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Quarterly Newsletter of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery Volume 14, Number 3 Summer 2010

INSIDE THIS ISSUE:

ASAPS Membership Survey: Ethics, Non-Coresand Advertising

See Page 20

Aesthetic Society News

Taking a ProactiveView of OnlineDoctor Ratings

See Page 4

Continued on Page 6

Newly Enhanced Ask-a-Surgeon onSurgery.org

See Page 5

conjunction with an excitinggiveaway contest.

The “30 days of Beauty”contest gave away one uniqueprize every day to aProjectBeauty.com subscriberwho has visited the site.Companies eager to team up with ProjectBeauty.comdonated prizes like a Sonicare

toothbrush, Ped Egg, RumbaTime watchand various cosmetic and skincare items.

Our media launch was a success byanyone’s standards, with the project receiving kudos from various media outlets,

After a highly successful “soft launch”of our new video on demand websiteProjectBeauty.com to select media andmembers at Aesthetic Meeting 2010 inWashington DC, a larger-scale publiclaunch to consumers went out July 6th in

Project Beauty Launches to the PublicBy Daniel C. Mills, II, MD

Continued on 4

Continued on Page 10

The Aesthetic Meeting 2010New educational offerings, increasedinternational attendance and a greatvenue contribute to make this year’smeeting a success.

By Jeffrey M. Kenkel, MD

The Aesthetic Meeting, held annually bythe Aesthetic Society and ASERF has long beenconsidered the premier educational event forour specialty and this year’s meeting inWashington, DC was no exception. More than1600 board-certified plastic surgeons attendedthe meeting with an unprecedented 408 fromcountries other than the United States. Meetingcontent included popular sessions such as HotTopics, The Research and InnovativeTechnology Luncheon and the pre-meetingcadaver course. These were presented along withmany new and equally innovative sessions suchas several courses exclusively for residents, (aHands-on Laser Workshop, CosmeticInjectables Workshop), Energized PAL, LAL andWAL Lipoplasty: benefits and Limitations,

Attendees line up for on-site registration.

Bob Stanton, Longtime AestheticSociety Executive Director, Named Executive Director Emeritis—Sue Dykema, CAE, Takes the Helm

Bob Stanton has guided the AestheticSociety for almost 30 years, watching usgrow from what was essentially a travelclub to the single most influential force inaesthetic surgery education. As of August 1,2010, this tireless and dedicated servant ofthe Society was elevated to the position ofExecutive Director Emeritus, with 14-yearSociety veteran Sue Dykema, CAE, takingthe reins.

To many Aesthetic Society members,not to mention a list of Past Presidents

that reads like a “who’s who” of aestheticsurgery educators and leaders, Bob is the Aesthetic Society. Only the secondExecutive Director in our 40 plus year history, Bob is a true innovator, leading usinto the internet age, producing an AnnualMeeting of amazing logistical complexity,

Changing of the GuardBy Renato Saltz, MD

Aesthetic Society NewsThe American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

The Aesthetic Surgery Education and Research Foundation

PresidentFelmont Eaves, III, MD

EditorCharles H. Thorne, MD

Associate EditorJulius W. Few, MD

Communications CommissionerDaniel C. Mills, II, MD

Director of Marketing and Public EducationJohn O’Leary

Marketing ManagerKristin Murphy-Aviña

Manager, Marketing and AdministrationNew York Office

Erika Ortiz-Ramos

Manager, Media RelationsAdeena Babbitt

Communications ManagerJian Sun

Marketing AssistantJanet Cottrell

DesignVia Media Graphic Design

Statements and opinions expressed in articles, editorials and communications published in ASNare those of the authors and do not necessarilyreflect the views of ASAPS or ASERF. Publishing of advertisements in ASN is not a guarantee, warrant or endorsement of any products and services advertised.

