Altering one’s appearance has been a desire of human beings since records began and the idea of using surgery to alter a person’s features goes back many thousands of years.

Of course, cosmetic surgery has not always been the relatively low-risk and highly regulated industry it is today, however, and there have been more than a few accidents along the way.

Here at https://www.luxeskin.co.uk/, we specialise in non-surgical cosmetics, but many of the services that we provide have been developed as safer and less intrusive alternatives to more conventional surgery. This means that the history of cosmetic surgery is a big part of what lead us to become what we are today.

In this article we will take a quick look at said history, examining the roots of the cosmetic industry across the globe.

The history of skin

The very first recorded example of ‘plastic’ surgery was in India all the way back in 800 B.C where physicians used skin grafts as a form of reconstructive surgery. It was many more centuries until a similar technique found its way to European shores but, as with so many other advancements during this time period, Eastern medical practices were quick on the uptake.

We aren’t joking when we say that Europe lagged behind when it came to cosmetic surgery either. In the middle ages, in fact, surgery was actually banned by the Pope as religion overtook science in the priorities of those in charge.

As with many other areas of science, the renaissance brought significant developments in the surgical world with eyelid and cleft lip surgery providing welcome relief to many patients. Unfortunately, whilst safety did improve during these times, there were still nowhere near the number of precautions or safeguards in place like we have today and death or severe injury were not uncommon when surgery was performed.

The spoils of war

The next major development in reconstructive surgery was born out of some of the worst atrocities in human history. The first and second world wars saw huge leaps forward in surgical procedures as thousands of soldiers were treated for severe face and head injuries.

In the post-war years, as doctors spent less of their time treating those severely wounded in battle, there was a chance to see what these new techniques and scientific discoveries could do purely in terms of cosmetics and non-essential surgical procedures began to become popular.

Recent years

There are very few industries that have not transformed almost beyond recognition over the past few decades and cosmetic surgery is certainly one of them.

Facelifts, breast implants, rhinoplasty, browlifts, the list of popular surgical treatments is almost endless nowadays and with no sign of surgical or medicinal research slowing down anytime soon the list will surely only grow in the years to come.

One of the biggest changes in recent times has been the rise in non-surgical cosmetics and many within the skin care industry believe that this is the direction the cosmetic world will swivel in next.