Italian Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery / Associazione Italiana di Chirurgia Plastica Estetica (AICPE)

In September 2011, AICPE, the Italian Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, was founded, finally filling a gap in Italy. Indeed, while it was something new for Italy, the contrary is true for many other European and non-European countries such as Portugal, Spain, France, Germany, Austria, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and the United States, Argentina, Australia and Japan. In these countries, associations representing all those interested in aesthetic plastic surgery coexist in harmony with associations of reconstructive plastic surgery, and each association is responsible for its own sector and, above all, strives to meet the diverse needs of its members and patients. In fact, the interests and aspirations of those who have chosen to deal mainly with cosmetic surgery differ from those who dedicate themselves almost exclusively to microsurgery or burns, which are disciplines that often require complete dedication due to their complexity. Freelance professionals who rely exclusively on cosmetic surgery to support themselves, just like many hospital workers and university students who practice this discipline with passion, all have specific needs that colleagues who instead focus entirely on the more strictly reconstructive part of plastic surgery do not have.