Send address changes and membership inquiries toMembership Department, American Society forAesthetic Plastic Surgery, 11262 Monarch Street,Garden Grove, CA 92841. Email [email protected]

Co-sponsored/Endorsed Events 2010 – 2011

October 28 – 31, 2010

QMP 6th Aesthetic SurgerySymposiumRenaissance Hotel, Chicago, ILContact: Andrew Berger314.878.7808 [email protected] by ASAPS

December 2 – 4, 2010

30th MEETH Aesthetic SurgerySymposium: The Cutting Edge—Facial Rejuvenation 2010The Grand Hyatt Hotel, New York, NYContact: Lauren Fishman:[email protected] Sponsored by ASAPS

January 13, 2011

4th Annual Oculoplastic SymposiumInterContinental Hotel, Atlanta, GAContact: Susan Russell [email protected] by ASAPS

January 14 – 16, 2011

27th Annual Breast SurgerySymposiumInterContinental Hotel, Atlanta, GAContact: Susan Russell [email protected] by ASAPS

January 28 – 30, 2011

Expanding Horizons—NewParadigms in Aesthetic PlasticSurgeryEncore Las Vegas, Las Vegas, NVContact: ASPS at 800/[email protected] by ASAPS/ASPS

February 10 – 12, 2011

45th Baker Gordon EducationalSymposiumHyatt Regency Miami, Miami, FLContact: Mary Felpeto305.859.8250www.bakergordonsymposium.comJointly Sponsored by ASAPS

March 2 – 6, 2011

14th Annual Dallas CosmeticSurgery Symposium and 28thAnnual Dallas RhinoplastySymposiumWestin Galleria, Dallas, TXContact: John Harrington214.648.3792dallasRhinoplasty@utsouthwestern.eduEndorsed by ASAPS

May 4 – 7, 2011

SPSSCS 17th Annual MeetingBoston Convention & Exhibition Center, Boston, MAContact: SPSSCS at 800.486.0611www.spsscs.org

May 6 –11, 2011

The Aesthetic Meeting 2011Affirming the Science ofAesthetic SurgeryBoston Convention & Exhibition Center, Boston, MAContact: ASAPS 800.364.2147562.799.2356www.surgery.org/meeting2011

ASAPSCalendar

© 2010 The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery

ASAPS Members Forum: www.surgery.org/members

ASAPS Website: www.surgery.org

ASERF Website: www.aserf.org

®

The Aesthetic Surgery Education and Research Foundation

The American Society forAesthetic Plastic Surgery

2 Aesthetic Society News • Summer 2010

Skin Care2 0 1 1

Cert no. SCS-COC-001528

Thank you for the trust and confidenceyou have placed in me by allowing me toserve the Aesthetic Society at such anexciting and game changing period in our40 plus year history. I have listened to you,conducted surveys to ascertain your needsand propose the following platform for theSociety, building on the unwavering effortsof my dear friend and colleague, ImmediatePast President Renato Saltz, MD.

The last two decades have witnessedan unprecedented expansion in the sizeand scope of the field of aesthetic surgery.Liposuction and excisional procedures havenow blended with fat grafting, lasers, andnon-invasive cosmetic medicine, and manymore new technologies and procedures suchas tissue engineering and stem cell therapyloom on the horizon. Many of these changesare good, bringing increased choices forplastic surgeons and their patients.

However, concurrent with this growthare multiple factors that have lead to thedevelopment of a “Wild West” mentalitywithin much of the aesthetic surgery andcosmetic medicine marketplace.

Some companies, eager for rapidprofit, push unproven technologies uponunknowing patients through direct to consumer (DTC) marketing. Just aspotentially harmful, companies may pro-mote their devices to non-core physicianswho lack the background, training andskill set to safely perform the procedures ormanage their complications.

This combination, DTC marketingaggressive product promotion to “non-cores,” trivializes the qualifications ofboard certified plastic surgeons, validatesnon-core physicians in the eyes of the public, and makes the physical device preeminent over the ability of the treatingphysician. The plethora of non-ABMS“boards” and societies composed of

non-core physicians creates significantconfusion in the eyes of the public andrepresents a patient safety risk.

