[Aesthetic surgery and "psychological therapy" in Argentina during the first half of the twentieth century].

This article aims to analyze the construction of aesthetic surgery as a "psychological therapy" among Argentine plastic surgeons in the first half of the twentieth century. To this end, it analyzes expert and popular medical publications produced by these specialists. The article begins by raising a legal controversy surrounding the therapeutic value of aesthetic surgery. Based on this controversy, it analyzes the psychological justifications put forward in the medical literature and some case narratives that demonstrate the "preventive" nature of these practices. It concludes with a discussion of the initiatives undertaken by Argentine plastic surgeons to ensure affordable access to aesthetic surgery.