Plastic Surgery

Explore a Career in Plastic Surgery

Reconstruction. Restoration. Aesthetics. Precision. Surgery from head to toe.

Plastic Surgery is one of the broadest surgical specialties in medicine. Plastic surgeons operate throughout the body and care for patients of virtually every age—from infants born with craniofacial abnormalities to adults requiring reconstruction after cancer or trauma, patients with devastating hand injuries, and individuals seeking aesthetic surgery. At its core, Plastic Surgery is about restoring, reconstructing, reshaping, or refining the human body when it has been affected by congenital differences, trauma, disease, surgery, aging, or other circumstances. For students who enjoy anatomy, surgery, creativity, meticulous technical work, reconstruction, and solving problems that may not have a single standardized solution, Plastic Surgery offers an extraordinarily diverse career.

Meet Dr. Bruce Mast

Chief of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery | University of Florida College of Medicine

Dr. Bruce Mast completed medical school at Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, followed by General Surgery residency training at Medical College of Virginia and Plastic Surgery fellowship training at the University of Pittsburgh.

His career has included both academic and private practice, reconstructive and cosmetic surgery, medical education, administration, and leadership within the field.

What Is Plastic Surgery?

The word plastic comes from the Greek plastikos, meaning to mold or shape. That concept captures what makes the specialty unique. Plastic surgeons use tissue from the patient’s own body, nearby tissue, transplanted tissue, implants, and other reconstructive techniques to restore or reshape parts of the body affected by:

Trauma

Cancer

Congenital abnormalities

Aging

Burns

Wounds

Previous surgery

Functional abnormalities

Cosmetic concerns

Plastic Surgery combines reconstructive surgery and aesthetic surgery, although the public often associates the specialty primarily with cosmetic procedures. In reality, the specialty extends far beyond cosmetic surgery.

What Does a Plastic Surgeon Do?

Plastic surgeons operate throughout the body rather than focusing exclusively on one organ system. Their work may include:

Breast reconstruction after cancer

Skin cancer reconstruction

Hand and upper-extremity surgery

Microsurgery

Facial trauma reconstruction

Cleft lip and palate surgery

Craniofacial reconstruction

Complex wound coverage

Limb salvage

Nerve repair

Breast reduction

Burn reconstruction

Cosmetic facial surgery

Body contouring

Rhinoplasty

Other aesthetic procedures

A plastic surgeon might help reconstruct a breast after cancer in one case and help salvage a severely injured extremity in another.

That extraordinary range is one of the defining characteristics of the specialty.

Plastic Surgery Is Not Just Cosmetic Surgery

When many people hear “Plastic Surgery,” they immediately think of: Facelifts. Breast augmentation. Rhinoplasty. Liposuction.

Those procedures are part of Plastic Surgery—but they represent only one side of the specialty.

RECONSTRUCTIVE

Breast Reconstruction · Cancer · Trauma · Hand · Microsurgery · Craniofacial · Wounds

AESTHETIC

Face · Breast · Body · Cosmetic Surgery

Reconstructive plastic surgeons may help patients after:

Breast

Skin cancer

Major trauma

Severe extremity injuries

Congenital abnormalities

Complex wounds

Facial fractures

Tissue loss

Hand injuries

Dr. Mast emphasized this misconception at the conclusion of the interview: Plastic Surgery is not synonymous with cosmetic surgery, and reconstructive surgery remains an important component of the field.

A common misperception about Plastic Surgery is that it's all aesthetic and cosmetic surgery. It really isn't.

Reconstructive vs. Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

Reconstructive Plastic Surgery

Reconstructive surgery aims to restore form, function, or both after something has altered the body. Examples include:

Breast reconstruction following mastectomy
Reconstruction after cancer removal
Facial reconstruction after trauma
Limb salvage
Cleft lip and palate repair
Complex wound reconstruction
Hand reconstruction
Reconstruction of congenital abnormalities

Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

Aesthetic surgery focuses primarily on changing or refining appearance. Examples may include:

Rhinoplasty
Facelift
Breast augmentation
Abdominoplasty
Liposuction
Body contouring
Other cosmetic procedures

The two areas are not entirely separate.

