Public perceptions of plastic surgery

Objective: The general public often equates plastic surgery with cosmetic surgery. This study was conducted to obtain information about the public perception of the discipline of plastic surgery in Turkey and evaluate their level of awareness about what they think a plastic surgeon does. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted between September 1, 2021 and December 31, 2021. It was composed of 23 questions. After filling their demographic information, participants were asked to select one treating expert for each medical condition. The collected forms were analyzed using SPSS version 25. Results: A total of 600 public members participated in this study. The mean age of the participants was 37.35 ± 13.26 years. The majority of them (39.7%) were university graduates. The medical conditions most commonly known to be treated by plastic surgeons were burns (44.5%), augmentation and reduction mammoplasty (59.8%), liposuction, and abdominoplasty and face-lift (57.2%). The medical conditions least known to be treated by plastic surgeons were hand and nerve injuries (12.8%). Conclusions: Depending on our findings, we conclude that many people in our society are unaware of the true scope of plastic surgery; therefore, better education of public members is needed.