Dear readers,
With this post, I would like to pay a personal tribute to Doctor Guy Jost, who passed away on January 16, 2020, at the age of 93.
He has been a mentor for several generations of French and foreign surgeons.
A few words about Dr. Guy Jost
Born in 1927, this French surgeon, trained in ENT and head and neck surgery, was known worldwide in the 70s and 80s as one of the pioneers of plastic surgery of the
face and neck, in particular cosmetic surgery of the nose and cervico-facial lift. He ardently participated in the development and recognition of facial cosmetic surgery and was president of the SoFCPRE (French Society of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery) in 1981.
His original and incisive spirit was already noticed when he was internal to Dr Redon, by inventing the suction drain, so useful in the aftermath of facelifts.
For a long time head of department at Lariboisière Hospital in Paris, he devoted himself to plastic surgery and in particular to cosmetic surgery of the nose, which he methodically modernized. He published, in fact, a new procedure allowing to modify the nose in all its parameters by internal and invisible incisions. This respects all tissues and also the integrity of the mucous membrane for better breathing. He then
develops extra-mucosal rhinoseptoplasty.
He wrote and co-wrote several works such as “Atlas of cosmetic surgery” in 1975, “Plastic and aesthetic surgery” in 1990, “History of plastic surgery” in 2003 or “Annals of plastic and aesthetic surgery” in 2004.
My personal experience with Dr. Guy Jost
He was a real character. Between the 70s and 90s, he attended all the symposia, all the international congresses. His voice carried, strong and grave. And his ideas commanded respect from American surgeons, which was no easy feat. Dr. Jost was feared and respected.
In December 1988, I was able to participate in my first major world conference of the International Society of Asthetic Plastic Surgery in Paris. Dr. Guy Jost was the President. It was, then, my very first course on rhinoplasty: impressive.
In September 1993, still in Paris, I had the honor of presenting my research on the subject of "Deep cervico-facial lifting: anatomical evaluation". It was a conference given at the City of Sciences and Industry, under the chairmanship of Dr. Guy Jost.
At the time, it was an ordeal and an honor to be able to walk through the doors of international congresses of this kind, to be able to show your techniques, and to be able to interact with the best cosmetic surgeons in the world.
I still practice, today, his rhinoplasty technique without visible scar, as well as his facelifts with muscle re-tensioning.
He is a great man who left us today and who will have marked the history of our profession.
My most sincere tributes,
Dr Raspaldo