Chandigarh 3 February, 2024 - Department of Plastic Surgery, PGI Chandigarh is hosting 18th Annual Conference of North Zone Association of Plastic Surgeons (NZAPSCON Chandigarh) from 3rd-4th February, 2024 at PGIMER,Chandigarh. Prof Atul Parashar, Head, Department of Plastic Surgery, who is also the President of North Zone Association of Plastic Surgeons, informed that more than 130 Plastic Surgeons from Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Jammu & Kashmir and Chandigarh will be participating in the meeting. Besides, there will be Guest Faculty from all over India to discuss recent advances in the vast discipline of Plastic surgery. Dr Tarush Gupta; who is organizing secretary of the conference informed that the Conferencewas inaugurated by Prof Naresh Panda; Dean, PGI Prof Parashar said plastic surgeons undertake a variety of procedures including; maxillofacial trauma, craniofacial surgery, head and neck cancer, hand injuries, major skin losses, breast reconstructions after mastectomy, management of cleft lip and palate deformities, management of the deformities of the external genitalia etc.
These annual meetings have enabled Plastic Surgeons of the region to share their clinical and research experiences with their peers.  It also provides opportunity to Plastic Surgery residents to interact with their senior colleagues. There is a lot of confusion in the minds of the lay public regarding the specialty of Plastic Surgery. People generally think plastic surgeons to be cosmetic surgeons catering to the affluent class only. This is mainly due to the media and entertainment industries, as screenplays featuring plastic surgery usually incorporate cosmetic surgery only. The specialty covers virtually all the regions of the body from head to toe. Dr Sunil Gaba from PGI informed that the scientific proceedings will continue for 2 days and will include sessions on Aesthetic surgery, microvascular surgery, burn injuries and craniofacial clefts in addition to symposia pertaining to common plastic surgery problems in the region.