The same principles involving proportion, symmetry, tissue handling, wound healing, anatomy, and appearance influence both reconstructive and aesthetic surgery.

What Subspecialties Are Available in Plastic Surgery?

Plastic Surgery offers several distinct areas of practice.

Hand & Upper-Extremity Surgery

Plastic surgeons can specialize in treating injuries and disorders involving the hand and upper extremity. This can include:

Fractures

Tendon injuries

Nerve injuries

Soft-tissue injuries

Traumatic injuries

Reconstructive procedures

Hand Surgery overlaps with Orthopedic Surgery, and surgeons from different training backgrounds may pursue specialized hand training.

Hand & Upper-Extremity Surgery

Microsurgery allows surgeons to move tissue from one part of the patient’s body to another while preserving its blood supply. A piece of tissue can be transferred along with its arteries and veins and then connected to blood vessels at the reconstruction site using extremely precise microsurgical techniques. This can allow surgeons to reconstruct major tissue defects after cancer, trauma, or other conditions. This is essentially transplanting tissue from one part of your own body to another.

Craniofacial Surgery

Craniofacial surgeons treat complex abnormalities involving the skull and face. This can include conditions such as:

Cleft lip and palate

Craniosynostosis

Congenital facial abnormalities

Craniofacial trauma

Other abnormalities of the skull and facial skeleton

For craniosynostosis, prematurely fused skull sutures can alter skull growth and, in some cases, affect intracranial pressure and development. Treatment can involve major reconstructive procedures in collaboration with Neurosurgery to reshape portions of the skull and facial skeleton.

Aesthetic Surgery

Plastic surgeons may develop practices focusing substantially or entirely on cosmetic surgery. This can involve facial aesthetics, breast surgery, body contouring, and numerous other procedures. Some physicians pursue additional fellowship training specifically in aesthetic surgery.

How Do You Become a Plastic Surgeon?

Plastic Surgery has historically offered more than one training pathway.

Integrated Plastic Surgery Pathway

4 Years

Medical School

6 Years

Integrated Plastic Surgery Residency

~1 Year

Optional Fellowship

This pathway allows students to match directly into Plastic Surgery from medical school.

Independent Pathway

Traditionally, surgeons could first complete another surgical residency—most commonly General Surgery—and then complete additional Plastic Surgery training. In the interview, Dr. Mast describes the traditional pathway as:

5 Years

General Surgery

3 Years

Plastic Surgery

Optional Additional Fellowship

This could result in eight or even nine years of postgraduate surgical training depending on additional specialization.

Why Choose Plastic Surgery?

Plastic Surgery appeals to students for many different reasons. Some are fascinated by anatomy. Some love reconstruction. Some enjoy aesthetic surgery. Some want technically demanding operations. Some are attracted by the variety. And some discover the specialty unexpectedly.

A Physician's Path to Plastic Surgery

Dr. Mast did not enter medical school knowing that he wanted to become a plastic surgeon. He initially entered General Surgery with an interest in Pediatric Surgery, particularly because he was fascinated by congenital abnormalities. During residency, he spent approximately two years conducting research involving fetal wound healing. That research brought him into close contact with a Plastic Surgery laboratory and Plastic Surgery meetings. Through that exposure, he began to understand the breadth of the field and ultimately became interested in pursuing it himself. His experience illustrates something important for students: You do not need to have your entire career figured out before medical school. Exposure can completely change your direction.

What Is Rewarding About Plastic Surgery?

Plastic surgeons frequently meet patients after something has been taken away from them. A patient may have lost a breast to cancer. Another may have experienced devastating facial trauma. Another may have an extremity injury with major tissue loss. Plastic Surgery often enters the picture to ask: How can we put this back together? During the interview, Dr. Mast described plastic surgeons as, in a sense, “the good guys” because their role is so often reconstructive—working alongside other physicians to restore what disease or injury has taken away.

