Do you think plastic surgery is a new field? Truthfully, it has been around for over a century. Learning about the extensive history of the field will help new patients feel confident as they choose procedures.
With celebrity after celebrity going under the knife and ‘broadcasting’ their results all over the world through talk shows and Internet forums, many mistakenly assume that plastic surgery is just something that popped up in the last decade. Truthfully,
this branch of medicine has a vibrant history that is worth looking into if you are considering going under the knife.
In fact, the first “cosmetic surgeon” to practice in America was Dr. John Peter Mattauer, who performed a cleft palate operation in 1827 with self-designed instruments. It was the World Wars that made the branch of medicine gain increasing popularity, as soldiers returned home with intense wounds that needed the skills of a surgeon’s hand.
The earliest cosmetic surgeons focused on reconstructive procedures, but as they perfected their craft, they also began to develop aesthetic skills to help improve the appearance of patients who did not necessarily suffer from trauma or deformity. Soon, people were turning to doctors and surgeons to have blemishes fixed, even if they were not considered disfiguring. Thus, a new branch of medicine was born.
Plastic surgery as a specific medical field really took off in 1931, when the American Society of plastic surgeons was launched. The society had just 10 charter members, but it helped define what the field entailed in the early 1900s in America.
The earliest focus of the society was to gain board certification for the specialty from the American Board of Surgeons, which was the primary certification entity of the time. Cosmetic surgeons were seeking certification in other specialties, but they could not be certified in their specific specialty. In the late 1930s, they convinced the American Board of Surgery to create a board for their specialty. This board eventually came under the American Board of Medical Specialties in 1941.
By 1949, the ASPS had over 150 surgeons in its membership ranks. The year before, the founding doctor established the Plastic Surgery educational foundation, which served to promote education in the specialty and to pursue excellence in research and practice. It also promoted international exchange and fellowship programs to introduce the field to the rest of the world. The 1940s also introduced the first cosmetic surgeon scientific journal.
At this point, plastic surgery was an established medical specialty and was gaining ground and acceptance in America. In the early 1970s, a cosmetic surgeon performed the first successful kidney transplant and earned the Nobel Prize. Since that time, the field has continued to grow, and more and more innovations have hit the market to make procedures more effective, minimize risks, and limit scarring. Discoveries like silicone implants, minimally invasive lifting techniques, and even liposuction have changed the lives of people across the world.
Today, all parts of the body can be improved with the skills of a cosmetic surgeon, and people around the globe are harnessing their inward beauty with the help of these doctors. With a rich history and a promising future, the field promises to continue providing patients with solutions to their cosmetic needs and desires.
