MCAN Health Plastic Surgery Glossary

A

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Anesthesia (General vs Sedation)

Anesthesia (General vs Sedation) distinguishes between methods that change a patient’s level of consciousness and the degree of airway and...

Alar Base Reduction

Alar base reduction is a targeted nasal surgery that decreases the horizontal width of the nostrils and softens the appearance...

Abdominoplasty (Tummy Tuck)

Abdominoplasty (Tummy Tuck) is a surgical procedure that removes excess skin and fat from the abdomen and repairs weakened or...

B

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BMI (Body Mass Index)

BMI (Body Mass Index) is a numerical measure derived from a person’s weight and height—calculated as weight in kilograms divided...

Brow Lift

A Brow Lift is a surgical procedure that elevates the eyebrows and smooths horizontal forehead lines and frown lines between...

Blepharoplasty (Eyelid Surgery)

Blepharoplasty (Eyelid Surgery) is a surgical procedure that reshapes the upper and/or lower eyelids by removing or repositioning excess skin,...

C

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Canthoplasty (Cat Eye / Fox Eye)

Canthoplasty (Cat Eye / Fox Eye) is a surgical procedure that alters the lateral canthus—the outer corner of the eyelid—to...

Columella

Columella refers to the vertical piece of tissue at the base of the nose that separates the two nostrils; it...

Compression Garment

A compression garment is a tight-fitting piece of clothing made from elastic medical fabrics that applies even pressure to a...

D

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Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT)

Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) occurs when a blood clot forms in a deep vein, usually in the lower leg or...

Deep Plane Facelift

Deep Plane Facelift is a reconstructive cosmetic surgery that lifts and repositions the deeper soft tissues of the face by...

Dorsal Hump

A dorsal hump is a prominence on the nasal bridge caused by excess bony and cartilaginous tissue, congenital anatomy, or...

E

Ecchymosis (Bruising)

Ecchymosis (bruising) is discoloration of the skin that occurs when small blood vessels beneath the skin rupture and blood collects...

Edema (Swelling)

Edema, commonly described as swelling, occurs when excess fluid accumulates within the tissues. This can result from increased capillary permeability...

F

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Faja (Compression Girdle)

A faja (compression girdle) is a close-fitting, elastic garment designed to apply consistent pressure to the abdomen, waist, hips, or...

Fleur-de-Lis Tummy Tuck

A Fleur-de-Lis Tummy Tuck is a form of abdominoplasty that uses an inverted-T or fleur-de-lis shaped incision pattern to remove...

Fat Grafting (BBL)

Fat Grafting (BBL) is a surgical technique that uses autologous fat to increase volume and reshape the buttocks. During the...

G

Gluteal Projection

Gluteal projection describes how far the buttocks project outward from the pelvis when viewed in profile and is determined by...

Gynecomastia

Gynecomastia is the enlargement of male breast glandular tissue, producing a fuller or more feminine chest appearance. It can occur...

H

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Hypertrophic Scar

A hypertrophic scar is a raised, thickened area of fibrous tissue that develops at the site of skin injury or...

Hematoma

A hematoma is a localized collection of blood that has escaped from damaged blood vessels and pooled in tissues or...

Hip Dips

Hip dips are inward curves or indentations along the sides of the pelvis just below the hip bone where the...

I

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Inverted-T Scar (Anchor)

Inverted-T Scar (Anchor) refers to the characteristic scar pattern left by an incision shaped like an upside-down T or anchor;...

Implant Rupture

Implant rupture refers to a break or tear in the outer shell of a prosthetic implant, most commonly breast implants,...

Implant Projection (Profile)

Implant projection, often called implant profile, is the measurement of how far an implant projects outward from the chest when...

J

Jowls

Jowls refer to the loose, sagging tissue that can form along the lower face at the jawline, often appearing as...

K

Keloid

Keloid is an overgrowth of scar tissue that forms as the skin heals after an injury, incision, burn, acne or...

