Plastic surgery is an extremely technical discipline of surgery wherein control, finesse, and delicacy matter. Whether the reconstructive operation is to restore ravaged tissue or cosmetic surgery is for enhancing one’s appearance, instruments used are all-important in bringing about successful accomplishment of desired outcomes. Every branch of surgery has attached to it its own intricate arrays of surgical tools, and plastic surgery is not an exception.

A standard plastic surgery instrument set will have a proper combination of cutting, dissecting, grasping, retracting, and suturing instruments — all designed to deal with delicate tissue and intricate anatomical material without doing too much harm. What we will be talking about here are the most important components of a standard set of plastic surgery instruments, the function of each type, and how they all fit together to get the job done in a procedure.

1. Scalpels: Accurate Cutting Instruments

Scalpels are the standard cutting instruments in plastic surgery. They cut super cleanly and accurately with hardly any harm to the tissue and are available in all shapes and sizes depending on what the surgery requires.

Universal scalpel components:

Scalpel Handles: Reusable stainless-steel handles (#3, #4, or #7) that hold removable blades.

Blades: Therefore, the standard ones used in plastic surgery are:

#10 blade: for big cuts.

#11 blade: For sensitive skin and fine punctures.

#15 blade: It is widely used in plastic surgery for making those small, fine incisions and reaching small spaces.

Scalpel use is additionally motivated by its sharpness and precision to create clean and low-scarring cuts—especially important for use in plastic surgery.

2. Scissors: Cutting, Dissecting, and Shaping

Scissors are a plastic surgery kit’s must-have piece of equipment. They are used to cut through tissues and sutures and sometimes to reshape or dissect those sensitive tissues.

Surgical Scissor Types:

• Metzenbaum Scissors: Used to cut finer tissue and cut small incisions. They are longer and they have these slender, blunt edges.
• Iris Scissors: Fine, smaller scissors used to cut precisely, often used for facial treatments.
• Tenotomy Scissors: Finely curved or straight scissors of very fine cut for microdissection and fine dissection.
• Mayo Scissors: Heavy scissors usually employed to cut heavy tissues or sutures.
• Supercut Scissors: These possess one blade with a sharp razor edge and another with a micro-serrated edge and are useful for clean, controlled friable tissue cuts.

Each type has its function, which helps surgeons cover everything from the broad ideas to the details.

3. Forceps: Grasping and Holding

Forceps play a significant role in grasping, manipulating, and stabilizing tissue in surgery. Plastic surgery demands the use of forceps that are fine enough not to crush or damage soft tissues.

• Adson Forceps: Fine, toothless or toothed tips for grasping thin skin or tissue.
• Debakey Forceps: Atraumatic forceps for manipulation of vessels and delicate tissues without damaging them.
• Iris Forceps: Delicately precise, very fine forceps applied to facial and microsurgery.
• Brown-Adson Forceps: Several fine teeth to obtain a good grasp on very sensitive tissue while suturing.
• Cushing Forceps: Special forceps to catch light tissue without giving crushing damage.

Selection of the proper type of forceps ensures easy handling and minimum trauma to delicate structures.

4. Retractors: Exposure of the Operating Field

Retractors are employed to retract the tissue and expose the operating field. In plastic surgery, in which the incisions are small and fine, the retractors also have to be small and fine.

Types of Retractors:

• Skin Hooks: Single- or double-tined hooks to retract skin edges gently.
• Senn Retractors: One tip carries a blunt, short blade, and the other carries a three-pronged rake. Ideal for small, superficial procedures.
• Malleable (Ribbon) Retractors: Flexible retractors that can be molded to arc, used to retract soft tissue lightly without acute edges.
• Gillies or Ragnell Retractors: Slender, double-ended retractors usually applied in facial and hand surgery.
• Aufricht Nasal Retractors: Applied in nasal surgery specifically for retracting soft tissue.

All these retractors assist surgeons to achieve visibility and exposure to the operation site with the least tissue damage.

5. Elevators: Tissue Separation and Mobilization

Elevators are employed to elevate, separate, or mobilize cartilage, soft tissues, and bone. In plastic surgery, they aid in flaps, grafting, and cartilage repositioning procedures.

Typical Types:

Freer Elevator: Double-ended instrument employed in lifting soft tissue or periosteum (covering of bones).

Cottle Elevator: Used in rhinoplasty procedures, used to elevate nasal tissue.

Joseph Elevator: Used mainly in facial plastic surgery to elevate cartilage and soft tissue.

Molt Periosteal Elevator: A More powerful instrument used for elevation of periosteum off bone surfaces in reconstructive surgery.

Elevators are useful in manipulating thin tissue, which allows neat separation without brokenness.

6. Needle Holders: Suturing Precision

Suturing is a valuable final step of plastic surgery with impacts on wound healing and aesthetic outcome. Needle holders should be designed to grasp and move needles around suturing.

Needle Holder Types:

• Castroviejo Needle Holders: Spring-operated, sharp-point holders used in microsurgery and careful suturing.
• Webster Needle Holders: Thin, minute holders most effective in facial and hand surgery.
• Mayo-Hegar Needle Holders: Heavy-duty holders used for heavier or deeper tissue closure.

Effective needle holders should provide a solid hold without breaking the suture or needle and facilitate precise and controlled suturing.

7. Microsurgical Instruments: Precision on a Tiny Scale

Many plastic surgery operations, particularly those of nerves, blood vessels, or minute structures, require microsurgical instruments. Microsurgical instruments are designed for use with an operating microscope and offer unmatchable precision.

Common Microsurgical Instruments:

• Microscissors: Sharp, gentle scissors to sever tiny tissues or vessels.
• Micro-Needle Holders: Intended for holding and handling extremely small needles.
• Micro Forceps: Extremely fine forceps for grasping small structures.
• Micro Vessel Clamps: Applied to occlude small vessels during microvascular surgery.
• Dilators and Probes: Employed for probing and dilating small structures.

Microsurgical instruments are designed to manipulate tissues at the sub-millimeter level, which is essential in operations such as free flap transfers, nerve repair, and reconstructive microsurgery.

Final Thoughts on Plastic Surgery Instrument Set

A well-designed set of plastic surgery instruments is a carefully selected set of instruments intended to deliver the precision and control necessary for reconstructive and aesthetic procedures. From scalpel blades that ensure clean, sharp incisions to microsurgical instruments to dissect the smallest structures, every instrument is an essential component in the success of the procedure.

Optimal instruments reduce trauma to tissue, minimize scarring, and enable surgeons to perform complex, delicate surgery with confidence. For any surgical team, a well-maintained, fully equipped plastic surgery set is important to delivering the optimal patient outcome.

At Hasni Surgical, we manufacture a whole range of plastic surgery instruments — combining precision craftsmanship with stainless steel for surgery. Whether it’s a full surgical set or custom sets tailored for individual surgeries, we’re here to support your surgical expertise.

Interested in new surgical instrument kits? Talk with us about the best-selling, top-quality sets.