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The evolution of thought concerning the justification of aesthetic plastic surgery

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Abstract

The evolution of thought concerning the justification of aesthetic plastic surgery as a special field of endeavor in medical practice is viewed against the background of the development of this specialty.

Representative writings on the psychologic, social, and philosophic aspects of aesthetic plastic surgery are reviewed in a selective manner to allow an insight into the prevailing thought of those who played a part in the development of this speciality, as well as into the factors that determined the direction of its development.

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Reich, J. The evolution of thought concerning the justification of aesthetic plastic surgery. Aesth. Plast. Surg. 2, 183–204 (1978). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01577953

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