Medical Aesthetics Department

1. Overview of the Specialty

The Department of Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery of the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University was established in August 1990. With the approval of the Shandong Provincial Health Department, the Department of Aesthetic and Plastic Surgery was established, and in 2000, with the approval of the Shandong Provincial Health Department, the Medical Aesthetics Center was established. It is one of the departments among China’s public general hospitals to have begun performing aesthetic and plastic surgery procedures relatively early. After more than 30 years of development, it has now become a specialized, emerging discipline integrating medical education and research, with “plastic surgery as its foundation, aesthetics as its distinguishing feature, and scientific research as its driving force.” Amid the fierce market competition in aesthetic and plastic surgery, our department has won the trust of a large number of patients through advanced technology and a good reputation, adhering to the principle of “integrity for the people,” and continues to grow and develop. In 2005, the department cooperated with the Department of Plastic Surgery of Yonsei University in South Korea to establish the China–South Korea International Medical Aesthetics Center. In 2006, it was designated by the Qingdao Municipal Health Bureau as an affiliated institution of the Medical Aesthetics Quality Control Center. In 2020, it was nominated for the Hospital Specialty Reputation Ranking in East China by the Fudan Institute of Hospital Management. In 2021, it entered the China Hospital Specialty Reputation Ranking. In the 2022 China Hospital Science and Technology Value (STEM) and the 2018–2022 Five-Year Total Science and Technology Value (ASTEM), it ranked 48th nationwide.

At present, the department is an authorized site for awarding master’s and doctoral degrees in plastic surgery under the Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council. It also undertakes teaching in surgery and plastic surgery for undergraduate students, international students, master’s students, and doctoral students of the Medical College of Qingdao University.

The department is currently located on the 11th floor of Building 6, Laoshan Campus of the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, No. 59 Haier Road, Laoshan District. It has fully equipped outpatient clinics, wards, and operating rooms. Relying on the strong medical foundation of the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, its current scope of services covers most areas of burn and reconstructive surgery as well as aesthetic surgery, and it can successfully perform various major and medium-sized difficult and complex operations.

2. Talent Team

After years of development, the Department of Aesthetic and Plastic Surgery has become a high-level medical, teaching, and research department with a complete range of specialties, headed by doctoral supervisors, supported by strong capabilities, and centered on highly qualified young and middle-aged technical professionals. There are currently 8 full-time physicians, including 3 chief physicians, 3 associate chief physicians, and 2 attending physicians; 5 postgraduate supervisors; 5 doctors of medicine and 3 masters of medicine. Several members of the department have been sent by the government to study and visit the United States, South Korea, and other countries.

3. The department sees more than 10,000 outpatient visits each year and performs more than 2,500 various plastic and aesthetic surgery procedures annually. The main specialty areas are as follows:

(1) Scar Treatment

Scars are common conditions in aesthetic and plastic surgery. For keloids, postoperative scars, hypertrophic scars, atrophic scars, old scars, scar contracture deformities after burns, cicatricial alopecia, and other scars caused by different etiologies, the department combines surgical excision, tissue expansion techniques, drug injections, laser therapy, radiation therapy, and other methods to formulate individualized treatment plans for each patient, thereby improving patients’ quality of life and facial appearance.

(2) Tumors of the Body Surface

Tumors of the body surface are also common and frequently occurring diseases in the department, which performs various reconstructive procedures for skin tumors. By applying the traditional strengths of refined surgery in aesthetic and plastic surgery, the department can minimize the damage to patients’ appearance and the impact on function caused by skin lesions while treating tumors, meeting patients’ increasingly high needs in modern society. Benign tumors include pigmented nevi, congenital verrucous nevi, sebaceous nevi, lipomas, fibromas, and steatocystomas. Malignant tumors include basal cell carcinoma, squamous cell carcinoma, sebaceous carcinoma, scar carcinoma, malignant melanoma, fibrosarcoma, and liposarcoma. The use of flaps to reconstruct defects after skin tumor excision is a specialty of plastic surgery. The department’s team uses axe-shaped flaps to reconstruct skin defects of the cheeks, proposes principles for zonal application in the cheek region, and has published its research findings in well-known domestic and international journals, including the Chinese Journal of Plastic Surgery, the Chinese Journal of Surgery, and Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.

(3) Oculoplastic Surgery

The eyes are the windows to the soul, and aesthetic treatment of the eyes is particularly important and requires highly advanced techniques. Oculoplastic and aesthetic surgery was one of the earlier programs undertaken by our department. The department continuously conducts domestic and international academic exchanges in oculoplastic surgery, consistently adheres to the latest concepts in oculoplastic surgery, and can comprehensively perform multilevel reconstructive procedures ranging from aesthetic procedures to reconstructive surgery. In aesthetic surgery, the department can perform suture-embedding procedures, incisional procedures, small-incision double-eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty for double-eyelid formation), scarless correction of epicanthal folds, scarless enlargement of the medial and lateral canthi, eye bag surgery, correction of eyelid skin laxity, correction of trichiasis, and other procedures, achieving natural results with incisions that are nearly invisible. In reconstructive surgery, the department can revise failed cosmetic eyelid procedures of various degrees and perform correction of blepharoptosis of various degrees, repair of orbital deformities, repair of eyelid defects, and other procedures. Among these, “correction of blepharoptosis using a frontalis muscle–orbicularis oculi muscle fascial flap through a double-eyelid approach” and “correction of lower eyelid bags and tear trough depression deformities through orbital septal fat release” are new technologies and projects developed by our hospital, resulting in more concealed postoperative scars.

