What is Plastic Surgery?: Course Fees 2025, Subjects, Top Colleges, Admissions

Yes, plastic surgeons can indeed do life-saving surgeries, especially in reconstructive surgery, trauma, and burns. They can salvage a limb, repair facial trauma, and reconstruct following cancer. 
But emergency operations such as cardiac surgeries are beyond their expertise since they are not skilled to perform those. Their lifesaving operations are most often in reconstructive cases that are specialized.

Pursuing an MCh in Plastic Surgery is a prestigious and demanding path. While it opens doors to a high-earning and respected career, it also comes with long years of training and high expectations.

Pros: 

• High income potential
• diverse surgical exposure
• growing demand in aesthetics and reconstructive fields
• offers scope for global opportunities and private practice.

Cons:

• Intense competition
• physically and mentally demanding residency
• high pressure for perfect outcomes
• initial years of practice may involve long hours and limited financial returns

These three surgical roles differ in training, specialization, and types of procedures performed.

To assess your fit, consider your personality, academic strength, and career expectations.

• You enjoy hands-on surgical work, have strong spatial skills, and value patient transformation.
• You are willing to commit to a long learning path with intensive training.
• You are emotionally resilient and can work closely with patients dealing with trauma or appearance-related insecurities.

Candidates who do not have an MBBS degree that is recognised by the NMC/MCI are not considered to be eligible to pursue Plastic Surgery courses in India. Also, those who have not completed an MS/DNB in General Surgery cannot pursue MCh Plastic Surgery.
Further, students who fail to qualify for national-level exams like NEET PG or NEET SS are also not eligible for super-specialty admission in plastic surgery.

No, an MS Dermatology does not qualify for an MCh in Plastic Surgery. The eligibility route is MS or DNB in General Surgery.
Although non-surgical cosmetic treatments can be performed by dermatologists. The Plastic surgery involves more complicated surgical interventions that require a different postgraduate training background.

Plastic surgery is a competitive programme since it has few seats, great interest, and the discipline is complicated. It requires art as well as technical expertise, thus drawing top-ranked students.
Moreover, the potential for high earnings, global practice scope, and cosmetic and reconstructive practice potential make it the most desirable among the medical specialties.

A neurosurgeon cannot directly become a plastic surgeon. For a change, one would have to undergo an MS or DNB in General Surgery and then MCh/DNB in Plastic Surgery.
It will be another 6–8 years, which is an unusual career change. It is wiser to be a bit more specialised in one's own branch of surgery.

This field suits individuals with strong academic foundations and a passion for surgery and aesthetics.

• Students who are detail-oriented, artistic, and technically skilled.
• Those who can handle pressure, long hours, and emotional challenges.
• Learners who enjoy anatomy, creativity, and continuous skill-building.

The Plastic Surgery course curriculum is seen to be rigorous due to its technicality and wide scope. It involves careful surgical anatomy, reconstructive techniques, cosmetic surgery, microsurgery, and intensive clinical training. The course requires exceptional surgical skills, rigorous academia, and constant practice, thus making it one of the most demanding super-specialty courses in medicine.

Plastic Surgery training is rigorous, and aspirants often face academic, emotional, and physical challenges during their residency.

• Managing high expectations in complex surgical cases.

• Coping with long work hours, night shifts, and physical fatigue.

• Balancing academic studies with clinical responsibilities.

• Dealing with patient satisfaction, especially in cosmetic cases where expectations can be unrealistic.

Certain subjects demand high precision and deep understanding due to their complexity and surgical depth.

• Microsurgery
• Craniofacial surgery
• Flap design and tissue transfer
• Reconstructive procedures post-trauma or cancer

Some subjects are relatively more structured or theoretical, making them easier to score well in.

• Wound healing and suturing techniques
• Anatomy (once mastered)
• Medical ethics in plastic surgery
• Basics of anesthesia and patient care

Job-focused subjects often reflect the core of practical clinical work and high-demand specialties.

• Cosmetic surgery (rhinoplasty, liposuction, facelifts)
• Burn management and trauma reconstruction
• Breast surgery (reconstructive and cosmetic)
• Microsurgical techniques

Both reconstructive and cosmetic plastic surgeons are taught the same basic training by MCh or DNB courses. Both of them study wound healing, flaps, anatomy, and microsurgery.
However, cosmetic surgeons can then focus more on cosmetic procedures like liposuction, rhinoplasty, and facelifts, typically through fellowships or private practice, whereas reconstructive surgeons can specialize in cancer reconstructions, burns, or trauma.

Both are acceptable, but MS + 3-year MCh is more traditional and widely acceptable with the strong surgical background. The 5-year direct MCh (after MBBS) is a new one and is offered in fewer colleges. It is time-efficient but may lack general surgery exposure. Further, the decision is based on career goals and performance in exams.

The course equips students with a mix of surgical precision and aesthetic judgment. The skills you can gain from the Plastic Surgery course are:

• Surgical dexterity and microsurgery
• Patient communication and psychological sensitivity
• Artistic sense for cosmetic corrections
• Reconstructive planning and problem-solving under pressure

No, you can't become a plastic surgeon unless you attend college. Plastic surgery is a very specialised field of medicine that includes formal education, clinical training, and licensure.
You are required to do MBBS, MS/DNB General Surgery and subsequently MCh/DNB Plastic Surgery from a reputable medical college or institute.

Choosing the right college for Plastic Surgery involves assessing several academic and clinical factors to ensure holistic learning.

• Check hospital patient load and surgical exposure in burns, trauma, and aesthetics.
• Prefer institutes with experienced faculty, research opportunities, and fellowship tie-ups.
• Government institutes like AIIMS, PGIMER, and JIPMER often provide subsidized fees and extensive clinical training.
• Review alumni feedback, ranking, and NEET SS seat availability.

The Indian plastic surgeon's salary varies based on experience, employment setting, and healthcare institute. On average, a fresh graduate can earn INR 1.5 to INR 3 Lakh as a monthly income in reputable hospitals or private practice. 

With 5–10 years of experience in the industry, the income can usually go up to INR 4–8 Lacs per month, especially in metropolitan cities or high-end cosmetic surgical centers. Seniors or chief surgeons can earn much higher, based on patient number and specialization.

Yes, a plastic surgeon should be licensed by either the National Medical Commission (NMC) or the State Medical Council.
A doctor cannot perform or practice in India unless he or she is licensed and registered. It ensures that the surgeon meets the minimum medical standards and ethical codes.

Yes, cosmetic surgeons are MBBS doctors, and the majority of them have specialised further in Plastic Surgery or Dermatology. These practitioners typically hold either an MCh or DNB in Plastic Surgery, though some may be dermatologists or ENT specialists with aesthetic add-on training. 

Plastic surgeons find their work rewarding but also face unique challenges, especially in balancing perfection with pressure.

Likes:

• Creativity in procedures
• visible results
• variety in cases (burns, aesthetics, trauma)
• good earning potential

Dislikes:

• high patient expectations
• medicolegal risks
• the pressure of aesthetic perfection
• emotional toll in cases involving trauma or disfigurement