Plastic surgery is surgery to repair or reconstruct physical defects of the skin, head and body. A plastic surgeon performs structural cosmetic surgery for aesthetic reasons to change the shape of features on the head or body, or can perform reconstructive surgery to correct deformities of the head or body caused by injury, disease, or birth defects. This specialist deals with the repair, reconstruction, or replacement of physical defects involving the skin, musculoskeletal system, hand, extremities, breast, trunk and external genitalia. The plastic surgeon uses aesthetic surgical principles not only to improve undesirable qualities of normal structures, but in all reconstructive procedures as well.

Physicians in this specialty treat patients suffering from numerous diseases and illnesses, but some of the most common are burns, acne, birth defects, wrinkles, pock, and mucosa defects.

Once properly diagnosed, practitioners can perform numerous procedures on patients including cosmetic surgery, reconstructive surgery, mastectomy, suction-assisted lipectomy (liposuction), augmentation mammaplasty (breast enlargement or boob job), mesotherapy, mastopexy (breast lift), rhytidectomy (face lift), rhinoplasty (nose job), vaginoplasty, chemical peel, abdominoplasty (tummy tuck), labiaplasty, breast reconstruction, chin augmentation, sex reassignment surgery, microsurgery, fat injections, buttock augmentation (butt augmentation or butt implants), and cheek augmentation.

To diagnose patients with possible illnesses and diseases, specialists will often perform one of many tests including breast exam, skin test, atropine test, and fluorescein test.

Doctor density varies by specialty and location. The United States has 6,072 practicing plastic surgeons. Broken out by state, plastic surgery doctor density in Alabama is 76, in Alaska is 6, in Arizona is 124, in Arkansas is 35, in California is 973, in Colorado is 91, in Connecticut is 87, in Delaware is 26, in District of Columbia is 33, in Florida is 540, in Georgia is 200, in Hawaii is 34, in Idaho is 21, in Illinois is 213, in Indiana is 95, in Iowa is 34, in Kansas is 47, in Kentucky is 85, in Louisiana is 78, in Maine is 11, in Maryland is 170, in Massachusetts is 156, in Michigan is 160, in Minnesota is 86, in Mississippi is 39, in Missouri is 122, in Montana is 15, in Nebraska is 31, in Nevada is 46, in New Hampshire is 26, in New Jersey is 214, in New Mexico is 25, in New York is 534, in North Carolina is 146, in North Dakota is 12, in Ohio is 219, in Oklahoma is 37, in Oregon is 65, in Pennsylvania is 243, in Rhode Island is 20, in South Carolina is 80, in South Dakota is 11, in Tennessee is 122, in Texas is 506, in Utah is 50, in Vermont is 5, in Virginia is 145, in Washington is 130, in West Virginia is 19, in Wisconsin is 86, and in Wyoming is 5.