‘Quackery’ and Legitimacy of Aesthetic Surgery

Early 20th Century Aesthetic Surgery was considered unworthy as a surgical specialty. Cosmetic surgeons were considered ‘quacks.’ According to Joan Kron in her article in Allure Magazine in 1994, U.S. surgeons would sneak celebrities into hospitals at night for face-lifts and then pretend they rarely did cosmetic surgery. However, there were plastic surgeons who, like Rodney Dangerfield, felt Aesthetic Surgery deserved respect. In 1967, motivated by the desire to gain recognition and to advance learning in the specialty, two distinguished U.S. Plastic Surgeons, Simon Fredricks and John Lewis conceived of and founded the original Aesthetic Society ‘on a napkin’ at Harry’s Bar, in Venice. The Society had 28 original ‘friends’ (see below). R. Allen (Al) Chandler was one of them. Al was Co-Director together with Dr Fredrick McCoy, of the Plastic Surgery Residency Program in Kansas City, Missouri where Dr. Kirwan trained. Dr. McCoy was also a past President of the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons, the American Association of Plastic Surgeons, and past Chairman of American Board of Plastic Surgery. Tom Baker, another ‘friend’ established a ground-breaking Live Surgery Symposium focusing on Aesthetic Surgery, in Miami, also in 1967.

Ivo Pitanguy and Laurence Kirwan together as founding members of the International School of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery in Belgrade,1996

Ivo Pitanguy from Brazil is rightfully credited with putting Aesthetic Surgery on the map. He deserves recognition for democratizing and popularizing Aesthetic Plastic Surgery during the 1970’s. His residency training program, founded in 1963 at the Ivo Pitanguy Clinic in Rio de Janeiro, trained 600 residents and helped create an acceptance of Aesthetic Surgery as a bona-fide mainstream surgical specialty. Pitanguy was truly a giant in his contribution to the establishment of Aesthetic Surgery as the well-respected specialty that it is today.

The 28 original members of the Aesthetic Society below. Today, there are more than 2600. Only Plastic Surgeons certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgeons, which is the only Board of Plastic Surgery recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties, are eligible for Membership of The Aesthetic Society. Members must also perform a minimum number of Aesthetic Surgery procedures each year. Dr Kirwan has been an Active Member since 1997 and is presenting an Instructional Course on his trade-marked technique of Simultaneous Salvage Auto-Augmentation™ designed to reshape breasts after removing implants, at The Aesthetic Society Annual Meeting in Miami Florida on April 23, 2023.

• John E Alexander MD
  Thomas J Baker Jr MD
  Morrison D Beers MD
  Merrill D Chesler MD
  Eugene H Courtiss MD
  John F Crosby Jr MD
  Albert Dave MD
  Simon Fredricks MD
  Michael M Gurdin MD
  Bernard Kaye MD
  Donald R Klein MD
  John R Lewis MD
  Marvin M Shuster MD
  Richard E Straith MD
  Kirkland W Todd Jr MD
• Charles P Vallis MD
  Richard C Webster MD
  Sidney K Wynn MD
  Salvador Castanares MD
  R Allen Chandler MD
  James F Dowd MD
  Gilbert Gradinger MD
  James B Kahl MD
  Duncan M McKee MD
  John B Pattern MD
  Leonard R Rubin MD
  Walter M Ryan MD
  Joseph Safian MD