The French Society of Aesthetic Surgery
The French Society of Aesthetic Surgery (S.F.C.E.) has been created in 1967 by Léon Perel. The aim was to regroup surgeons and qualified surgical specialists exclusively or prevalently using aesthetic surgery in order to confront and share their experience.
The S.F.C.E. was fulfilling a need, as until 1967, no aesthetic surgery training, neither academic nor private existed in France.
Doing so, the S.F.C.E. was the first skilful society to consider aesthetic surgery as an autonomous speciality and to promote scientific innovations and research tasks in this domain.
Aesthetic surgery draws its speciality in the fact that it aims, on the concerned person to correct a physical disgrace, congenital or acquired with, beauty, as a goal. It has its proper directions and techniques, distinguishing itself from all other surgery specialities, including plastic reconstructive surgery. This last one correct anatomic lesions coming from a malformation, a disease or an accident and its purpose is the normalisation of a physical aspect or function.
Thenceforth, the S.F.C.E. devoted itself on two essential tasks:
- To give a sturdy and specific training to qualified surgeons willing to practise aesthetic surgery,
- To follow up a permanent training for its members through regular information and mailing of new techniques, thence guaranteeing an optimal security for patients.
In orders to reach its objectives, the following resources have been set up:
- The French Review of Aesthetic Surgery,
- The Continuous Aesthetic Surgery Training,
- The Annual International Conference.
Scientific Meetings
The French Society of Aesthetic Surgery assembles three to four times each year around topics chosen by the administration in order to realise concrete exchanges between members surgeons. Surgical techniques training can be done within the Alphand Clinic and beside society members able to take interns.
The French Review of Aesthetic Surgery
It is the only French journal exclusively about aesthetic surgery. Besides, only five similar reviews exist in the World. Its range widely overshot France frontiers due to its originality, the quality of its columns and the renown of their authors. This media is an essential mean of information and exchange for the S.F.C.E.'s members and their foreign colleagues.
The Continuous Aesthetic Surgery Training
They are exclusively for surgeons and qualified surgical specialists.
The training consists of quarterly sessions which are both theoretical and practical with direct operation and dissection on corpse. The study cycle take place for two years and is not only about all aesthetic surgery of the face and the silhouette but also about the fundamental bases (cicatrisation, plastic surgery base techniques, several anaesthesia methods, psychological, forensic and ethical aspects).
The International Annual Conference
Beyond the quarterly scientific meetings, the Conference represents a favoured way to take stock on the last scientific acquirements and the most cutting-edge aesthetic surgery techniques.
Surgeons among the most prestigious carried out the honor chairmanship: R. FLOWERS (USA), S. HOEFFLIN (USA), J. JURI (ARGENTINA), LOCKWOOD (USA), C. LITTON (USA), PAPILLON (CANADA), I. PITANGUY (BRASIL), PONTES (BRASIL), L. RIBEIRO (BRASIL), WEBSTER (USA), F. HAKMÉ (BRASIL).
These different structures finally bear fruits as many new techniques born and developed in the S.F.C.E.: Among theses, we should cite, primarily the liposuction which have been published, for the first time, in April 1980 in our Review. It is currently the most practised aesthetic surgery operation in the World and the technique is totally codified.
Other techniques may also be mentioned: the lipofilling, the autologous collagen, the inflatable implants, some short scar mammary plastics, the round-block, some face-lifting or blepharoplasties varieties, etc…
Some techniques born abroad have been introduced in France and in Europe thanks to the S.F.C.E.: the phenol peeling, Juri's lambeau, etc…
As proven by the presence of the prestigious guests whom honoured its conferences, the S.F.C.E. has always been an International sight Society. It has been the origin of the creation of the European Federation of Aesthetic Surgery National Societies (United-Kingdom, Germany, Belgium, Spain, Italy, Portugal). All these Societies have in common the same selection critters and the same quality objectives.
Finally, the S.F.C.E is member of the International Society of Aesthetic Surgery which federate national societies at worldwide scale.