Wendy Lewis reports on the Vegas Cosmetic Surgery, which commemorated 11 years of multi-specialty education

VCS 2015 WHAT HAPPENS IN VEGAS,

DOESN’T STAY IN VEGAS

VEGAS COSMETIC Surgery & Aesthetic Dermatology celebrated its 11th anniversary in Las Vegas under the leadership and

coordination of founder, S. Randolph Waldman, MD. His goal for Vegas Cosmetic Surgery was to foster a spirit of cooperation and understanding between the four major specialties in aesthetic surgery and medicine, and few could argue that he has not excelled at that. Year after year, this Symposium hosts a roster of leaders from facial plastic surgery, plastic surgery, dermatology, and oculoplastic surgery.

'We are extremely proud that Vegas Cosmetic Surgery and Aesthetic Dermatology was not only the first truly multi-specialty forum in the aesthetic field, but by listening to our faculty and attendees VCS is now the largest event of its kind in North America,' said Dr. Waldman. 'This year's Vegas Cosmetic Surgery conference drew more attendees than any event we have ever hosted. The excitement and buzz around the meeting was truly remarkable and this is all due to our world-class faculty. We have much to learn from one another and we are thrilled that the Vegas meeting provides the perfect venue for all of us to get together and break new ground and build new bridges. This meeting is only as good as the faculty we have attending.'

Facial plastic surgeon Donn Chatham and plastic surgeon Renato Saltz served as Co-Chairs of the conference, along with an Advisory Board of nine experts in their fields. 'Following years of sometimes acrimonious posturing between various specialties about who should be doing

what, we know that when we work together for the good of our patients, we become friends as well as colleagues. By teaching and listening it is no longer 'us' versus 'them': it is 'we'. We are all physicians working towards the same end,' said Dr. Chatham.

The 2015 meeting included a robust international program that attracted speakers from Canada, Latin America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Among the international group, Danny Vleggaar of France, Kotaro Yoshimura of Japan, Kai-Uwe Schlaudraff of Switzerland, Carlos Uebel and Ruth Graf of Brazil, and Per Heden from Sweden were some of the impressive additions to the program who traveled from far and wide. Representing the Americans, Timothy Marten, Foad Nahai, William Hanke, Bruce Connell, Val Lambros, Paul Nassif, Vito Quatela, E. Gaylon McCollough, and Guy Massry added their wisdom and years of experience to the program.

Clinical pearlsAccording to New York City dermatologist Heidi Waldorf, 'Although I've never been a proponent of 'anti inflammatory' diets for skin, Jody Comstock's talk convinced me its worth trying for the acne patient unresponsive to standard topical therapies and unwilling or unable to take oral antibiotics or isotretinoin. From Sabrina Fabi I got pearls to maximize on body Ulthera treatments, in particular where to concentrate treatment for lifting certain areas.'

As always, she said, 'The 'curbside' conversations between sessions were

invaluable regarding practice management issues and solving particular clinical conundrums.'

It being Vegas, entertainment is an important component of a brilliant conference, along with strong coffee,

formidable wines and A-list restaurants. The Bellagio has a lot to offer in terms of eateries, bars, spa therapies, and designer shopping.

Donn Chatham, led the popular 'Controversy Court: Session One' with doctors in wigs acting as Supreme Court judges. All four core specialties were featured in

court to offer attendees varied points of view. 'The caption we chose for the session read, ‘The colleagues who laugh together, will always work together,’' he said. Pitting one doctor against a partner to cover a controversial topic stimulated conversation, and there was some rolling in the aisles.

The panelists included Steven Pearlman, Foad Nahai, Richard Anderson, Frank Lista, Jonathan Sykes, Robert Simons, Edward Terino, and Heidi Waldorf. 'As a judge on Controversy Court I learned how absolutely clever and humorous my colleagues are! Jason Pozner's patriotic argument for fat over filler based on fat being created in the USA by USA companies (like McDonald's) versus fillers being produced in Europe was one of the most entertaining and unique presentations I've ever heard!' said Dr. Waldorf.

About Face The good news from The Strip is that facelifts are not dead, but industry data

This year's Vegas Cosmetic Surgery

conference drew more attendees than any event we have ever

hosted.

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invasive and surgical cosmetic procedures. Dermatologist Vivian Bucay spoke about the Pellevé Glidesafe® and PelleFirm® handpieces for facial wrinkle reduction and cellulite treatment, oculoplastic surgeon Raymond Douglas described his use of the Pellevé S5 generator with monopolar and bipolar surgical electrodes to perform blepharoplasty with minimal thermal damage to the tissues, and Dermatologist Martin Kassir reviewed the technology behind radiofrequency and its safety profile for surgical and aesthetic procedures.

According to Chevy Chase, Maryland dermatologist Rebecca Kazin, 'This conference has something for everyone. I really enjoyed having a chance to network with colleagues from other specialties to gain a better overview of aesthetic

medicine and surgery from different perspectives. There was an abundance of excellent sessions on acne, rosacea, fillers, cosmeceuticals, and lasers.'

Breast and body contouring Drs. Lina Triana and Renato Saltz chaired the inaugural 'International Breast & Body Contouring' symposium endorsed by ISAPS that comprised three days of interactive panels, workshops, and sessions focused on emerging techniques in breast and body contouring, fat grafting, buttock augmentation and non-surgical body shaping. 'Our new 3-day International Breast & Body Symposium at the Vegas Multispecialty Meeting was endorsed by the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS) and got great reviews. The attendance was over

documents a slow growth trend due largely to the advent of new and improved non-surgical and minimally invasive techniques and the increasing aversion to undergoing surgery among consumers.

