先日Ｓ医大の形成外科で皮下腫瘍の手術（健康保険適用）をして貰った。驚いたのはそこでお世話頂いた医師はすべて女性であった。医療のWEBサイトでは『形成外科は主に体の表面の機能や形態など、日常生活を快適に送るための支障となる病気を治療し、患者さんが社会復帰するのを助けたり、あるいは生活の質を向上させることが主な役割となる。一方、整形外科とは人間が歩く、座るなどの日常運動をする上で支障となる病気、つまり骨、関節、筋肉などの病気を扱う』。美容整形外科は形成外科の領域の一部で、その多くは健康保険料域外の診療が主なものとなるだろう。私が７０歳の頃、娘が「少女時代に歯並びの矯正治療をして欲しかったなぁ」と呟いたものだが、当時では３０～４０万円の治療費が必要だったので、サラリーマンの身では中々困難なことだったと思う。私の心境としては当時は比較的心痛めるものでは無かったようだが、最近の親御さんは少々身近なものになって来たように思う。即ち、最近では「美容整形」という言葉が報道・ＣＭで一般的な話題となって、中学生当たりの関心の的となっている。二重瞼・歯並び・鼻筋の矯正などは出来るだけ若い時にやった方が良いだろうから、親の経済的負担となり得る可能性が高いらしいから大変だ。

 

 

 

　The other day, I had surgery for a subcutaneous tumor (covered by health insurance) at the plastic surgery department of S Medical University. 　What surprised me was that all the doctors who cared for me there were women. 　According to the medical website, ”Plastic surgery mainly treats diseases that interfere with the ability to lead a comfortable daily life, such as the function and form of the surface of the body, and helps patients reintegrate into society, or improves their daily life. 　The main role is to improve quality. 　On the other hand, orthopedics deals with diseases of bones, joints, muscles, etc. that interfere with people's ability to perform daily movements such as walking and sitting. 　Cosmetic surgery is a part of the field of plastic surgery, and most of the treatments will be outside the scope of health insurance. 　When I was 70 years old, my daughter used to say to herself, ”I wish I had had orthodontic treatment when I was a girl,'' but at that time the treatment cost 300,000 to 400,000 yen, and as an office worker, she couldn't afford it. 　I think it was quite difficult.　In my opinion, it was relatively painless at the time, but I feel like parents have become a little more familiar with it these days. 　In other words, recently, the term ”cosmetic surgery'' has become a common topic in news reports and commercials, and has become a topic of interest among junior high school students. 　It would be better to have double eyelids, teeth alignment, nose bridge correction, etc. done when the child is young, which is difficult as it is likely to become a financial burden on the parents.