Abstract
Amputation of the nose was practiced as a sign of humiliation to adulterers, thieves,
and prisoners of war by certain ancient populations. To erase this disfigurement,
numerous techniques were invented over the centuries. In India, where this injury
was common, advancement cheek flaps were performed (around 600 BC). The forehead flap
was introduced much later, probably around the 16th century. The Venetian adventurer
Manuzzi, in writing a report about the Mughal Empire in the second half of the 17th
century gave the description of the forehead rhinoplasty. Detailed information concerning
the Indian forehead flap reached the Western world in 1794, thanks to a letter to
the editor that appeared in the Gentleman's Magazine. From this episode, one can date the beginning of a widespread interest in rhinoplasty
and in plastic surgery in general. In Europe, nasal reconstruction started in the
15th century in Sicily with the Brancas, initially with cheek flaps and then with
arm flaps. At the beginning of the 16th century, rhinoplasty developed in Calabria
(Southern Italy) with the Vianeos. In 1597, Gaspare Tagliacozzi, Professor of Surgery
at Bologna, improved the arm flap technique and published a book entirely devoted
to this art. He is considered the founder of plastic surgery.
Keywords
history of nasal reconstruction - nasal reconstruction - forehead flap - arm flap
