Multi-Specialty Facial Plastic Surgery

Over the past decade it has become increasingly clear that the fundamental problems of facial aesthetic and reconstructive surgery benefit from an integrated multidisciplinary approach. Many national symposia have seen increased participation from physicians of multiple surgical specialties who have common interests in dealing with the aesthetic and reconstructive problems of the face. Historically, dermatologists, plastic surgeons, otolaryngologists, and maxillofacial surgeons have addressed these problems in isolation within their own respective disciplines. However, in recent years, there has been an increasing trend towards cross-fertilization among disciplines. Nevertheless, there has been a relative paucity of peer-reviewed publications focusing on a multidisciplinary approach to facial surgery. The goal of this edition of Facial Plastic Surgery is to highlight the multispecialty approach to the aesthetic and reconstructive surgery of the face.

Dr. Linton A. Whitaker, Chief of the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the University of Pennsylvania, writes the introductory paper in this edition. Dr. Whitaker's vision in the late 1980s led to the creation of the Edwin and Fannie Gray Hall Center for Human Appearance (CHA), the first academic center dedicated to the multispecialty study of problems of appearance. We are proud that 14 years after its creation, the center has flourished, as is evidenced by the diversity of papers that comprise this edition of Facial Plastic Surgery.

This edition is organized to highlight the contributions of a variety of disciplines to the essential problems in the aesthetic and reconstructive surgery of the face. We begin with an analysis of the prevalence and diagnosis of Body Dysmorphic Disorder in patients seeking aesthetic surgery by Dr. David Sarwer and his colleagues. Psychological considerations are all too often overlooked in the initial consultation of patients who desire cosmetic surgery.

The plastic surgery literature has often been divided into two discrete sections: cosmetic and reconstructive. It is clear from the insight gained through our experience with the CHA that there are few problems in plastic surgery that fall neatly into these two categories. Nearly all reconstructive efforts have aesthetic considerations, and vice versa. To emphasize the multispecialty approach taken in this edition we have, therefore, chosen to divide the remaining contributions by their anatomic focus.

I wish to thank all of the authors of this edition for their scholarly contributions and for donating their time and effort to this edition. The ability of physicians from various backgrounds to discuss common interests can only enhance our ability to care for our patients.