Pressure to report on the “latest”treatment or “miracle procedure” alsoaffects even the most seasoned reporters, asthe drive to attract readers and viewers hasthe unfortunate side effect of trivializingaesthetic surgery as something simple andeasy, able to be performed by anyone. Asthe market seems to spin out of controlthere appears to be little data to guideboth clinicians and patients in makingsound judgments concerning the hypednew procedures and treatments. Evenboard certified plastic surgeons are some-times to blame, jumping in the fray toembrace the latest gimmick or themselvestraining unqualified physicians, hurtingtheir colleagues and the specialty.

Your leadership is keenly aware ofthese factors and has been mountingstrategies to try to influence the aestheticsurgery and cosmetic medicine space,making it more data driven, safer andtransparent…in short, to bring some sanity and start to shift the pendulum.

Working through SCIETO (StrategicCommittee on Internal and ExternalThreats and Opportunities), ASAPS leadership has been coordinating its effortsinto a global strategic plan. This planincludes a drive to be LEAN, GREEN,and MEAN.

A Leaner, Greener, andMeaner Aesthetic Society

The membership approved extensivebylaws changes at the Aesthetic Meeting2010 in Washington, DC this spring.These changes eliminate many inactivecommittees, consolidate others, andincluded the creation of several new ones, including:

• A new Membership Commission:This new commission, headed by Dr.Clyde Ishii, consolidates all the variousmembership service groups into one structure, thereby increasing efficiencyand communication. The commissionincludes a restructured Women’sAesthetic Surgeons Committee as well asresident and medical student groupsformed to foster an early interest in andappreciation for aesthetic surgery. TheMembership Commission also includesthe Leadership Development Committeeand the new Humanitarian ServicesCommittee, headed by Immediate PastPresident Dr. Renato Saltz.

• The Electronic Resources Task Force:Being lean can also mean being green.To improve communications, containexpense, and reduce travel for leadership,Dr. Manish Shaw has been charged withresearching video teleconferencing sys-tems. Within the next several monthswe anticipate having the capability forsuch a “virtual boardroom.”ASAPS is also committed to being

aggressive and proactive in dealing withproblems within the field of aesthetic surgery and cosmetic medicine.

At the recent Annual Meeting inWashington, DC, numerous attendeesapproached the audience microphone concerned over the lack of data andunsubstantiated claims for new technolo-gies that are being directly marketed to the public and placed in the hands ofunqualified providers. Our members are clearly concerned about issues ofappropriate training and patient safety. As ASAPS moves to address these concerns, it is imperative that leadershipunderstands the will and concern of all our members, hence our recent survey

Aesthetic Society News • Summer 2010 3

FELMONT EAVES, III, MD=

President’s REPORT

Aesthetic Surgery at the Crossroad



You’re being rated online—the merits of a proactiveresponse

Want the best local doctor? Read patient reviews to help you choose.This statement is used by Angie’s List

in conjunction with their online advertis-ing on Google searches for terms like “plastic surgeon.” It’s a clear sign of thetimes: patient reviews are here to stay.

In fact, dozens of websites welcomeconsumers to post opinions and feedbackabout their plastic surgeon, yeilding a mixof fair, unfair, and occassionally bizzarecommentary.

Reviews matter becauseGoogle says so

Google lends its credibility and drawshuge audiences to reviews by showing themprominently in local search results. Reviewsare believed to be an important factor tohow a doctor’s website ranks in local seaches(example: try searching Google for “LosAngeles Plastic Surgeon” and see whatappears at the top of the page results). A2009 Nielsen survey offers an explanationof why Google is so fond of reviews. 70percent of online consumers reported that they trusted the opinions posted towebsites. People trust reviews posted bycomplete strangers more so than the NewYork Times, radio, and magazines.

Reviews should benefitplastic surgeons

The good news is that the transparencybrought about by online reviews should bea benefit to plastic surgeons. Aestheticpatients are highly satisfied customers. Forinstance, a 2008 study “Five-year ProspectiveOutcome Study in 325 Cosmetic BreastSurgery Patients" by Eric Swanson, MD,found that 99 percent of women undergo-ing cosmetic breast procedures would havetheir surgery again. Thanks to reviews, thequality and qualifications of board certified

plastic surgeons should clearly stand apartfrom non-core doctors who, presumably,encounter higher error rates and lower satisfaction.

