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 5,671 practicing plastic surgeons. Broken out by state, plastic surgery doctor density in Alabama is 67, in Alaska is 5, in Arizona is 96, in Arkansas is 26, in California is 902, in Colorado is 74, in Connecticut is 68, in Delaware is 19, in District of Columbia is 44, in Florida is 496, in Georgia is 187, in Hawaii is 28, in Idaho is 16, in Illinois is 185, in Indiana is 81, in Iowa is 31, in Kansas is 56, in Kentucky is 71, in Louisiana is 66, in Maine is 5, in Maryland is 163, in Massachusetts is 173, in Michigan is 157, in Minnesota is 89, in Mississippi is 34, in Missouri is 126, in Montana is 13, in Nebraska is 24, in Nevada is 29, in New Hampshire is 26, in New Jersey is 221, in New Mexico is 24, in New York is 470, in North Carolina is 138, in North Dakota is 11, in Ohio is 203, in Oklahoma is 43, in Oregon is 49, in Pennsylvania is 244, in Rhode Island is 24, in South Carolina is 67, in South Dakota is 12, in Tennessee is 105, in Texas is 443, in Utah is 58, in Vermont is 4, in Virginia is 127, in Washington is 100, in West Virginia is 20, in Wisconsin is 91, and in Wyoming is 6.