Aesthetic and Dermatosurgical Education at Dermatology Congresses: a 2025 Cross-Sectional Audit

Nonsurgical aesthetic procedures have become increasingly prominent in dermatology education; yet, the distribution of cosmetic, dermatosurgical, and medical content within continuing medical education (CME) programs has not been systematically quantified. This study established a 2025 cross-sectional baseline of CME course distribution and a framework for monitoring changes in aesthetic content over time. Dermatology-related events scheduled for 2025 were identified through a national specialty calendar in Turkey; 52 eligible national, regional, and international events were included. Courses were classified as cosmetic procedure courses (CPC), dermatosurgery courses (DSC), or medical education courses (MEC). Descriptive statistics were calculated, and event-scope comparisons were interpreted cautiously given the small international subgroup. Among 114 identified courses, MEC was the largest category (52/114; 45.6%), followed by CPC (42/114; 36.8%) and DSC (20/114; 17.5%). DSC was offered at 15/52 events (28.8%). CPC represented 40.0% of courses at international events versus 36.0% at national/regional events, although only six international events were included. Exploratory correlations were positive between CPC and DSC (r=0.59), CPC and MEC (r=0.45), and DSC-MEC (r=0.32), although these associations may partly reflect overall event size. CPC therefore comprised more than one-third of identified CME courses, whereas dermatosurgery was less frequently represented. Potential downstream effects on trainee career choices and practice patterns warrant longitudinal evaluation. Repeated annual audits using a consistent sampling frame and coding framework are necessary to determine whether dermatology congress education will shift toward greater aesthetic content over time.