Modern Plastic Surgery
The modern history of plastic surgery really started to take shape in the 1960s and the 1970s. Plastic surgeons were moving to the forefront of the medical establishment, including one plastic surgeon who was appointed Surgeon General in 1969, and another who won a Nobel Prize.
There were also many significant scientific developments during this time. Silicone was a newly created substance which was growing in popularity as a staple of certain plastic surgery procedures. Initially, it was used to treat skin imperfections. Then, in 1962, Dr. Thomas Cronin created and unveiled a new breast implant device which was made from silicone. Over the next decade or so, silicone implants were developed for use in just about every imaginable part of the face and body.
In the 1980s, plastic surgeons and plastic surgery advocates made a big push to expand public awareness and improve public perception of plastic surgery. This increase in both the quantity and quality of information available to consumers, together with the economic boom of the 1980s, began to make plastic surgery more accessible to mainstream America.
Growth continued through the 1990s, despite problems caused by health care reform which caused sharp decreases in reimbursement from insurance companies for reconstructive work. Many surgeons were forced to focus more on cosmetic work in order to stay in practice, and some decided to forego reconstructive surgery altogether.
Surprisingly, the growing controversy over silicone breast implants did not seem to be deterring an ever-growing number of patients from seeking cosmetic procedures. Then, in 1998, President Bill Clinton signed a bill which included a provision requiring insurance companies to cover the cost of post-mastectomy breast reconstruction surgery.