Top Plastic Surgery Instruments

Updated on June 25, 2022

Plastic surgeries are conducted to alter, restore, or replace different body areas like the crania, skin, and breasts. The most common instruments used in this procedure include dissectors, clamps, and scissors. 

Surgical procedures are different, and surgeons utilize different items to complete the process successfully. Specific surgical instruments are meant for general surgeries, and amateur surgeons find it hard to identify them. 

These instruments are classified depending on their function and are used for dissecting, cutting, and occluding. Below we discuss the top plastic surgery instruments. 

Cottle Elevator

The cottle elevator is an essential instrument in plastic and facial surgery to get beneath the periosteum and soft tissue to create a tunneling effect by extending distances. It is single or double-ended and has curved blades. The blade’s width allows the medics to lift a more extensive tissue area. 

A periosteal elevator is an item with an elevation and handle used to elevate the periosteum in a surgery. Below we discuss the top plastic surgery instruments. 

Dissecting and Cutting Instruments 

Most surgical instruments are used to cut soft tissue and skin and dissect tissues via anatomical planes. These instruments are disposable, like blades and scalpels, while others, like knives, are reusable. Blades occur in different sizes and handle different operations. 

Other surgical instruments used when dissecting or cutting include snares, bone cutters, and biopsy forceps. 

Handling and Grasping Instruments

Surgeons use particular instruments to hold or grasp tissues to better look at their surgical field. The most common instruments used in this stage include toothed forceps and bone holders. 

Surgeons commonly use rat-toothed forceps to get hold of the skin, and the Babcock forceps are used to grasp towels and intestines. 

Exposing and Retracting Instruments

Retractors help surgeons to get a better visualization of the surgical field. Plastic surgeons can retract these issues without destroying them with these instruments. The most common example is the Balfour retractor, applied in the laparotomy sector. 

Other top examples include the Farabeuf retractor and the Army-Navy. Finochiettos are bone extractors used to retract the skin edges. 

Stapling and Suturing Instruments

Stapling and suturing instruments are meant to bring the skin’s edges adjacent together. The standard suturing kit consists of a needle, toothed forceps, and a suturing scissor. Instruments with carbide jaws stop the needle from turning and twisting in surgery, enhancing instrument life and ensuring a proper balance. 

Probing and Dilating Instruments

Dilating instruments are used when expanding an orifice’s size, and dilators have different sizes ranging from big to small. Surgeons use small dilators and increase the size gradually in natural openings. 

Aspiration and Suctioning Instruments

Surgical fields can be filled with blood and substantial fluid amounts, obscuring the underlying structures. Surgeons use different instruments to eliminate these fluids.

Final Thoughts 

Surgical procedures have been in existence for a long time and are still familiar to date. The above article has discussed the top surgical instruments, including the Cottle elevator, and you can reach out for more information. 

The Editorial Team at Healthcare Business Today is made up of skilled healthcare writers and experts, led by our managing editor, Daniel Casciato, who has over 25 years of experience in healthcare writing. Since 1998, we have produced compelling and informative content for numerous publications, establishing ourselves as a trusted resource for health and wellness information. We offer readers access to fresh health, medicine, science, and technology developments and the latest in patient news, emphasizing how these developments affect our lives.