Aesthetic practitioner as a physician and businessperson – Is it achievable?

• Main Author: Elena Thomaidou
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Our Dermatology Online 2018-04-01
• Series: Nasza Dermatologia Online
• Subjects: Aesthetic dermatology; Cosmetic dermatology; Ethics
• Online Access: http://www.odermatol.com/issue-in-html/2018-2-28-aesthetic/

Aesthetic medicine subspecialty is no longer limited to the fields of plastic surgery and dermatology, as many specialties are offering aesthetic medical procedures to better accommodate their patients’ aesthetic needs. During the last decade there is an enormous increase of cosmetic treatments worldwide and the absence of regulations in aesthetic practice has become more noticeable. This article illustrates the challenges that every aesthetic physician must overcome daily to maintain high ethos and make decisions according to patient’s best interest and safety. Aesthetic practitioner should be more than a businessperson with a medical degree. If they place their integrity and moral standards to the test, then they will continue to be judged by their colleagues and society. Is it possible to maintain the same moral obligations during cosmetic procedures as with any other medical treatments?