The Excesses of Cosmetic Medicine

Cosmetic medicine is a branch of medicine that focuses on altering cosmetic appearance. Today’s anti-aging movement is a societal movement that has committed itself to prevent, delay, or reverse the effects of aging, at least at the level of recognition. As physicians discovered more about medicine and bodily function, the respective practices have been developed to be increasingly efficient and sanitary. The current market focuses on lifestyle treatments to include: weight-reducing agents, agents to treat erectile dysfunction, mood-modifying agents, cosmetic surgery, minimally invasive cosmetic dermatologic procedures, and hair growth-promoting agents. From 2014 to 2015, 20 million esthetic procedures were performed worldwide, and cosmetic surgery has evolved to be a major driver of medical tourism. In particular, the rise of social media has pressured us to meet perceived standards of beauty and cosmetics. Because of the elective nature and the high out-of-pocket costs of the procedures and products within this specialty, the image of the dermatologist is changing from the traditional role of a doctor into one of a business person. However, no one likes to have his or her ethics challenged. Nevertheless, a number of practices push the ethical envelope in cosmetic dermatology. The same type of thinking as in cosmetic dermatology is creeping into the practice of trichology, creating an industry that largely lives from profit, and because it is prosperous, makes propaganda among lay people and doctors that necessarily leads to abuses. The lure of money and celebrity cannot blind dermatologists to the limits of what they can do. We must work together to condemn conflicts of interest, shoddy professional behavior, fraud, greed, commercialism, and hype, which we have recently identified as the conduct of the capitalistic bourgeoisie.