Welcome to The Aesthetics Edit™ - our educational platform at the intersection of art, beauty, medicine and science.
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or see a full list of all of our pieces here
Feminism and Cosmetic Medicine
Are feminism and cosmetic medicine mutually exclusive concepts? Does having an interest in aesthetics involve tangling ourselves into knots to try reconcile two fundamentally opposed ideas? Are we shrinking ourselves to match society’s concepts of beauty and youth because (somehow) we don’t know any better?
I’m going to say the answer is, “No.”
Now let’s look at why.
A Brief History of Aesthetic Medicine and Plastic Surgery in China
Ideals of beauty and approaches to aesthetic medicine vary across time and across the world. But make no mistake, the pursuit of youth and beauty has always been a fundamental part of being human.
We explored this concept broadly in our article about the history of aesthetic medicine, but for this piece I wanted to focus on a place close to my heart: Asia. I am half-Chinese, and was lucky enough to grow up with plenty of Chinese culture through my mother and my grandparents. I was also interested to look at the history of plastic surgery and aesthetic medicine in this part of the world, particularly as plastic surgery is now booming in countries like South Korea and China.
So let’s explore a brief history of aesthetic medicine and plastic surgery in China.
5 Completely Unexpected Reasons I Fell in Love with Aesthetic Medicine
It’s no secret at this point that I am incredibly passionate about medical aesthetics. But what began as an off-shoot of my interest in plastic surgery has grown into the favourite and most treasured aspect of my medical practice. But when I think about what parts of it I’ve fallen in love with, the answers surprised me.
Hair in Cosmetic Medicine
Aesthetic medicine as a field encompasses so many things. In New Zealand, this specialty is called “Appearance Medicine,” and when you think of appearance the first things that comes to mind are probably your skin, teeth, and hair.
Beyond its biological functions, hair plays such an important role in both our psychology and well-being, as well as in how we perceive others socially.
So let’s learn some of the basic biology behind our hair to see how amazing it is, and explore the world of hair in cosmetic medicine.
What is “Medical Aesthetics?”
Broadly speaking, medical aesthetics includes all medical treatments that are focused on improving the cosmetic appearance of patients. Medical aesthetics sits in a beautiful little niche in between the beauty industry and plastic surgery. Qualified doctors, nurses, or dentists can provide a multitude of stunning tweak-ments to improve your appearance.
The concept of “Instagram face” is not a new one, but has received more recent attention as Meta has banned filters that encourage plastic surgery. Awareness of the role that social media and photo editing plays in aesthetic medicine is incredibly important for both clinicians and patients. The influence of social media can be incredibly negative, and it means it’s more important than ever to navigate between good, ethical medical practice versus “selling” cosmetic procedures.