(4) Otoplastic Surgery

Otoplastic surgery mainly includes correction of prominent ears, correction of cup ears, correction of cryptotia, earlobe reconstruction, and total ear reconstruction for congenital microtia. The auricle has a delicate and complex structure. Reconstructing an ear with complete structures and a realistic shape through surgery requires highly sophisticated plastic surgery techniques. The department has distinctive expertise in the treatment of congenital microtia and ear reconstruction. The reconstructed auricles have realistic shapes and have reached an advanced level in China. Patients with congenital microtia from all over the country come to the department because of its reputation.

(5) Rhinoplasty

As the foremost of the five facial features and the “king” of the face, the shape of the nose directly affects facial aesthetics. Due to racial factors, many Asian people are born with a low nasal bridge and a broad nasal tip, which severely affects the overall aesthetic appearance of the face. The optimal operation for improving this nasal deformity is comprehensive rhinoplasty. Its main components include augmentation rhinoplasty, nasal osteotomy, correction of a dorsal hump, nasal tip reduction, alar reduction, nostril reduction, columellar lengthening, and other procedures. The department also performs repair of nasal defects of varying degrees, total nasal reconstruction, correction of post-cleft-lip surgical deformities, and other procedures.

(6) Breast Surgery

As the intimate aesthetic surgery procedure of greatest concern to women, breast surgery has always been a treatment specialty of our department. Patients with macromastia have abnormally enlarged and lax breasts, causing considerable inconvenience in daily life. Macromastia not only causes neck and shoulder soreness and pain but also causes skin eczema and erosion, ultimately leading to psychological disorders. Our department applies a variety of the latest techniques to treat macromastia, enabling the creation of a normal breast contour while significantly reducing postoperative scarring. Implant-based breast augmentation, autologous fat grafting for breast augmentation, and breast reconstruction can provide patients with congenital hypomastia and patients after breast cancer surgery with greater confidence and opportunities.

(7) Minimally Invasive Facial Plastic Surgery

Facial lifting and wrinkle reduction are among the hot topics in anti-aging aesthetics. In recent years, the department has combined advanced foreign technologies to improve small-incision rhytidectomy, making postoperative incisions more concealed. At the same time, it has vigorously developed minimally invasive wrinkle-reduction techniques and has undertaken the clinical trial development of several advanced technologies, including hyaluronic acid filler injections and minimally invasive thread-lift facial rejuvenation. At present, it performs a variety of minimally invasive treatments, including botulinum toxin injections for wrinkle reduction and facial slimming, as well as injectable fillers.

(8) Laser

The department’s laser treatment began in 1998. It has provided laser treatment for pigmented diseases and aesthetic conditions for more than 30 years and has accumulated treatment experience involving tens of thousands of patients. It is one of the large-scale laser treatment centers in Shandong Province. At present, our center has the latest-generation Profile super platform treatment system from the United States. This treatment system includes a 2940-nm micro-ablative fractional erbium laser, a 2940-nm micro-peeling erbium laser, and the sixth-generation BBL intense pulsed light system from the United States; the Lutronic Spectra dual-pulse Q-switched laser platform from South Korea; the latest-generation ExcelV green vascular laser from the United States; a German 694-nm ruby pigment laser; and the Israeli Alma IcePoint painless semiconductor hair-removal system, among other advanced devices. These devices can be used for the treatment and rehabilitation of various skin diseases and common aesthetic dermatological procedures. These mainly include the removal of nevus of Ota, café-au-lait spots, and various tattoos; treatment of various types of hemangiomas and vascular diseases; repair of atrophic acne scars and various common postoperative scars; comprehensive improvement of skin texture; removal of various pigmented lesions, including freckles and sunspots; removal of excessive hair from all areas of the body; and laser treatment of masses on the body surface. The department will be equipped with devices such as the Ultrasound Cannon, Thermage, and ThermoLift to carry out anti-aging procedures and improve aging skin.

4. Scientific Research and Teaching

At present, our department has undertaken and completed 1 project funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, participated in the completion of 3 projects funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China, undertaken and completed 6 projects funded by the Shandong Provincial Natural Science Foundation, and undertaken multiple scientific research projects in Qingdao. It has received 2 third prizes for scientific and technological progress in Shandong Province, 2 second prizes for outstanding scientific research achievements of Shandong institutions of higher education, 1 third prize for outstanding scientific research achievements of Shandong institutions of higher education, and 4 second prizes for scientific and technological progress in Qingdao. As an authorized site for awarding master’s and doctoral degrees in plastic surgery under the Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council, the department trains 5 master’s students and 1–2 doctoral students for the country each year. Its research directions include the mechanisms of scar formation, basic research and clinical applications of flaps, and basic research and clinical applications of tissue transplantation. Its research findings have been published in more than 100 papers in core domestic and international journals, including the authoritative journals in the field of plastic surgery Journal of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Annal of Plastic Surgry, Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, the Chinese Journal of Plastic Surgery, the Chinese Journal of Surgery, the Chinese Journal of Medical Aesthetics and Cosmetology, and the Chinese Medical Journal.

5. Guide to Medical Care

(1) Department Location

11th floor, Building 6, Laoshan Campus of the Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, No. 59 Haier Road, Laoshan District

(2) Consultation Telephone Numbers

0532-82911386/85731981