Founded in 1931 and with more than 11,000 current members worldwide,1PlasticSurgery.org, “About ASPS,” retrieved Feb. 25, 2023 The American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS) is the world’s oldest and largest professional membership organization for plastic surgeons.
(Other professional plastic surgery membership organizations include The Aesthetic Society with 2,600 members2About the Aesthetic Society, Accessed Feb. 25, 2023, founded in 1967; and the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS) with 3,200 members, founded in 1970.)3ISAPS, LinkedIn, Accessed Feb. 25, 2023
Between 92 and 94 percent of all board-certified plastic surgeons in the United States have been ASPS Members, each year since 2008.4Annual Statistic Reports, ASPS, 2008-2020
The organization was founded in 1931 by Dr. Jacques W. Maliniac, and its first meetings were held in Maliniac’s offices in New York.
Modern ASPS meetings are large national events attended by surgeons from across the United States, who meet for two- and three-day weekends of scheduled educational and networking opportunities.
ASPS has been a registered non-profit organization since 1960.5Guidestar.com, American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Retrieved Feb. 25, 2023
Name
The organization was formed in 1931 as the “American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons” (ASPRS). In 1999, it dropped ‘reconstructive’ from its title, then becoming the “American Society of Plastic Surgeons” (ASPS).6History of ASPS, Retrieved Feb. 25, 2023
Leadership
ASPS is governed by a Board of Directors. ASPS Presidents serve one-year terms.7ASPS; Bylaws, Article XI, Section 5. Retrieved Feb. 25, 2023
In 2007, Dr. Roxanne J. Guy became the first-ever female President of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.8ASPS, “Women Plastic Surgery Forum, Retrieved Feb. 25, 2023
In 2024, Dr. Steven Williams will become the first-ever African American President of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.9Surgical Times, “Plastic Surgery Society Names First-Ever African American President,” Nov. 21, 2022
Past Presidents10ASPS, “Current and Past Presidents,” Retrieved Feb. 25, 2023
| Year | ASPS President | Practice Area |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Steven Williams, M.D. | Dublin, CA |
| 2023 | J. Gregory A. Greco, DO, FACS | Red Bank, NJ |
| 2022 | J. Peter Rubin, MD | Pittsburgh, PA |
| 2021 | Joseph Losee, MD | Pittsburgh, PA |
| 2020 | Lynn Jeffers, MD | Oxnard, CA |
Membership
More than 11,000 plastic surgeons worldwide are members of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, including 92 percent of all board-certified plastic surgeons within the United States.11ASPS, Join ASPS, Retrieved Feb. 25, 2023
| Year | Members | % of U.S. Board-Certified Plastic Surgeons |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | >11,000 | > 92%12ASPS, Join ASPS, Accessed Feb. 25, 2023 |
| 2022 | > 8,500 | > 93%13Annual Statistics Reports, ASPS, 2008-2022 |
| 2020 | > 8,000 | > 93% |
| 2019 | > 8,000 | > 93% |
| 2018 | > 7,000 | > 93% |
| 2008 | > 7,000 | > 94% |
Through formal Memorandums of Understanding, the ASPS is officially partnered with 34 national plastic surgery societies in countries around the world.
Membership Requirements
Members of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons must:
- Be graduates of an accredited medical school who subsequently completed no less than six years of surgical training, at least three of which were a plastic surgery residency.
- Be board-certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery (U.S.) or The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (Canada).
- Uphold a strict code of ethics.14PlasticSurgery.org; Code of Ethics of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, Updated Jan. 1, 2023
- Meet annual continuing education requirements. The ASPS is itself accredited by the ACCME and provides CME credit earning training programs.
- Operate (do surgeries) only in a state-licensed and accredited surgical facility or hospital.
ASPS membership requirements for surgeons operating outside of the United States and Canada are jointly established with global partners.
Despite stringent requirements, ASPS can not guarantee the results of or satisfaction with procedures performed by its members.
Criticism
‘Allergan Society of Plastic Surgeons’
Drs. Eric Swanson and Richard J. Bloom cautioned in January 2020, that given the level of corporate sponsorship, plastic surgeons “need to be careful that our societies do not become the de facto “Allergan Society of Plastic Surgeons.”15Annals of Plastic Surgery; “It Is Time for Plastic Surgeons to Start Picking Up the Tab,” July 2020
Swanson and Bloom began their article with a line from Voltaire: “If you want to know who controls you, look at who you are not allowed to criticize,” and drew statistics from (among others), an August 2019 PRS article,16PubMed, “Conflict of Interest at Plastic Surgery Conferences: Is It Significant?” in which authors Rachel Gray, Neil Tanna, and Armen K Kasabian concluded that many speakers at plastic surgery society meetings throughout 2017 had been reimbursed by breast implant manufacturer Allergan, to the tune of $6.57M USD.
