User:Nicole Elli/sandbox

Medical cosmetology sometimes referred to as aesthetic medicine, is a general term used to describe specialists that use medical practice to improve a patient’s appearance.[1] This may include a variety of doctors and specialists ranging from plastic surgeons to dentists. The word cosmetic means “involving or relating to treatment intended to restore or improve a person’s appearance” and comes from the Greek word kosmos, meaning “order” or “arrangement”.[2] Medicine is defined as “the art or science of restoring or preserving health or due physical condition, as by means of drugs, surgical operations or appliances, or manipulations: often divided into medicine proper, surgery, and obstetrics”.[3]

Medical physicians are regularly said to be necessary for health, while cosmetologists are thought to only perform procedures for hair, skin, and nails. However, modern medicine has combined the two in a cohesive junction. Medical procedures are regularly done for both health and aesthetic purposes, incorporating doctors such as dentists, dermatologists, surgeons, and OBGYN’s. This is only a narrow section of what makes up medical cosmetology. According to the Journal of Medical Regulation, any licensed physician is able to practice medical procedures. However, a study in 2014 shows that roughly 79.1% of licensed physicians are board certified displaying that they have an outstanding knowledge of their field.[4]

In recent years, the cosmetic industry has blossomed, expanding its focus from traditionally non-invasive cosmetic treatments such as makeup and creams, to medical minimally invasive procedures such as Botox and fillers. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), minimally invasive cosmetic procedures increased 114% from 2000 to 2013.[5] Surgically invasive procedures decreased 12%, while reconstructive procedures including dog bite repair, scar revision, and tumor removal showed no significant change. As a consequence of this fast growing field, there is also a lack in scientific evidence for the effectiveness of some treatments. Many medical practitioners have professed this as a problem because procedures are given at high cost to the patient, and it destabilizes the trust of medical professionals.[1] These statistics represent procedures performed by ASPS member surgeons and physicians certified by American board of medical specialties. � Works Cited:

1.	Goh, CL. “The Need for Evidence-Based Aesthetic Dermatology Practice.” Journal of Cutaneous and Aesthetic Surgery 2.2 (2009): 65–71. PMC. Web. 7 Sept. 2016.

2.	"cosmetic". Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 7 Sep. 2016.

3.	"medicine". Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. 7 Sep. 2016.

4.	Young, Aaron, PhD, Humayun J. Chaudhry, DO,MS, Xiaomei Pei, PhD, Katie Halbesleben, PhD, Donald H. Polk, DO, and Michael Dugan, MBA. "A Census of Actively Licensed Physicians in the United States, 2014." Journal of Medical Regulation 101.2 (2015): n. pag. 2015. Web. 6 Sept. 2016.

5.	"2013 Plastic Surgery Report." American Society of Plastic Surgeons (2011): 7-9. Plastic Surgery. Org. ASPS National Clearing House of Plastic Surgery Procedural Statistics, 21 Mar. 2011. Web. 6 Sept. 2016.