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specialty. They wished to create a board so that the public would have a standard of qualifications. On May 18, 1981, Aronsohn invited people from all parts The American Journal of Cosmetic Surgery Vol. 16, No.2, 1999 of the United States to meet for the first organizational meeting of the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery. At that time, the board meeting was primarily an educational meeting. In 1982, the first certifying examination in the new specialty of cosmetic surgery was offered under the direction of Harrison Robbins of San Diego (R. B. Aronsohn, oral communication, 1997). At that time, Aronsohn recognized that a board should only have the responsibility for certification. The role of education should fall under the organizational or educational arm of a specialty. Therefore, the American Society of Cosmetic Surgery was organized in 1982 as the educational society in the field of cosmetic surgery (R. B. Aronsohn, oral communication, 1997). In the spring of 1984, under the editorship of Aronsohn, the Society published the American Journal of Cosmetic Surgery. Cosmetic surgeons were not the only physicians who recognized the importance of a board devoted to this unique field of medicine. Three plastic surgeons, all members of both ASPRS and the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, incorporated 2 separate boards-the American Board of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery and the American Board of Cosmetic Plastic Surgery (R. B. Aronsohn, unpublished data). Neither of these 2 boards appeared to have offered examinations or issued certificates. For the most part, this narrative has so far emphasized rhinoplasty and the small group of men who did this surgery. Similar developments were occurring in other fields of medicine. In 1932, for example, the first meeting of ASPRS included a report by an ophthalmologist, John Wheeler, on eyelid repairs. The specialty of ocular plastic surgery grew out of the interest and efforts of Wendell Hughes, Sidney Fox, John Wheeler, and Byron Smith. Carl Johnson, in 1947, was already doing tarsal fixation maneuvers and ptosis surgery as well as establishing the upper-lid crease at a point of election; this procedure was later to be applied by plastic surgeons to the eyelids of Asian patients and in cosmetic blepharoplasty to the eyes of Caucasians. In 1969, eye surgeons with an interest in ocular plastic surgery founded the American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.' During the formative years of cosmetic surgery, dermatological cosmetic surgeons made contributions to procedures for the enhancement of human appearance. In 1952, McKee reported on 50 years of experience with phenol chemical peels (the chemical peel can actually be traced to ancient Egyptian history)." In the 1960s, several surgeons reported on variations of trichloroacetic acid peel procedures. In 1982, Stegman presented histological comparisons of different peeling agents.' In the same decade, Van Scott described the use of alpha hydroxy acids for exfoliation, and Kligman described the topical use of tretinoin for the treatment of sun-damaged and aging skin." Dermabrasion had been first described in 1905 by Kromeyer." However, the major advancement in dermabrasion was The American Journal of Cosmetic Surgery Vol. 16, No.2, 1999 made by Curtin in 1953 with the description of the rotary wire brush and the use of ethyl chloride to anesthetize and firm the skin. This was followed by the development of the diamond fraise." Ocude, a Japanese dermatologist, had described hair restoration utilizing small hair-bearing grafts, although it was some time before his work became known in the West.? In 1959, Orentreich presented the theory of "donor dominance" that laid the ground work for hair transplantation.v' In the 1970s, Blanchard, and Blanchard and Unger began the early work on scalp-reduction techniques.v? An early European pioneer in facial rejuvenation procedures such as blepharoplasty and face-lifting was Susan Noel, a French dermatologist." In 1961, Goldman was the first physician to apply lasers to medicine and surgery." The 1970s saw advances in American treatment of sclerotherapy with the reintroduction of hypertonic saline." In 1988, David described the technique for laser blepharoplasty." In 1970, the American Society of Dermatological Surgery was founded with the first president, Norman Orentreich." Five years later, in 1975, the Journal of Dennatologic Surgery (now Dennatologic Surgery) was founded with Perry Robins as its first editor.v? Liposuction, which has become the most commonly performed cosmetic surgery procedure in the United States, was first observed in 1977 by Lawrence Field during his visits to the European pioneers." In 1987, Klein introduced the concept of the tumescent technique." In 1992, Carruthers and Carruthers described the use of Botox for the treatment of facial aging and wrinkles." Liposuction revolutionized body contouring surgery; the procedure evolved into a truly cosmetic surgical procedure, and within a short period of time it became the single most popular cosmetic surgery procedure in the United States. Liposuction helped to break down specialty barriers by becoming a magnet for surgeons interested in the science of surgical enhancement of human appearance. Gynecologists, general surgeons, and dermatologists all made
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