However, facial and eyelid surgery as well as rhinoplasty received a lot of attention over the course of the meeting, with unique sessions devoted to pitfalls in rhinoplasty, Middle Eastern rhinoplasty, East-Asian blepharoplasty, non-surgical rhinoplasty, tear trough fillers, and periocular rejuvenation. There were many excellent talks given on the complex topic of best practices for upper and lower eyelids and browlifting given by oculoplastic surgeons as well as doctors from other specialties, each of whom presented his or her own tips and tricks.

'There were specialty sessions at this year’s meeting that I enjoyed participating in and I came away with many clinical pearls. The blepharoplasty panel sessions focused on minimally invasive eyelid lifting techniques, and the facelift/necklift sessions shed light on advanced surgical maneuvers in the submentum. In both of these panels there was a multi-disciplinary faculty that contributed to learning and sharing new ideas. I learned a lot,' said New York facial plastic surgeon Andrew Jacono.

Special workshops included a super informative CME accredited program entitled, ‘Mastering Facial Injectables.’ Syneron Candela presented a workshop featuring Illinois dermatologist Amy Taub speaking on total face and body rejuvenation with Elos® Plus and the newly launched Profound™ RF system for facial rejuvenation. A popular reception sponsored by Ulthera® had Drs. Grant Stevens and Sabrina Fabi offering ‘Perspectives on Two Novel Aesthetic Devices,’ Ulthera and Cellfina®. There was also a well-attended Galderma promotional symposium focusing on the many uses for Restylane® Silk. Kythera Biopharmaceuticals hosted an introduction to KYBELLA™ with Chicago facial plastic surgeon Steven Dayan, which is widely considered the newest aesthetic product launch to turn heads.

Ellman, a Cynosure Company hosted a 'Lunch & Learn' seminar featuring the Pellevé® RF S5 System that treats facial wrinkles, reduces the appearance of cellulite, and also powers a wide range of specialty electrodes for minimally

ISAPS members: (from left to right) Giorgio Rafanelli (Italy), Ozan Sozer (US), Lina Triana (Colombia), Kai Schlaudraff (Switzerland), Tunc Tiryaki (Turkey), Renato Saltz (US), Mehmet Bayramicli (Turkey), Nazim Cerkes (Turkey), Gianluca Campiglio (Italy), Ricardo Ribeiro (Brazil), Catherine Foss (US)

Drs. Renato Saltz, Richard Anderson, Robert Simons, and S. Randolph Waldman taking a break between attending educational tracks

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200 board certified plastics surgeons from the US and abroad and we are expecting it to grow exponentially by next year,' said Dr. Saltz.

The Dermatology Times roundtable discussion focused on body contouring and skin tightening moderated by Drs. Saltz and Stevens. As expected, each of the panelists has his own ‘go-to’ energy based device(s) for melting fat, tightening skin, and smoothing cellulite, and most have several systems in their practices. It gives new meaning to the famous quote widely used in aesthetic surgery that has been attributed to everyone from Buddha to Mark Twain: ‘If all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail.’ In fact, practitioners today need to have many hammers in their toolbox, as there are plenty of nails to go round and every nail

needs a different tool or combination of tools.

The patient experienceThis conference is known for its intensive practice marketing and management symposia. In fact, it is arguably the most robust conference for learning how to start a practice, build a practice, manage staff, and market your services globally. The program is actually so dense that there is little time left for questions and answers and many attendees leave with pages of notes and photos of slides to refer back to.

'What is unique about the Vegas meeting is that it attracts physicians, surgeons, nurses, PAs, and aestheticians of all specialties and at all stages of practice. It has grown into one of the most important annual conferences in aesthetic medicine

and not to be missed. My staff joins me every year, and they always come back to the office with fresh ideas and a renewed energy to do things better,' said Albany, New York facial plastic surgeon Edwin Williams, President Elect, American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS).

Among the critical topics on the minds of attendees were the rise in new platforms in social media, including Pinterest and Instagram; successful promotions to avoid the Groupon trap; how to calculate ROI from SEO; and the newest updates from Google, Facebook and more. Newport Beach plastic surgeon Sanjay Grover shared his take on building your brand, and Advisory Board member Tracy Drumm offered advice on developing a marketing plan, which is all too often overlooked by practices.

I enjoyed participating in the focus group: 'Protecting Your Reputation — Your Most Important Asset'. Moderated by Dr. William Beason and attorney Michael Sacopulos, the panel consisted of three lawyers, three physicians, and three consultants, which made for a very lively debate on the heated topics of ratings, reviews, refunds, and regulations as in HIPAA, as well as YELP and social media snafus to avoid. It comes as no surprise that doctors and administrators across all specialties encounter daily challenges regarding bad reviews, fake reviews, and patients demanding refunds or holding them hostage. In this era of transparency, a few negative reviews can add up and significantly impact a physician’s ability to grow his or her practice. The panel concluded that it was wise to take any unpleasant conversations offline, to resist the temptation to respond emotionally in an open forum, and to try to mitigate a toxic doctor-patient relationship within reason to avoid lengthy and costly litigation. All the panelists concurred that a few bad reviews are acceptable and consumers are getting wiser to comments online that do not ring true or have a hidden agenda. As long as your review and ratings are mostly positive, your reputation should be intact.

For more information and to view future dates and programs, visit: vegascosmeticsurgery.info

(Far left) Lunch served in the exhibit hall; (left) Dr. Bruce Connell receiving the Multi-Specialty Foundation for Aesthetic Surgical Excellence Lifetime Achievement Award

Drs. Jonathan Sykes, Heidi Waldorf, Donn Chatham, Steven Pearlman, and Richard Anderson dressed up for the 'Contemporary Aesthetic Dilemmas — Can we Develop a Consensus' panel

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