A brief History of Plastic Surgery & Dr. Juan Liceaga C. in Los Cabos
This brief history of cosmetic or plastic surgery was written by an experienced plastic, reconstructive and cosmetic surgeon Dr. Juan Liceaga who has a new office in San Jose del Cabo in the Los Cabos area of Baja California Sur. I have met with Dr. Juan Liceaga as he also specializes in hand surgery and because of my having severe rheumatoid arthritis and my hands are becoming deformed. I was very impressed as he explained that he would hold off on hand surgery for now and wanted to try a few alternatives first. Yes, a surgeon who does not believe in just cutting up anyone just for the sake of it! I of course asked as to why he believed the way he did and he explained his history to me of having worked with Yaquis Indians while in Sonora Mexico, before moving to San Jose del Cabo. While Dr. Juan is a specialist in hand surgery, reconstructive as well as cosmetic surgery and he truly is a healer as well.
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ou may find his resume below and see that he is a very qualified and concerned doctor.
A brief history of Plastic Surgery
All through man’s evolution, the physical aspect has been of paramount relevance; in the earliest times this was achieved by dying the body, piercing it with bones, shells, and stones etc. tattooing or even scarification, a practice that still in use in some regions of Africa.
“Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder” as the old adage says, and sure enough we have been trying hard ever since to modify our “looks”.
In Roman and Greek civilizations a prominent nose was a symbol of aristocracy and beauty. In the Maya culture, besides a prominent nose, that was achieved by “surgically” implanted thin pieces of wood on the nasal dorsum; the Noble cast must have strabismus (an abnormal alignment of one or both eyes). In theory, they were so far advance that did not need the sight to see. The same applied with what we call today, obese woman, which were as popular in the past as for example during the Renascence period; just look at the Naked Maja. We all probably have heard what Chinese woman went trough to have petit feet.
The first reports of Plastic surgery goes back to ancient India, they were criminal
s, prisoners and unfaithful wives, were punished by amputating there nose and how the Physician, Susruta in 800 BC, developed some surgical techniques, using the forehead to create a new nose. The procedure known until these days as: “The Indian Flap”.
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The modern Plastic Surgery has its origins in the latter part of 1847) due to a Physician & Surgeon from Berlin; Johann F, Dieffenbach;’, who first reported several cases of nose reconstruction, followed after by many others that contributed to the progress of this fascinating field.
The term Plastic was first employed by Dr. Von Graefe in 1818, and refers to the ability to modify the original form; to create new forms; not due to the materials we use; like in the Plastic Arts.
With the First World War and its strategic “trench war” most of the resulting injuries occurred in the face, so many surgeons had to develop innovative methods to restore the injured soldiers to their normal aspect. The Second World War brought giant improvements not only in surgical techniques, but in anesthetics, instruments and later, the miracle of Penicillin. And since then, this branch of surgery has been improving almost on a daily basis.
The advancement of plastic Surgery has not been all that smooth trough history; a land mark in Plastic Surgery, in 1597, Gasparus Tagliacozzi was condemned and killed, by the Church, because his work was interfering with the handiwork of God.
Nowadays with the advent of Endoscope surgery, Microscopic techniques, new implant materials, new instruments, plus new drugs for safe anesthetics; surgical procedures have become safer and the results can be longer lasting and the complications less frequent with more satisfied patients.
Now, what makes a Plastic Surgeon so special? Allow me to quote Aristotle “Art, indeed, consists in the conception of the result to be produced before its realization of the material”. Without doubt this is the essential quality of a Plastic Surgeon, it is this ability that distinguishes the artist from the technician, the talent to visualize the end result, and you must be born with it, and or develop it through several years of training. This is exactly the condition that makes the difference in the results achieved by a quality Plastic Surgeon and any other.
Brief Resume of Dr. Juan Liceaga C.
Certified consultant for Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery of Mexico #21.
Member of the “Asociacion Mexicana de Cirugia Plastica, Estetica y Reconstructiva”
Graduated from University of Mexico in 1966.
House Staff member at The Doctor’s Hospital. Toronto Canada for 1 year.
