Plastic surgery is a specialized branch of surgery concerned with repair of deformities from head to foot and also the correction of functional deficits.  The term plastic surgery is added the adjective “reconstructive” which implies an extension of the plastic surgeon’s activities to more reconstructive procedures such as head and neck reconstruction, hand or extremity reconstruction, breast reconstruction, microsurgery, craniomaxillofacial surgery and so on.

The Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons of Thailand was founded in 1971.  It is now a member of the International Confederation for Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery (IPRAS) and a member of the Asean Federation of Plastic Surgery.  At present there are about 250 qualified Thai Plastic Surgeons for the population of 62 millions.  These plastic surgeons also are members of the Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons of Thailand which was founded in 1977.

The scope of plastic surgery involves the operative procedures of the whole body.  It can be summed up as follows:
1.Congenital anomalies : Abnormalities evident at birth such as cleft lip-palate, microtia, birthmarks.
2.Acquired deformities: Abnormalities arising from accidents, or following removing of the tumor, or direct result of the disease or infection, chronic ulcers from various causes.
3.Burns: To save life of the burn’s victims and to correct the deformities from burn scar contractures.
4.Maxillofacial surgery: Especially from road traffic accident causing facial bone fractures and soft tissue injuries.
5.Craniofacial surgery5=>Reconstruction of the cranial bone and facial bone defects caused by congenital anomaly, tumor, and trauma.
6.Head and neck surgery : Surgical treatment and reconstruction of head and neck diseases including intraoral tumor (benign and malignant)
7.Hand surgery : Involvement of all kinds of hand conditions, congenital or acquired deformities, hand injury including brachial plexus injury.
8 .Microsurgery: Involvement of both replantation of the amputated parts (digit, hand, arm, penis, scalp etc.) and free tissue transfer for reconstruction of the tissue defect using microsurgical techniques (doing anastomosis of small blood vessel under an operating microscope)
9.Cosmetic surgery or aesthetic surgery: To improve form  (rather than function) of the body or to treat physically fit patients who wish to remedy  the effect of aging or patients who wish to achieve a better  appearance especially the facial appearance as well as the improvement of the psychological condition.  Most people and the media, even some medical professions, have misunderstood that plastic surgeons do only cosmetic surgery procedures ie. blepharoplasty, facelift, rhinoplasty,  breast augmentation, for instance.
10.LASER surgery: Mainly for treatment of some skin lesions.
11.Liposuction (fat aspiration) / Lipofilling: For body contouring not the technique for loosing body weight.
12.Miscellaneous:
· Tissue expansion
· Breast reconstruction
· Hair restoration surgery
· Endoscopic plastic surgery
· Distraction osteogenesis
· Sex reassignment surgery
· Tissue engineering
· Etc.