Applying the concepts of innovation strategies to plastic surgery.

[BACKGROUND] Plastic surgery has a well-known history of innovative procedures and products. However, with the rise in competition, such as aesthetic procedures being performed by other medical specialties, there is a need for continued innovation in plastic surgery to create novel treatments to advance this specialty. Although many articles introduce innovative technologies and procedures, there is a paucity of publications to highlight the application of principles of innovation in plastic surgery.

[METHODS] The authors review the literature regarding business strategies for innovation.

[RESULTS] The authors evaluate concepts of innovation, process of innovation (i.e., idea generation, idea evaluation, idea conversion, idea diffusion, and adoption), ethical issues, and application to plastic surgery.

[CONCLUSION] Adopting a business model of innovation is helpful for promoting a new paradigm of progress to propel plastic surgery to new avenues of creativity.