INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF AESTHETIC PLASTIC SURGERY (ISAPS)

INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF AESTHETIC PLASTIC SURGERY (ISAPS)

As the President of ISAPS, I am pleased to welcome you to the website of the INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF AESTHETIC PLASTIC SURGERY (ISAPS) - created as a resource for reliable information about aesthetic surgery with no commercial influence.

Your choice of practitioner will be the major factor in determining the success of any procedure you decide to undertake. We offer descriptions of common aesthetic plastic surgery procedures in an effort to help you make the right decision about choosing the practitioner most suited to your needs.

You can be confident about the authenticity of the information you will find here. I suggest that you spend a moment to read on a little further about the background of ISAPS.

The International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery was founded in 1970, well before the explosion of public interest and current media fascination with cosmetic surgery. This distinguishes ISAPS from more recently formed organisations developed to take commercial advantage of plastic surgery trends. ISAPS is first and foremost an educational organisation, continually teaching our members the highest standards and newest procedures in the practice of aesthetic surgery.

When ISAPS began, there was essentially no training available in aesthetic surgery in the world. The limited knowledge base was in the hands of a few dedicated plastic surgeons who were willing to share their experience and knowledge. ISAPS is the only world-wide body that maintains this tradition for teaching standards of care, promoting refinements to existing techniques, and focusing on emerging trends and technologies.

Plastic surgery developed most rapidly during World War I to repair deforming facial injuries. Plastic surgery became a specialty with a unique reputation because it focused on facial appearance. The highest evolution of the surgical art was developed by plastic surgeons to help individuals who were afflicted with a disfigurement that threatened their very identity.

Aesthetic surgery evolved from a compassionate understanding of the inherent importance of appearance to a personÌs self-image and self-confidence. Early in the last century, some of the pioneering plastic surgeons, already renowned for their expertise, began receiving requests from healthy patients. These people were not deformed, but nonetheless were unhappy about the social limitations based on their appearance. They wanted an improvement beyond the superficial and temporary. It was in response to these requests that plastic surgeons began to develop procedures for aesthetic surgery, a move beyond reconstructive surgery.

Plastic surgery has a legendary reputation for technical excellence. This reality is very different from the public or the mediaÌs image of flamboyant and superficial cosmetic practitioners. Through the efforts of professional societies such as ISAPS, plastic surgeons around the world tend to be dedicated individuals who take their clinical responsibilities seriously.

This outstanding reputation of appearance-correcting procedures using plastic surgery, and subsequent media exposure, has opened a door for other medical practitioners to perform what some call ÏcosmeticÓ surgery. ISAPS surgeons are specialists, and it is of concern that some doctors who are practicing cosmetic plastic surgery are not specialists in the traditional and accepted sense. Sometimes, it can be difficult to see through clever marketing or misrepresentation about the legitimacy of the practitionerÌs training. Their treatment recommendations may not include all the options and risks you should consider. Educating the public about these and other issues is a major initiative and responsibility of the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.

ISAPS members are properly trained plastic surgeons who have comprehensive surgical training in government-approved teaching hospitals and have developed their technical skills over many years. Only after passing rigorous examinations is a board certified plastic surgeon allowed to present themselves as an aesthetic plastic surgeon and subsequently operate on members of the public.

Not all surgeons who apply are eligible to be members of ISAPS. Membership in ISAPS requires that an applicant be board certified and an active member of their own national plastic surgery society. In addition to admitting qualified members, ISAPS has also adopted an international system for the accreditation of office-based surgical facilities. While the governments of many countries have high standards for the accreditation of surgical facilities, ISAPS has developed international standards for these facilities that promote consistency in our 79 member countries.

When you choose an ISAPS member plastic surgeon for your procedure, you know that each surgeon has passed the most rigorous accreditation standards in the world.
This website is an education tool for the public. We hope you find it helpful.

Bryan C. Mendelson, MDS
President, ISAPS

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Mr. Tony Staffieri
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