Here I am. I'm going to put it back together for you.

Plastic Surgery, Body Image & Self-Esteem

Plastic Surgery has an unusual relationship with identity and body image. A technically successful operation may do more than close a wound or reconstruct a missing structure. It can affect how someone sees themselves. A person can physically survive without a breast after cancer. Someone can live with a facial difference. But reconstructive or aesthetic surgery may meaningfully affect that patient’s confidence, self-esteem, and relationship with their own body. Dr. Mast described seeing patients return after surgery and noticing a difference in how they present themselves because of how the procedure affected their self-image. This psychological dimension is one reason Plastic Surgery involves much more than technical operative skill.

What Is Challenging About Plastic Surgery?

One of the unique challenges of Plastic Surgery is that the result is often visible. If a patient’s gallbladder is removed successfully, the patient generally cares that the pain is gone and the medical problem has been resolved. Plastic Surgery is different. Patients can often see the surgical result every day. This creates tremendous importance aro

Symmetry

Scarring

Expectations

Appearance

Patient satisfaction

Communication

Understanding what surgery realistically can and cannot accomplish

Dr. Mast identified managing unrealistic expectations as one of the most challenging parts of practice. Sometimes the surgeon’s responsibility isn’t simply to operate. It’s to explain the limitations of what surgery can achieve.

How Creative Is Plastic Surgery?

Plastic Surgery is often described as a specialty requiring both technical precision and creativity. In many operations, the surgeon is trying to solve a reconstructive problem:

There may be multiple possible reconstructive solutions. That problem-solving aspect makes the field appealing to students who enjoy applying anatomy and surgical principles creatively rather than performing only one standardized type of operation.

What Does a Typical Day Look Like?

Plastic Surgery schedules vary dramatically according to practice type. A day might include:

Operating room cases

New patient consultations

Postoperative visits

Reconstructive surgery

Cosmetic consultations

Trauma cases

Teaching residents

Research

Administrative responsibilities

Multidisciplinary cancer care

Dr. Mast described his own work as approximately 50–60% clinical, with additional administrative responsibilities. His days generally began around 7–8 AM and ended around 4–6 PM, although reconstructive cases could occasionally extend significantly later. Individual schedules vary substantially depending on subspecialty and practice environment.

What Is the Lifestyle Like in Plastic Surgery?

Plastic Surgery can offer a relatively controllable surgical lifestyle because much of the operative schedule is planned in advance. Many reconstructive and aesthetic procedures are scheduled rather than emergent. However, lifestyle varies significantly.

Aesthetic Surgery

Often highly scheduled and elective.

Breast Reconstruction

Frequently coordinated with planned cancer surgery.

Hand Surgery

May involve more emergency call because of traumatic injuries.

Microsurgery & Complex Reconstruction

Operations can be lengthy and may begin only after another surgical team completes tumor removal or another major procedure.

Academic Plastic Surgery

May combine operating, clinic, teaching, research, administration, and call.

Dr. Mast described Plastic Surgery as offering a generally controllable surgical schedule while noting that hand trauma and certain complex reconstructive cases can create more unpredictable or extended hours.

Is Plastic Surgery Competitive?

Plastic Surgery has historically been a highly competitive residency choice. In the interview, Dr. Mast emphasized the importance of:

He particularly stressed that students should take their preclinical education seriously even in pass/fail environments because the knowledge built during those years supports stronger performance during clinical rotations.

What Matters for Students Interested in Plastic Surgery?

Students considering Plastic Surgery should focus first on becoming strong medical students. Research can be important, but research does not replace a strong academic and clinical foundation. Potential areas to focus on include:

Strong medical knowledge

Excellent clinical performance

Surgical rotations

Plastic Surgery exposure

Research

Mentorship

Strong letters of recommendation

Understanding the breadth of the field

Demonstrating genuine interest

One of the most useful points from the interview is that foundational knowledge compounds.