However, the reality is that few plasticsurgeons take a proactive stance towardpatient reviews, and ensure that positivepatient experiences and opinions are sharedonline. As a result, most surgeons find thattheir reputations are highly susceptible tothe minority of patients who are unsatisfied.

Researchers have found that consumersuse pattern recognition to distill the substanceand veracity of online reviews. When theysee something repeatedly referenced, theybegin to assume it's true. Hence, if all aperson discovers are a few axe-grinder post-ings about a surgeon, they’re likely to drawa negative perception of the doctor. If theyread a dozen glowing, thoughtful reviewsthat accompany the unhappy patient post-ings, the negative is marginalized.

Few doctors take comfort in the factthat the presence of a negative review orluke-warm posting can actually be a netbenefit. But it’s a fact. Consumers don’ttrust 100% positive statements, just likeyou wouldn’t trust a restaurant that hadnothing but five-star reviews on a website.This doesn’t mean you should seek out theunhappy review; if you believe in your out-comes and service and routinely encouragepatients to post, you’ll develop a highlytrusted and positive digital profile.

7 ways to navigate socialreviews• Monitor for your name and practice by using Google Alerts, a free service.

• Encourage your patients to post abouttheir experience. There are numeroussites where patients can talk about theirdoctor. Ask your patient if any are familiar, and if so, could they pleaseshare their opinion.

• Add a comment to a negative post withcare, never acknowledging the patient is

yours, and post no more than once. Forinstance, you could comment:” Ourpractice is dedicated to patients havinggreat outcomes. We are extremely inter-ested in hearing from all of our patientspost-procedure. If you have any con-cerns whatsoever, please call us to talk atxxx-xxx-xxxx. We care.”

• Don’t automatically send in the lawyersto address a negative review. Many website operators are open to requests toremove unfair postings (typically called apetitioning for removal process), but canclose off communication when receivinga legal threat. Additionally, sending alawyer letter to a past patient can emboldenthem to post even more negatives aboutyou. In the end, you’re trying to appealto their sensibilities and fairness.

• Patient selection is all that more impor-tant in the age of social reviews. A surgeon shouldn’t explain away negativereviews by citing the patient is “psycho-logically unbalanced” or “crazy.”

• Link to profiles you can manage or trustsuch as your surgery.org or realself.comprofile. By linking you can push theseprofiles higher in Google, often abovephysician ratings sites.

• Claim and update your profile onGoogle, Yahoo, and Bing. Check yourstatus using www.getlisted.org. Do notlet a third party, like a web vendor,claim these profiles on your behalf.Online reviews are more meaningful

than online reputation. Nearly all majorretailers, consumer brands, and serviceproviders have learned that they need toembrace reviews in order to compete.“Reviewing is the new advertising” declaresTrendwatching.com. Surgeons that seereviews as a marketing tool are sure to discover it’s a powerful differentiator andcompetitive advantage for their practice.

Tom Seery is owner of the websiteRealSelf.com.

Taking a Proactive View of Online Doctor RatingsBy Tom Seery

“The only answer to bad speech is more speech” —Matt Cutts, Google


The Electronic CommunicationsCommittee is proud to announce the new,revised “Ask a Surgeon” on the Society’swebsite www.surgery.org. We haveenhanced and broadened this feature tomake it available to all ASAPS members,allowing you to use the questions andanswers on your own FaceBook, Twitter orother social media platforms!

How it works:It’s quick and easy. Just login to

www.surgery.org and click on “Ask-a-Surgeon Member Access” where you willsee the latest questions that have been submitted. You can set your own parameters for question notification. Youcan customize your account to receiveimmediate specific questions based onyour practice area of interest on a daily,weekly or monthly basis.

How does this help mypractice?

Every time you answer a question, alink to your personal website will appear

with the answer,increasing yourexposure on theinternet. If youhave an EnhancedPractice Profile(EPP) page, thequestions andanswers willappear on yourEPP page andprovide an addi-tional link to yourwebsite.

