An elasticised stocking which gives temporary support after many procedures and is comfortable to wear and remove and replace.
Turbinectomy – Removing mucosal cushions inside the nose to improve breathing
Vein – A vessel which takes blood away from an organ or flap.