Awkward or inappropriate question time. Do plastic surgeons practice on cadaver heads? For a surgical practice that devotes much of its time to vanity, could it be possible that the very people we entrust to improve on our looks earned and honed their skills in a rather gruesome manner? The truth might just gross you out.
To be honest, this isn’t something that I had ever put much thought into before, and once it had entered my mind I had to find an answer. I mean, I never really put much thought into something that I have very little interest partaking in. So, do plastic surgeons practice on cadaver heads?
If you think about this for a minute it all begins to make sense. For generations throughout history surgeons learned their trade on the corpses of the dead. It was the perfect fail-safe mechanism if the student really stuffed up. No litigation, no deformities and no hurt feelings. The dead don’t complain. So how would you feel being the test subject for a learner plastic surgeon? A little cautious with plenty of fear and apprehension. It’s for this reason that plastic surgeons practice on cadaver heads. It provides the student with the opportunity to discover hands on how to conduct different procedures.
Keep in mind that this is usually reserved for the students who are not even fully qualified as doctors. The early learning if carried out on cadaver heads and also pig flanks. But it’s not only plastic surgeons that practice on cadaver heads. Dental surgeons also participate in this gruesome, but necessary practice.
So the next time you think of seeing a plastic surgeon or going for a dental surgery, remember that there is a fair chance that they learned their skills on a subject that was unable to feel pain, or give feedback in the final results.