Benefits of participation:There is a range of value when you

provide quality answers and information toAsk-a-Surgeon, including • Build and enhance your practicethrough public outreach and education.

• Establish and build a positive, authorita-tive reputation in your area of expertise.

• Generate potential patient leads. • The more questions you answer, the

more online visibility you will have onthe site.

• Increased search engine optimization(SEO) for your Enhanced PracticeProfile (EPP) Page.

• Opportunity to load your own Ask-a-Surgeon videos to engage the public andpatients with questions. For more information, contact Kristin

Murphy-Avina at [email protected] orLisa Orozco at [email protected]

Newly Enhanced Ask-a-Surgeon on Surgery.org

working

on layout


The Aesthetic Meeting 2010Continued from Cover

Revision of Breast Augmentation, Mastopexyand Augmentation-Mastopexy, and Safeand Efficient Body Contouring Surgery.

Unprecedented International Cooperation

This year marked a watershed ininternational learning and cooperation.Colleagues from all corners of the globeconvened to share knowledge and broadentheir skills in aesthetic surgery and cosmeticmedicine. International residents were verywell represented with more than 150attending the meeting and 20 thought andopinion leaders contributing to ourScientific Sessions.

Leading the Way in Social Media

This year we had a number of tools tohelp attendees plan their schedules, tellothers about a particularly interesting session and ask questions to presenters in“real time.” Information on the meetingwas distributed via Twitter, questions at thescientific sessions were submitted via emailand the ability to track your schedule,interact with colleagues and follow allmeeting content was made possible via ournew CrowdVine technology; to see howthis worked, just log ontosurgery.org/asaps10.

A Special Honor for aSpecial Member

A special award was presented to PastPresident Tom Rees, MD for his outstand-ing contributions to aesthetic surgery andhis work as a founding member of theFlying Doctors Service of East Africa, nowknown as the African Medical andResearch Foundation. This presentationwas particularly poignant, not only as Dr. Rees was honored but as the giants of aesthetic surgery presented him with hisaward, including Drs. Thomas J. Baker,Daniel C. Morello, and Robert W.Bernard.

Just the FactsAttendees could earn up to 54 AMA

PRA Category 1 credits towards statelicensure requirements, up to eight patientsafety CME credits by attending the entire 2010 Scientific Session, and up to amaximum of 16.25 patient safety CMEcredits by attending select optional courses.

Our Program chairs, Drs. Jack Fisherand James C. Grotting, are hard at workon the program for next year’s meeting inhistoric Boston, May 6-11, 2011. I hopeto see you there.

Jeffrey M. Kenkel, MD is Professor andVice-Chairman, Director, Clinical Center forCosmetic Laser Treatment Rod J RohrichMD Distinguished Professorship in WoundHealing and Plastic Surgery at UTSouthwestern and President-elect of theAesthetic Society

Plastic surgery leaders honor Dr. Rees.

The festivities begin at the Annual Dinner dance.


Medicis AestheticsMedicis Aesthetics, Chairman and CEO, JonahShacknai receives Premier Industry Partner Awardfrom ASAPS Immediate Past President RenatoSaltz, MD (left) and Corporate Sponsorship ChairAl Aly, MD (right)

DERMIK a business of sanofi-aventisDERMIK, Director of Aesthetic Marketing, StuartDavis receives Premier Industry Partner Awardfrom ASAPS Immediate Past President RenatoSaltz, MD (left) and Corporate Sponsorship ChairAl Aly, MD (right)

SientraSientra, President and CEO, Hani Zeini receivesPremier Industry Partner Award from ASAPSImmediate Past President Renato Saltz, MD (left)and Corporate Sponsorship Chair Al Aly, MD (right)

The Aesthetic Society is proud to present our

PREMIER INDUSTRY PARTNERS

PA R T N E R

PREMIER INDUSTRY

The Aesthetic Society thanks these Industry Partners for their continued support and provision of resources to fulfill

the Society’s educational and research mission.


Imagine if you were in medical schooltoday and your only exposure to plasticsurgery was what you saw in reality TVshows such as 90210. As medical schoolcurriculums have shifted more towards primary care, medical students get less andless exposure to plastic surgery and othersurgical subspecialties.

