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The History of Plastic Surgery

BY: Colleen Loggins |Feb 20, 2015

With reality TV’s plethora of too-perfect housewives and nipped-and-tucked celebrities, it can be easy to think of plastic surgery as a modern-day phenomenon. But a look into the history of plastic surgery reveals that people have been taking dramatic steps to change their looks for centuries. Below, we’ve put together a timeline that highlights important milestones in the history of plastic surgery, from the very first nose jobs to the rise of Botox.

history of plastic surgery

Illustration by Jess Duff, Groupon

Sources: American Plastic: Boob Jobs, Credit Cards, and Our Quest for Perfection by Laurie Essig | “Boosting Butts with Cement, Fix-A-Flat, Leads to Arrest,” ABC News | “Dog attack victim gets world’s first face transplant,” The Guardian | “History of Plastic Surgery,” Plasticsurgery.org | ISAPS International Survey on Aesthetic/Cosmetic Procedures Performed in 2013, isaps.org | “Safety of Silicone Breast Implants,” National Academies Press | “Sushruta: Rhinoplasty in 600 B.C.,” Internet Scientific Publications

Check out our other illustrated histories:

history of hairstyles

A History of Hairstyles

We illustrate some of the strangest (and largest) hair trends throughout history, and wonder—will live birds ever make a comeback?

history of makeup

A History of Makeup

The 100,000-year history of cosmetics proves there’s nothing more timeless than smearing stuff on your face to look pretty.


history of body modification

A History of Body Modification

A look at body modification throughout the ages, from flattening babies’ heads with boards to dilating your pupils with poison that makes you go blind.