L

Lymphatic Drainage Massage

Lymphatic drainage massage is a gentle, rhythmic manual therapy aimed at stimulating the lymphatic system to move excess fluid away...

Lipo 360

Lipo 360 is a form of liposuction that targets the full circumference of the torso — typically the abdomen, flanks...

Liposuction

Liposuction is a surgical procedure that removes excess fat from specific areas of the body through small skin incisions using...

M

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Marionette Lines

Marionette lines are the vertical creases that extend from the corners of the mouth down toward the chin. They arise...

Mons Pubis Lift

A Mons Pubis Lift is a surgical procedure that reduces excess fat and tightens loose skin of the pubic mound...

Macromastia

Macromastia refers to excessively large breasts that can cause a range of physical and emotional symptoms. It commonly results from...

N

Necrosis

Necrosis is the irreversible death of cells or tissue in a specific area, most commonly caused by a loss of...

Nasolabial Folds

Nasolabial folds are the diagonal grooves that extend from the sides of the nose to the corners of the mouth;...

Nipple-Areola Complex (NAC)

The Nipple-Areola Complex (NAC) comprises the central nipple and the surrounding pigmented areola; it contains milk ducts, smooth muscle fibers,...

O

Otoplasty

Otoplasty is a surgical procedure designed to correct the shape, position, or proportion of the ears. It commonly addresses prominent...

Open Roof Deformity

Open Roof Deformity is a structural irregularity of the nasal dorsum that can arise after hump reduction in rhinoplasty when...

Osteotomy (Bone Breaking)

An osteotomy is a controlled surgical cut through bone that allows the surgeon to realign, shorten, lengthen, or reshape skeletal...

P

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Ptosis (Eyelid Drooping)

Ptosis (Eyelid Drooping) refers to the lowering of one or both upper eyelids due to weakness or dysfunction of the...

Platysma Bands (Turkey Neck)

Platysma Bands (Turkey Neck) are vertical, cord-like bands that appear in the front of the neck when the platysma muscle...

Pollybeak Deformity

Pollybeak deformity is a postoperative nasal contour abnormality in which the area just above the nasal tip (the supratip) appears...

R

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Rhinoplasty (Open vs Closed)

Rhinoplasty (Open vs Closed) refers to two different surgical techniques for changing the shape and sometimes the function of the...

Rectus Plication (Muscle Repair)

Rectus plication (muscle repair) is a surgical procedure that tightens the midline of the abdominal wall by suturing the rectus...

Rectus Diastasis (Muscle Separation)

Rectus Diastasis (Muscle Separation) occurs when the paired rectus abdominis muscles spread apart, widening the connective tissue called the linea...

S

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SMAS (Superficial Musculo-Aponeurotic System)

The SMAS (Superficial Musculo-Aponeurotic System) is a fibrous sheet of connective tissue that lies under the skin of the face...

Septum

The septum is the internal wall of cartilage and bone that divides the nasal cavity into two nostrils. It provides...

Septorhinoplasty

Septorhinoplasty is a surgical procedure that combines septoplasty (straightening or repositioning the nasal septum) with rhinoplasty (reshaping the outer nose)...

T

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Turkey neck

Turkey neck describes the appearance of loose, sagging skin and visible vertical bands of the platysma muscle along the neck...

Tear Trough

The tear trough is the anatomical groove between the lower eyelid and the cheek that can become more pronounced with...

Tip Plasty

Tip plasty is a focused nasal procedure that targets the lower third of the nose to refine tip shape, rotation,...

U

Umbilicoplasty (Belly Button Shaping)

Umbilicoplasty, commonly called belly button shaping, is a surgical procedure that changes the size, shape, or position of the navel...

V

Vaser Liposuction

Vaser Liposuction is an ultrasound-assisted liposuction technique that uses high-frequency sound waves to loosen and emulsify fat cells before they...