Aesthetic medicine originated in France in the year 1978 as a new medical specialty. It joins diverse aesthetic techniques and procedures from several other specialties such as: dermatology, endocrinology, plastic surgery, phlebology, nutrition, anesthesiology, sports medicine, etc.

From France, aesthetic medicine moved on to the neighboring countries of Belgium, Spain and Italy; and later to other countries such as the USA, Argentina, Colombia, Venezuela and Mexico.

Today, the International Union of Aesthetic Medicine (UIME) has been established with headquarters in France. The Union includes 14 national societies and communicates through the Journal de Medicine Esthétique (Journal of Aesthetic Medicine).

The UIME organizes an international congress every other year in one of the member countries. Each national society organizes an annual congress where advances in aesthetic medicine are presented.

Presently aesthetic medicine has greatly evolved to the most modern specialty that prevents and corrects every alteration in natural beauty by means of out-patient procedures.

In Mexico it has been developed as a true medical specialty of the highest scientific level by the Plastic, Reconstructive and Craniomaxillofacial Surgeon, Colonel Abelardo Guzmán Peláez who received his doctorate in France.

He founded the Instituto Mexicano de Medicina Eestética y Antienvejecimiento (Mexican Institute of Aesthetic and Anti-Aging Medicine) in the year 2000, where many specialists have been trained in Aesthetic and Anti-Aging Medicine at the highest scientific level.

Anti-Aging Medicine was originated in the United States in the year 1993 by Drs. Ronald Klatz and Robert Goldman. They have enriched the international medical literature with several publications related to the origin, prevention and treatment of most age related disorders. In this way, they effectively changed the course of preventative medicine and gave origin to a new specialty called Anti-Aging Medicine.

This novel branch of medical knowledge has recognized that very diverse age-related physical and mental disabilities are caused by organ dysfunctions. In their majority, these can be prevented or healed by professional medical intervention.

This new medical perspective strives to utilize state-of-the-art medical and scientific technology to detect, prevent and heal age related disorders.

Moreover, the improvement of medical services has increased life expectancy in the whole world. The subsequent inversion of the population pyramid raises the need for a new medicine that may enhance the vitality, productivity and self-sufficiency of aged people.

Aesthetic Medicine and Anti-Aging Medicine have naturally converged into a new specialty because of their common objective of improving the self-esteem, quality, productivity and life expectancy of humans. This was made evident at the 14th Aesthetic and Anti-Aging Medicine World Congress held in Las Vegas, USA in October 2003.

Since then Aesthetic and Anti-Aging Medicine has been named the medical specialty of the third millennium.