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  • Writer's pictureMiriam Wood

What Happens to Plastic Surgery When You Die?

Updated: Jan 11, 2021


The two main options for a cadaver, burial and cremation, handle plastic surgery differently.


Burial:

Luckily, a body buried with plastic surgery is no big deal. The silicone poses no real threat to the environment. Since there is no good reason to perform surgery on the cadaver to remove the implants, archaeologists of the future will likely uncover coffins with silicone bags in them.

Cremation:

Cremation is a whole different story. The only remains left after this process are ashes, bones, and any metal on the cadaver. Any plastic from the cadaver ends up at the bottom of the machine in the form of, in the words of mortician Caitlyn Doughty, a 'gelatinous goo'. It isn't treated as organic material ("because, well, it isn't") and is scraped up and thrown away.

Gross bonus fact:

Some bodies donated to science actually end up getting plastic surgery after death. Plastic surgery is high stakes and many students of cosmetic and dental surgery need practice. It is helpful to perform on a patient that won't complain about the end result. But since the students don't need the whole cadaver, the body and the head usually go their separate ways. On the bright side, most students are very respectful of their heads and hold funerals for them after they have been sufficiently practiced on.


 

Resources:

Stiff by Mary Roach

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6w_Idqdeutg

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