3 years of Residency in General Surgery at 20th of Nov. Medical Center in Mexico City.
4 years Residency in Plastic Surgery at “La Raza” Medical Center of Mexico City.
During the following 20 years he was:
Head of Plastic Surgery at the Navy Medical Centre in Mexico 1975 -1982 City.
Chief of Surgery at “La Villa” Trauma Hospital, Mexico City
Plastic Surgeon at Obregon City, Medical Centre. From 1991-2000
1991 to 1996 he was a Consulting Plastic Surgeon at Guaymas General Hospital.
2007 he moved his practice to San José del Cabo, BCS.
As you can see by my resume I established my private practice in Mexico City for several years until I desired to move to a more.” human” living, and quiet the rush and glamour of a cosmopolitan place such as Mexico City, moving north, to the paradise of Guaymas. By my own choice I worked extra time during my training to learn as much as I could of Hand surgery, having the privilege of learning under two great Hand Surgeons: Dr. Gomez Correa (who did the first re-implant of a hand in the world in 1966) and Dr. William Littler the key stone of hand surgery. It was hard, but I worked every minute. In those days, we learned to correct Cleft lips, as much of taking care of severe burned patients, while also rotating for the Oncology Hospital to resolve the easiest basal cancer cells to the worse cases of melanomas and correct the massive defects that oncology surgery creates. Our rotation from cosmetic surgery was actually like vacation time, as at least we were able to sleep a full night, No emergency calls, but a lot more pressure. We learned what it means to operate on healthy and beautiful woman and turn them into more beautiful & healthier people.
I realized how important our training in General surgery is and why it is mandatory, to become a Plastic Surgeon, at least in Mexico.
My experience of proudly working at the main medical facility for the Navy in Mexico City, gave a great experience on treating all sorts of severe wounds, but I also learned discipline and pried. My last 3 years in the Navy I was appointed as Captain Physician, for the Paratrooper Company; A very close brotherhood.
After leaving the Navy, and maybe due to my Navy and paratrooper background, “teaching those civilians discipline”, I was offered the position of Chief of Surgery in a 300 bed Trauma Hospital in Mexico City; also, a very enriching experience. We were the first Hospital, back in 1983, to receive more than 300 burned patients from a multiple Butane gas containers explosion in a near by town call: San Juanico. Being a Chief of Surgery at any Hospital in any country is a very, around the clock, demanding job. Holidays are practically nonexistent, and so is private life and family.
Also, the old beautiful, safe and peaceful Mexico City, was transforming into a jungle almost by the day. The Hospital and my private practice demanded long hours, my children (four girls) then, started to see me like the stranger that came home, usually exhausted,. Therefore, a big decision had to be made, and I choose my kids and a less fast way of living. “Life” sent me to Sonora State, across the pond, as we Mexicans say; there we could start a Clinic for indigents with cleft lips and palates, and actually any kind of abnormalities. This new path, lead me to have the fortune and privilege of knowing the Yaqui people and learn there concepts and philosophy. One of the best experiences in my life; I question my self even now days; who received more; me or them? Personally I believe I came out a bit more patient, more humble and more serene. The 3 basic goals that Yaquis demand you must master before even consider your self a man.
While working and learning from the Yaquis one day I had the fortune to know one the most fantastic Herbologist and human beings I have ever meet, and probably one of the few that remain: Mrs. Maria Matus. I saw personally, many people healed by her herbs, and kindness. We use to share the office so to speak, and cheer up and share thepatients. We had many, many cases cured with these combinations of herbs, talents and respect, and the terrific sense of humor from Maria.
Thanks to this, I realized that many times we may get sick, because we want to get sick, because somewhere along the way, we stop loving and caring for our selves. In addition to that, the Practice of medicine has become more of a business rather than a humanized activity as was originally practiced and therefore contributes to prolong our ill habits and conditions of illness.
Contact Information for Dr. Juan Liceaga C.
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Paseo de Malvarrosa 420, Col. Magisterial. San José del Cabo.
San José del Cabo, Baja California Sur, Mexico 23400