How can a student make a propercareer choice without getting introduced tothe field or learning about it too late to bea viable applicant for a plastic surgery residency?

The idea for the creation of a medicalstudent interest group came from RenatoSaltz, M.D., Immediate Past President ofthe Aesthetic Society. During his conversa-tions with plastic surgeons, residents, andmedical students in Brazil, he learned thatmost medical schools there have plasticsurgery interest groups or leagues. Throughthese leagues, students get introduced tothe field of plastic surgery as early as theirfirst year in medical school. They havedidactic classes in fundamentals of plasticsurgery and hands-on activities such as labsin suturing. They even tag along with plastic surgery residents as they go abouttheir rounds and do surgery. Dr. Saltz feltthat this early exposure to plastic surgeryshould also be available to medical students in this country so we can attractthe “best and the brightest” to our field.

An ad hoc committee of interestedASAPS members, students and residentswas formed to explore this issue, with me

as Chair and including: Stephen B. Baker,MD, Steven E. Copit, MD, Michael C.Edwards, MD, J. Peter Rubin, MD,Renato Saltz, MD, Joseph M. Serletti,MD, Resident Jordan P. Farkas, MD, andmedical students Christianna Saldanha,and Kyle Edwards.

Our goal is to determine if there really is a need for establishing such plasticsurgery interest groups among medical students. We decided that such a dialogueis needed, so we invited students to attendthe annual ASAPS meeting in Washington,D.C.

Plastic surgery faculty from variousmedical schools in the D.C. area spreadthe word and ten medical students wereguests of the Society at The AestheticMeeting 2010. We also invited Christiannaand Osvaldo Saldanha who are general surgery residents in Brazil and children ofASAPS member Dr. Osvaldo Saldanha.

These students and residents attendedthe scientific sessions, Resident & FellowForum, and the reception that followed.They also attended our MEDSIPSCommittee meeting where we learned oftheir needs, shared ideas, and developed aplan of action. The consensus of the groupwas that medical students need a centralgathering place to share information abouta career in plastic surgery and learn aboutthe residency application process. Weagreed that a webpage for medical studentscould provide a forum for exchange ofsuch information. The concept of creating

a Medical Student Group in ASAPS (simi-lar to the Candidate and Resident groups)was presented to the Board of Directorsthe following day and it was unanimouslyapproved. We are now working to create amedical student webpage as part of ourSociety’s surgery.org website. Jamil Ahmad,M.D. is finishing his residency atUniversity of Texas, Southwestern and isorganizing this webpage effort. Jamal alsocreated the webpage for our Society’sFacebook Resident group. We also plan toput on a forum for medical students atnext year’s meeting in Boston. There ismuch excitement in the air since the possibilities are endless. As Kevin Han,medical student from George WashingtonUniversity said: “Thanks for all of youreffort. I am speaking for all students, thatwe appreciate your time and dedication to help us.”

Clyde H. Ishii, MD is an aesthetic surgeon practicing in Honolulu, HI andCommissioner of the Aesthetic Society’sMembership Commission.

Medical Students Interested in Plastic Surgery

CLYDE H. ISHII, MD

UPDATE ON: MEDSIPS

The AnnualMeeting of

The American Society forAesthetic Plastic

Surgery, Inc.

The AestheticSurgery Education

and ResearchFoundation

The Aesthetic Meeting 2011Affirming the Science of Aesthetic Surgery

Call for AbstractsSubmit Your Abstracts On-line by Tuesday, November 2, 2010 • surgery.org/abstractsScientific Sessions • International Hot Topics • Research & Innovative Technology Luncheon

E-Posters • Residents & Fellows Forum (deadline for submission February 4, 2011)

www.surgery.org/meeting2011

Boston Rocks!Optional Courses • May 6–10Scientific Sessions • May 8–11

Exhibits • May 8–10 Boston Rocks!