Silicone Breast Implant Ban, 1992 US FDA
Prominent plastic surgeon and award-winning health journalist, Dr. Randolph H. Guthrie, M.D., criticized the organization in his January 1994 book, “The Truth About Breast Implants,” stating that after the FDA placed a moratorium on silicone breast implants in 1992, ASPS “spent more time covering up and safeguarding the profession against lawsuits than it did trying to arrive at the truth about silicone gel-filled breast implants.” 17Wiley, 1st Ed., Jan. 1, 1994, “The Truth about Breast Implants,” Randolph H. Guthrie, M.D. with Doug Podolsky (ISBN 0471594180)
Purpose
The ASPS’s mission statement reads: “The mission of ASPS is to advance quality care to plastic surgery patients by encouraging high standards of training, ethics, physician practice and research in plastic surgery.”
ASPS works to accomplish that mission through education, advocacy, and raising public awareness on the “value of plastic surgery, while fostering the highest professional, ethical and quality standards.”
Journal
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (PRS) is the official peer-reviewed journal of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. PRS has been published since 1946.
Dr. Rod J. Rohrich was Editor-in-Chief of PRS between 2006 and 2021. The December 2021 issue was his last official volume.
Dr. Kevin C. Chung, M.D. is the current editor of PRS.
Plastic Surgery Statistics
Since 1992, the ASPS has collected plastic surgery statistics from across the United States.
In-depth plastic surgery statistics reports are published annually by the ASPS National Clearinghouse of Plastic Surgery Procedural Statistics.
ASPS statistics are widely referenced in the media and are typically considered the most up-to-date and accurate reflection of the state of plastic surgery within the United States.
ASPS statistics reflect procedures performed by members of the society as well as other physicians who are “most likely to perform plastic surgery procedures.”
The Plastic Surgery Foundation
Research and international activities conducted by ASPS members may be financially supported by The Plastic Surgery Foundation (The PSF).
The Plastic Surgery Foundation was established in 1948.
Donations to The PSF are tax-deductible and anyone may donate. Donors “help shape the future of plastic surgery” through contributions.
The lowest donor recognition level (bronze) requires a donation of $375. Diamond, the highest donor recognition level, requires a donation of $5,000.
Members, or Fellows, of PSF’s Maliniac Circle, “have all committed $50,000 or more in cash or securities or have provided a minimum $100,000 deferred gift through such instruments as life insurance.”18PSF.org, The Maliniac Circle
In FY 2019, The Plastic Surgery Foundation received $2.45M in contributions.
Public Profile
ASPS maintains a number of social media channels and websites that feature both educational and promotional content for potential patients and practicing plastic surgeons.
- YouTube: The ASPS maintains a YouTube channel it launched in October 2007.
- Instagram: The official ASPS Instagram account was launched in April 2015.
- Twitter: @ASPS_News is the Society’s official Twitter account.
Finding an ASPS Member Surgeon
Patients in any country can find out if their surgeon is a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons by using the search feature found on the Society’s official website.
Official Logos
Official Logo of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons:
Official logo for International Members of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons:
Last Updated: February 25, 2023
References
- 1PlasticSurgery.org, “About ASPS,” retrieved Feb. 25, 2023
- 2About the Aesthetic Society, Accessed Feb. 25, 2023
- 3ISAPS, LinkedIn, Accessed Feb. 25, 2023
- 4Annual Statistic Reports, ASPS, 2008-2020
- 5Guidestar.com, American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Retrieved Feb. 25, 2023
- 6History of ASPS, Retrieved Feb. 25, 2023
- 7ASPS; Bylaws, Article XI, Section 5. Retrieved Feb. 25, 2023
- 8ASPS, “Women Plastic Surgery Forum, Retrieved Feb. 25, 2023
- 9Surgical Times, “Plastic Surgery Society Names First-Ever African American President,” Nov. 21, 2022
- 10ASPS, “Current and Past Presidents,” Retrieved Feb. 25, 2023
- 11ASPS, Join ASPS, Retrieved Feb. 25, 2023
- 12ASPS, Join ASPS, Accessed Feb. 25, 2023
- 13Annual Statistics Reports, ASPS, 2008-2022
- 14PlasticSurgery.org; Code of Ethics of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, Updated Jan. 1, 2023
- 15Annals of Plastic Surgery; “It Is Time for Plastic Surgeons to Start Picking Up the Tab,” July 2020
- 16
- 17Wiley, 1st Ed., Jan. 1, 1994, “The Truth about Breast Implants,” Randolph H. Guthrie, M.D. with Doug Podolsky (ISBN 0471594180)
- 18PSF.org, The Maliniac Circle