Page 16 - BCMS ONline directory

COSMETIC MEDICINE

AESTHETIC SURGERY AND THE

RECRONSTRUCTIVE SPECTRUM

By Ted Ferguson, MD

I have long felt that transitioning into a full-spectrum civilian fare in the military world. I believe the reason for that is straight-
practice after retiring from the Air Force was a painless move. The forward: plastic surgery is essentially a spectrum of reconstructive
comprehensive exposure to every imaginable deformity that a mil- procedures.
itary surgeon encounters is unrivaled in even the busiest trauma cen- In the military, we become accustomed to performing complex re-
ters. As a result, I’ve never had reservations about my ability to constructions. During my deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, I
transition into a more aesthetically inclined practice. I never expe- was easily one of the busiest surgeons at each location. When the
rienced any anxiety with doing procedures that are not everyday- casualties would start rolling in, I would help with the initial triage,

16 San Antonio Medicine • July 2019