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. Indiana has 81 practicing plastic surgeons. Broken out by city, plastic surgery doctor density in Bloomington is 2, in Carmel is 15, in Chesterton is 1, in Columbus is 1, in Dyer is 1, in Elkhart is 1, in Evansville is 5, in Fort Wayne is 9, in Greenwood is 2, in Hammond is 1, in Hobart is 1, in Indianapolis is 21, in Jasper is 1, in Jeffersonville is 3, in La Porte is 1, in Lafayette is 4, in Lawrenceburg is 1, in Lebanon is 1, in Merrillville is 10, in Michigan City is 2, in Mishawaka is 1, in Munster is 4, in Newburgh is 2, in Noblesville is 3, in Plymouth is 1, in Richmond is 1, in South Bend is 3, in Terre Haute is 1, in Valparaiso is 1, and in Westfield is 1.

Indiana’s population is 6,271,973, and most of the state’s population is located in the north, near the Lake Michigan shoreline, and is part of the greater metro Chicago area. Indiana became a state in 1816, and boasts many historical sites and covered bridges, numerous state parks and forests, hunting and fishing, and a variety of golf courses. Centrally located Indianapolis is home to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, hosting the world-famous 500-mile auto race every year. This capital and largest city of Indiana also hosts a Civil War museum, a planetarium, and the Indiana Historical Society, among many other attractions.

According to 2005 Census estimates, Indiana has a population of 6,271,973. Of this population, 1,566,280 are under the age of 18 and 774,303 are at or above the age of 65.