Dear Colleagues

Members of the Lebanese Society of Plastic, Reconstructive, and Aesthetic Surgery are well positioned to be leaders of our specialty not only in Lebanon but in the region as a whole. As such, maintaining up-to-date information as well as state-of-the-art techniques is not only of paramount importance but is critical to maintain our prestigious leadership position. It is the duty of each one of us to maintain our high level of knowledge and expertise by actively pursuing continued medical education and by publishing our work in international peer reviewed journals. The society, on its part, will spare no effort to organize regularly high level scientific meetings that will be mostly convenient to you as well as to our regional and international colleagues to attend, thanks to its association with IPRAS, ISAPS, PABPS, MBC, and many other national societies such as the French and Brazilian Plastic Surgery societies.

In addition to scientific knowledge and technical skills, ethical conduct should be the cherry on the cake. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery has witnessed great changes in recent years and Aesthetic Surgery has been lately in extreme demand. This has resulted in an increased awareness and interest by the media. Several Plastic Surgeons as well as non-Plastic Surgeons have been solicited by newspapers, magazines, and radio and television stations to talk about various aesthetic procedures and participate in Aesthetic Surgery focused programs.

Provision of information by physicians to their patients is at the centre of the process of valid consent; this however, must be distinguished from advertising, an issue of controversy for several years and strictly forbidden by Lebanese law and the Lebanese Medical Code of Ethics. By positioning oneself as part of a beauty industry focused on market requirements, one runs the risk of losing the view for the real need of patients which certainly creates an ethical dilemma and raises questions about his integrity. I am sure that all together, we can maintain our standing and promote Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery in the society and among our fellow physicians and surgeons as the ultimate form of surgery being the art of living human architecture. By attaining this goal we can make Plastic Surgery in Lebanon a focal point of attraction for the entire area and beyond. Together, we can also strengthen our society and give it an even more brilliant international exposure. As President of the Lebanese Society of Plastic, Reconstructive, and Aesthetic Surgery, I welcome you to our web site.

B. Atiyeh, MD, FACS