ArticlePlastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open2022
An Analysis of Racial Diversity in the Breast Reconstruction and Aesthetic Surgery Literature.
Article in Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- Surgeons in Humanitarian Alliance for Reconstruction, Research, and Education Call to Modernize American Society of Plastic Surgeons Photography Guidelines.Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open · 2026Article
- What Patients See: Evaluating the Quality, Readability, and Ethnic Inclusivity of Online Resources for Breast Reconstruction.Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open · 2026Article
- Breast cancer survivors' perceptual map of breast reconstruction appearance outcomes.Journal of medical imaging (Bellingham, Wash.) · 2025Article
- Exploring Skin Tone Diversity in a Plastic Surgery Resident Education Curriculum.Plastic surgery (Oakville, Ont.) · 2025Article
- A Novel Method to Determine Patient Skin Type: The Skin Analyzer.Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Background: Racial disparities in the visual representation of patients in the plastic surgery literature can contribute to health inequities. This study evaluates racial diversity in photographs published in the aesthetic and breast reconstruction literature. Methods: A photogrammetric analysis of plastic surgery journals from the USA, Canada, and Europe was performed. Color photographs depicting human skin, pertaining to breast reconstruction and aesthetic surgery in 2000, 2010, and 2020, were categorized as White (1-3) or non-White (4-6) based on the Fitzpatrick scale. Results: All journals demonstrated significantly more White skin images than non-White for all procedures ( Conclusions: Diversity of patient populations depicted in plastic surgery literature has increased over the past two decades. Despite this improvement, the racial diversity seen in photographs published in the literature does not adequately reflect this demographic for aesthetic and breast procedures. Equitable visual representation may promote cultural competency and improve care for the populations we serve.
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.