THE AMERICAN SOCIETYFOR AESTHETIC PLASTIC SURGERY

800-364-2147 • 562-799-2356

[email protected]/candidates

MAKE A SOLIDINVESTMENT IN

YOURSELFEnroll in thE

AEsthEtic sociEtycAndidAtE ProgrAm

Candidate Benefits:• Receive a 25% discount on guest surgeon registration on any ASAPS annual meetingduring the five-year candidacy period…A savings of over $300 per meeting!

• Access to the Society’s Online ClinicalEducation Library

• Candidate discounts on selected AestheticSociety programs, products, and services,and access to the Society’s online shopping cart

• Complimentary subscription to “AestheticSociety News”

• Networking, collaborating and visibilityamong peers

• Opportunities to attend exclusive social and educational events during the ASAPSannual meeting

• Access to serve on committees that drive the unparalleled success of The AestheticSociety’s programs and services

Please keep in mind that Candidate status with the AestheticSociety is NOT a membership classification, but a program thatoffers specific benefits and will acquaint you with the AestheticSociety as you build your aesthetic surgery practice. At any timeduring the five-years you are in the Candidate Program, assumingyou fulfill the requirements, you may apply for Active Membershipin ASAPS.

Visit our website to apply to The Aesthetic Society Candidate

Program and take advantage of these unbeatable services

and benefits today.


concerning these issues (please see the story “Ethics, Non-cores and Advertisingon the cover of the issue).

You have told us that dealing withnon-core physicians is a major issue forboard certified plastic surgeons. Virtuallyevery community in which we practice hasa non-surgeon who markets themselves asa cosmetic surgery expert. Although theseindividuals cleaverly obscure their realtraining background “e.g. Board CertifiedCosmetic Surgeon” their underlyingABMS board, if any, may be somethingtotally unrelated, such as pediatrics, obstetrics/gynecology, or pathology. Whyhide their actual residency training path-way? Clearly it can serve no other purposethan to deceive the public that they havecredentials and expertise not possessed,and with limited training in surgical principles, regional anatomy, anesthesia,tissue transfer, and other topics integral totraining in plastic surgery, they cannot besafe and effective for their patients.

In these battles we have allies. ASAPShas begun to work with core physicianorganizations such as the American Academyfor Facial Plastic and ReconstructiveSurgery (AAFPRS), the American Societyof Oculoplastic Reconstructive Surgeons(ASPPRS) and the American Society for Dermatological Surgery (ASDS) to

address such issues related to industry andnon-cores to further patient safety.

Bringing Reality to thePhrase “Evidence-basedMedicine”

Plastic surgery is a visual specialty.Part artist, part physician, we often rely onanecdotal information on “who does itbest” as opposed to learning via data andclinical outcomes.

Having a system for evidence in theplastic surgery community would beinvaluable in many areas, from determiningbest practices, to reading and writing clinical papers and ultimately, provingthrough data the evidence that would show our superior training and experiencein the marketplace.

At the end of August, The AestheticSociety will be conducting the first everSummit on Evidence Based Medicine inPlastic Surgery in cooperation with ASPSand AAFPRS. Thought and opinion leaders from the worlds of outcomes, publishing, clinical practice and researchwill be convening to develop actionablesteps for integrating evidence based medicine into the practicing surgeon’spractice. Look for information on ourprogress in future issues of ASN.

President’s ReportContinued from Page 3

and steering us through waters both calmand turbulent. Bob’s stewardship hasalways had one basic philosophy: this is amember organization and the memberscome first. This tenant has directed all ofthe Society staff and become a cornerstonethat permeates the entire culture of ASAPS.

In Bob’s new role, he will be servingas a senior consultant to Sue Dykema asshe leads the organization to even greatersuccess and stability. Bob will be attendingThe Aesthetic Meeting, 2011 in Boston,May 8 to11. Please join us there as we officially see Bob off to his new life andadventures.

Sue, of course, is no stranger to themembership. Serving as second in command,she was involved in everything from operations to education. She was recentlyon the Board of Directors of theProfessional Convention ManagementAssociation and holds the universal ASAPSvalues of family, responsibility, innovationand level stewardship. Please join me incongratulating her on this new and exciting step in a stellar career.

