The Global Impact of Specialized Aesthetic Fellowship Training: An International Multi-Center Evaluation of the ISAPS Aesthetic Surgery Fellowship

Published Date: 19th March 2026

Publication Authors: Taghizadeh. R

Background
Structured aesthetic surgery training during residency is often inadequate, creating a global training gap. The International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS) established a fellowship program to address this, but its educational impact has not been systematically evaluated. This study provides the first multicenter, international analysis of the ISAPS fellowship’s effect on procedural exposure, surgeon confidence, and career trajectory.

Methods
An online survey was distributed to all surgeons who had completed an ISAPS fellowship. The questionnaire captured demographics, residency-level aesthetic surgery exposure, fellowship case volume, perceived educational quality, post-fellowship confidence, and career changes. Trends in confidence across ascending procedural volume were analyzed using the one-sided Jonckheere–Terpstra test.

Results
Four hundred and sixty-nine former ISAPS fellows from 27 countries responded. Respondents reported minimal aesthetic surgery exposure during residency (median score 1 on a 6-point scale). The fellowship provided significant operative experience, with 35.0% of fellows logging over 50 cases in at least one procedure. Post-fellowship, 81.4% of participants reported increased operative confidence, a trend that was statistically significant for several key procedures (p < 0.05). The fellowship reshaped careers, with the proportion of fellows focused primarily on aesthetic surgery rising from 9.5 to 60.4%. Overall satisfaction was high, with 96.2% stating the fellowship pushed their career. The most cited area for improvement was the degree of hands-on surgical experience.

Conclusions
The ISAPS fellowship is a highly effective model for post-residency aesthetic surgery training. It successfully bridges the training gap by providing high-volume operative experience that translates directly into increased surgeon confidence, adoption of new techniques, and a career shift toward aesthetic practice.

Kyriazidis, I.; Taghizadeh, R. et al. (2026). The Global Impact of Specialized Aesthetic Fellowship Training: An International Multi-Center Evaluation of the ISAPS Aesthetic Surgery FellowshipAesthetic Surgery Fellowship. Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. [Online]. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00266-026-05724-3 [Accessed 26 March 2026].