Even if your medical school uses pass/fail grading during the preclinical years, learning the material thoroughly can make clinical rotations and later examinations substantially easier.

How Much Do Plastic Surgeons Make?

Plastic Surgery compensation varies enormously. Factors include:

Academic vs. private practice

Reconstructive vs. cosmetic practice

Geographic location

Surgical volume

Practice ownership

Procedure mix

Years in practice

Call responsibilities

Subspecialization

The interview discussed starting academic compensation around $350,000 at the time, with substantially higher potential compensation in some private practices and an estimated broader range around 350,000–550,000.

Academic vs. Private Practice Plastic Surgery

Plastic surgeons can build very different careers.

Academic Practice

May include:

Complex reconstruction
Teaching
Resident education
Medical student education
Research
Administration
National professional organizations

Private Practice

May include:

Dr. Mast has experienced both environments.

He spent approximately five years in academic practice, nearly eleven years in private practice, and later returned to academics. He described enjoying the variety of surgery, working with patients, teaching residents and students, and contributing to the specialty nationally.

Do You Have to Find the "Perfect" Specialty?

No. This was one of the strongest pieces of general career advice in the interview. Medical students sometimes become consumed by the idea that there is one perfect specialty they must identify. In reality, many physicians could potentially be happy in several different fields. Dr. Mast noted that while he would choose Plastic Surgery again, he could also imagine having been happy in fields such as General Surgery, Interventional Cardiology, or Emergency Medicine.

If you go into medicine for the right reasons, there's many paths out there.

Who Is a Good Fit for Plastic Surgery?

Frequently Asked Questions About Plastic Surgery

Is Plastic Surgery mostly cosmetic surgery?

No. This is one of the biggest misconceptions about the specialty. Reconstructive surgery remains a major component of Plastic Surgery.

Do plastic surgeons perform reconstructive surgery after cancer?

Yes. Plastic surgeons frequently reconstruct defects following cancer surgery, including breast reconstruction and reconstruction after removal of skin cancers or other tumors.

Do plastic surgeons operate on children?

Yes. Craniofacial Plastic Surgery can involve congenital conditions such as cleft lip and palate and craniosynostosis.

Do plastic surgeons perform hand surgery?

Yes. Hand and upper-extremity surgery is an important area within Plastic Surgery and can include fractures, soft-tissue injuries, nerve injuries, and trauma.

What is microsurgery?

Microsurgery can involve transferring tissue from one part of a patient’s body to another and reconnecting tiny blood vessels to restore circulation to the transferred tissue.

How long is Plastic Surgery residency?

Integrated Plastic Surgery residency is generally six years after medical school. Other training pathways have historically involved completing another surgical residency followed by additional Plastic Surgery training.

Is Plastic Surgery competitive?

Historically, yes. However, current competitiveness should be evaluated using the most recent NRMP data rather than older interview statistics.

Is Plastic Surgery a good lifestyle specialty?

It can offer more scheduling control than some surgical fields, but lifestyle varies significantly depending on whether someone practices aesthetics, reconstruction, hand surgery, microsurgery, trauma-related care, or academics.

Do plastic surgeons take call?

Many do. Call responsibilities vary substantially by practice. Hand and trauma-related practices may involve more emergency coverage than predominantly elective aesthetic practices.

Is Plastic Surgery creative?

Yes. Reconstructive surgery frequently requires surgeons to determine how tissue can best be rearranged or transferred to restore both function and appearance.

Can plastic surgeons work in both academics and private practice?

Yes. Plastic surgeons can build careers in academic medicine, private practice, hospital systems, specialty groups, or combinations of these environments.

Hear It From a Plastic Surgeon

lastic Surgery is difficult to understand from its name alone. The specialty encompasses far more than cosmetic surgery. Hear directly from an experienced plastic and reconstructive surgeon about reconstruction, microsurgery, craniofacial surgery, hand surgery, aesthetic surgery, lifestyle, training, competitiveness, body image, and what makes the specialty rewarding.