Has any medical specialty been as influenced by the popular culture as aesthetic surgery?
Second only to the media-celebrity influence on patients, this cultural landscape has been impacted by the approval of medical devices and the refinement of techniques which have, as one commentator observed, "made possible both the desirable and the endless." The "retailing" of aesthetic procedures to a broader consumer base — as more practitioners employed less invasive techniques — emerged from who were and how we lived. Culture watchers as "inside" the discipline as ASPS spokesmen predicted that the events of 9/11 would further spur the aesthetic boom as more patients assumed a carpe diem attitude stemming from their fresh recognition of the brevity of life.The key touchstones within the past decade's aesthetic timeline were the points at which science and society intersected. 1997 Somatic cell nuclear transfer produces Dolly, first genetically engineered sheep Web site of NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, featuring images of the Pathfinder's landing on Mars, becomes most popular in history with over 45 million hits in one week Mattel manufactures one billionth Barbie 1998 Europeans agree on a single currency, the "euro" FDA approves Viagra Former WWF wrestler, Jesse "The Body" Ventura, elected governor of Minnesota Dow Corning Corporation consents to $3.2 billion silicone breast implant settlement ASPS reports 132,378 breast augmentations in the U.S. — with 32,262 breast implant removals 1999 Surgeons in Louisville, Kentucky perform first human hand transplant World awaits consquences of the Y2K bug Dr. Marlen Sulamanidze develops Aptos, first barbed thread for facial tissue suspension Nobel Peace prize awarded to Doctors without Borders Singer Carnie Wilson's gastric bypass surgery broadcast live on Internet Number of Internet users worldwide reaches 150 million; 50% are from the U.S. 2000 Mad cow disease alarms Europe FDA approves nonablative laser, NLite, for periocular wrinkles Tech bubble bursts; NASDAQ drops 45.9% by year end, an estimated $8 trillion dollars of wealth lost AOL acquires Time Warner California firm starts eBay-like web site for online auctions of cosmetic and other surgeries Human genome deciphered; expected to revolutionize the practice of medicine RU-486 wins FDA approval 2001 Anthrax scare rivets nation Embyros created at a Virginia clinic to harvest stem cells Apple launches iPod Neurotoxin injection procedures top 1.6 million, a 2,356% increase over 1997 Serena Williams defeats her sister, Venus, at Wimbeldon |
