Letter to the Editor
Prosopoplasty
Harris Zavrides, MD, PhD
T
he word “plastic” comes from the Greek verb
“platho,” which means “to mold” or “to give
form.” Plastic surgery is the medical specialty that
enables the molding and the re-forming of the human
body. Plastic surgery helps us regain our self-esteem
and self-respect. All the procedures that aim the natural renewal of the face (face lift, neck liposuction, neck
lift, blepharoplasty, eyebrow lift, and dermabrasion) can
be carried out together constituting one procedure. In
my opinion, the international medical community must
introduce a new term, “prosopoplasty,” which will include all these procedures. Face means “prosopo.” The
word “prosopo” comes from the Greek phrase “pros
opa.” “Pros opa” in the ancient Greek language means
“the part of the head which is toward the eyes.” I personally agree with this term and I am in favor of this
new terminology, mainly because of its Greek origin. All
the terminology in plastic surgery has Greek origin as it
express the procedures in the best way: blepharoplasty,
rhinoplasty, abdominoplasty, otoplasty, mastoplasty. As
far as I know, there is not any other article in a peer
review journal in the international medical literature that
suggests the term “prosopoplasty” except from an article that I have published in the Archives of Plastic Surgery (the official journal of the Korean Society of Plastic
Surgery). I have also published one article in the Greek
language in Cyprus Medical Journal (the official journal
of the Cyprus Medical Society). There is not any other
written text about the need of this term except from a
book’s chapter of Dr Panfilof. In my opinion, Dr. Panfilof did not say specifically what “prosopoplasty” is. My
opinion is that “prosopoplasty” is the operation that includes the aesthetic surgical procedures on a face for
facial rejuvenation. Nonaesthetic surgical procedures like
tumor resection, facial burns and skin cancer, nonsur-
gical procedures like laser and botox, procedures that
change the characteristics of the face like rhinoplasty and
otoplasty, procedures that change the profile of a face
like genioplasty do not belong in “prosopoplasty.” Dr.
Panfilof suggests that all these procedures can belong
to the term “prosopoplasty.” My personal opinion is that
this is wrong, because the term “prosopo” is the part of
the head that is toward the eyes. The word “prosopo”
comes from the ancient Greek phrase “pros opa.” So everything that is not correlated with the “prosopo”; with
the part of the head that is toward the eyes cannot be
“prosopoplasty.” Moreover, in the medical terminology,
the term “plasty” always refers to a surgical procedure
(Horch, 2004; Foustanos, Pantazi, & Zavrides, 2007; Moss
& Harris, 2009; Foustanos & Zavrides, 2006; Graf & Biggs,
2002; Zavrides, 2014a; Zavrides, 2014b; Panfilof, 2007).
REFERENCES
Foustanos, A., Pantazi, L., & Zavrides, H. (2007). Representations in
plastic surgery: The impact of self-image and self-confidence in
the work environment. Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, 31, 435–442.
Foustanos, A., & Zavrides, H. (2006). An alternative fixation technique for the endoscopic brow lift. Annals of Plastic Surgery,
56, 599–604.
Graf, R., & Biggs, T. M. (2002). In search of better shape in mastopexy and reduction mammaplasty. Plastic and Reconstructive
Surgery, 110, 309.
Horch, R. E. (2004). The role of plastic surgery in remodelling the
body image. MMW Fortschritte der Medizin, 146(42), 32–36.
Moss, T. P., & Harris, D. (2009). Psychological change after aesthetic
plastic surgery: A prospective controlled outcome study. Psychology Health and Medicine, 14, 567–572.
Panfilof, D. E. (2007). The face as a dynamic mosaic work—
prosopoplasty, Chapter 1. In Aesthetic surgery of the facial
mosaic (pp. 3–4) Berlin: Springer.
Zavrides, H. (2014a). Prosopoplasty: A new term? Archives of Plastic
Surgery, 41(5), 3–4.
Zavrides, H. (2014b). Prosopoplasty: A new term? Cyprus Medical
Journal, 28(2), 10–12.
Harris Zavrides, MD, PhD, is a board-certified Plastic Surgeon from the
Medical School of Athens University and Professor in Aesthetic Plastic
Surgery and Wound Healing at Frederick University, Nicosia, Cyprus. He
graduated from the Medical School of Patras University in Greece and
received his PhD degree from the Medical School of Athens University.
Dr Harris Zavrides maintains a private practice at “Harris Zavrides Plastic
Surgery Center” in Nicosia, Cyprus.
The author reports no conflicts of interest.
Address correspondence to Harris Zavrides, MD, PhD, “Harris Zavrides
Plastic Surgery Center,” 20 Spyrou Kyprianou Av, 2nd floor, 1075, Nicosia,
Cyprus (e-mail: [email protected]).
DOI: 10.1097/PSN.0000000000000102
104
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Volume 35 „ Number 3 „ July–September 2015
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