There's more to cosmetic surgery than achieving the perfect body. It can reconstruct physical defects and injuries due to accidents, genetics, and disease, providing people with physical and emotional well-being. New advancements have allowed for greater successes and more subtle results. Whether a person was born with a physical irregularity or experiences one later in life, there is a good chance that surgery can improve if not completely fix the abnormality.

Some of the most common reconstructive procedures involve the removal of tumors and cancerous cells. The removal of tumors, often to prevent the cells from spreading further into the body, occurs externally. Removing cancer cells can be a difficult procedure, involving not only extraction of the diseased cells, but rebuilding the area using skin grafts or flaps from other areas of the body. Sometimes the damage is so extensive that reconstruction of an entire area is necessary, such as the nose or lips. Breast cancer is another instance that requires cosmetic surgery. During a mastectomy, a partial portion of the afflicted breast, or in severe cases the entire breast, must be removed. Reconstruction is possible in many cases, allowing women to move forward with their lives and regain a sense of normalcy.

Although not considered by many to be reconstructive surgery, breast reduction falls under this category. Very large breasts can cause stress on a woman's shoulders and back, resulting in chronic pain and fatigue. By reducing the size of the breasts, it relieves the physical ailments. Similarly, massive weight loss can greatly alter and deform the shape of the body, causing physical and emotional distress. Liposuction and procedures such as abdominoplasty and arm lifts remove large areas of excess skin that cannot be corrected with exercise and diet alone.

Birth defects are frequent cases for reconstructive plastic surgery, either early on or sometimes even later into the adult years. Immediately after birth, parents might choose to cosmetically repair cleft lips and palates as they pose difficulties when eating. Other common defects, such as a deviated septum, may be addressed during adulthood. A deviated septum creates difficulty in breathing through the nose and unless severe, it is better to delay surgery until the nose has finished growing.

Unexpected injuries can be the most challenging and emotionally distressing reconstructive cases. Burns, dog bites, cuts, and car accident victims might find themselves seeking the assistance of a plastic surgeon to restore their body or face. Because accidents are so unpredictable, reconstructive surgery is also at its mercy. Deep scars and severe physical trauma may not be completely treatable. Improvement is usually possible, but sometimes multiple surgeries are required. It can be a long, arduous journey and paired with the emotional trauma of the incident, can prove an extreme hardship.

Reconstructive surgery as a whole is on the rise in recent years, which is in a large part due to new technologies that allow problems that were previously untreatable to be corrected. Cosmetic surgery is continually giving people hope and improving the quality of people's lives.