International hosting offers new opportunities for aesthetic education

Stanley A. Klatsky, MD, is Editor in Chief of Aesthetic Surgery Journal.Back in the very early days of aesthetic surgery, one-on-one mentoring was virtually the only way to learn our profession. For the most part, instruction took place in relative secrecy, since both student and teacher generally wished to avoid the scrutiny of their surgical colleagues, who almost universally disapproved of cosmetic surgery. There was often a significant fee involved in this personal instruction as well, and the relationship between teacher and student was akin to master and apprentice.Today, most aesthetic surgeons regard freely sharing their knowledge and experience with colleagues as both a pleasure and a professional obligation. And, rather than a handful of “masters,” there are a great many well-recognized …