Core Specialty Collaboration and Integrated Subject Formation of Cosmetic Medicine

Abstract

In her January 2013 article in Aesthetic Surgery Journal entitled, “Why Should We Foster Core Specialty Collaboration in Cosmetic Medicine?” Dr Laurie Casas stated, “To better understand the scope of current research and clinical evidence, it is necessary to familiarize myself with the work coming from 4 distinct specialty groups: plastic surgery, dermatology, facial plastic surgery, and oculoplastic surgery.”1 Later, she remarked, “I remain frustrated by the lack of widespread collaboration among the specialties to achieve standardized outcome measures that are both safety- and patient-centric driven.”1 This particular viewpoint is scientific acknowledgment, based on Dr Casas's specialty practice, that several areas of cosmetic medicine should be integrated. We believe this represents an ongoing need not only in Dr Casas's own practice but also in cosmetic medicine throughout the United States. In this Letter to the Editor, we discuss trends of Chinese cosmetic medicine compared with American methods in terms of integrated care. In 1988, the Tianjin Technology Publishing House in China published research by Qiu Linzhi and Peng Qingxing proposing the concept of integrated care in cosmetic medicine. Branches of cosmetic surgery include plastic surgery, cosmetic dermatology, cosmetic dentistry, and traditional Chinese physical cosmetic techniques, among others, the approaches of which must all be integrated for the most efficacious and safe outcomes.2–14 Because of this integrated approach begun 25 years ago, China is becoming one …