Renato Saltz is an aesthetic surgeonpracticing in Utah and is Immediate PastPresident of the Aesthetic Society.

Changing of the GuardContinued from Cover

GEOFFREY KEYES, MD

UPDATE ON: ASERF


During the past year ASERF hasrestructured its communication capabilitythrough the development of a newWebsite. Members and guests have theability to view our research and giving programs and gain insight into the manyprojects that ASERF has initiated. Pleasehave a look by visiting www.aserf.org

ASERF is committed to funding onlyaesthetic plastic surgery research. Thisfocus on aesthetic surgery enhances ourability to assist industry partners who arelooking for independent third parties toassist with their research needs.

To facilitate this partnership, TheAesthetic Research Alliance (TARA) isbeing developed. TARA will serve as aninterface between sponsors and principalinvestigators.

During the first stage of development,TARA will oversee credentialing of highlyrespected research oriented academic insti-tutions and qualified board certified plasticsurgeons to form core research teams.

Through this vetting process, we areestablishing a network of research partnersto work independently or in concert toprovide study capability for sponsoredprojects.

Projects will be directed at clinicallyused products such as breast implants,lasers, liposuction devices, fillers, toxinsand others. ASERF will assist with the IRB

process and find the best-trainedresearchers in those areas to provide up todate, honest and clinically proven data.

TARA will be intimately involved inmanagement of each research grantthrough analysis of compliance byresearchers with required documentationand standards.

The success of TARA will generateadditional funding to be added to the generous donations of our members,patients and industry to fund importantresearch that improves clinical practice.

We are evaluating programs to educate surgeons interested in becomingproficient in the research process so that they can be added to our cadre ofresearch specialists.

Gifting Programs

Honor Your MentorA number of members have donated

to the Honor Your Mentor program thatbegan last year. The program provides anopportunity to provide a gift to ASERFand pay tribute to the career of a plasticsurgeon that has been instrumental in one’ssuccess. Drs. Carl Hartramph, JohnKelleher, Ralph Millard and Robert Singerhave all been honored with a tribute gift toASERF. Please consider making a donationto ASERF to support this program.

The Grateful Patient Campaign A beautiful brochure has been

produced for the newest fund-raising program, the Grateful Patient Campaign.

This program allows patients anopportunity to contribute to aesthetic surgery research and at the same timeacknowledge and thank their surgeon.Surgeons are encouraged to request thebrochures and present them to theirpatients to facilitate participation in thisprogram. These donations enable the foundation to fulfill its mission of plasticsurgery and cosmetic medicine researchand its commitment to keeping plastic surgery procedures safe and effective.

Current Research and Grant Awards

The ASERF Scientific ResearchCommittee has awarded a research grant toAnand K. Deva, MD from Australia titled“Use of antibiotic mesh in a pig model toprevent capsular contracture.”

Utilizing a pig model, the study willevaluate the effects of antibiotic impreg-nated polymeric mesh on the risk of bacterial contamination and gauge itsimpact on reducing biofilm formation andsubsequent capsular contracture. Theinvestigators hope that this study may


Need Funding for an Aesthetic Fellowship?The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery is proud to announce the availability of two $65,000 grants* to support one 12 month Aesthetic Fellowship, each to begin July 2011.

critEriA includE:

• Applicant must be an ASAPS Active Member based in the USA or Canada

• Fellowship must be 12 months in length and scheduled to start in July 2011

• Must be a new Fellowship or the addition of a Fellow to an already existing program

• Must agree to follow the ASAPS Aesthetic Fellowship Curriculum• Fellowship must include a research component

Download complete details including Eligibility Criteria,Application, and the Aesthetic Curriculum

www.surgery.org/members

*Made possible by grants from Ethicon Endo-Surgery

THE AMERICAN SOCIETYFOR AESTHETIC PLASTIC SURGERY

EDUCATION • COLLABORATION • RESEARCH

800-364-2147 • 562-799-2356 [email protected] • www.surgery.org

FellowshipsApplication Deadline:

Friday, October 1,

2010


As new fillers and injectables becomeapproved by the FDA and unapproved,untested products become introduced tothe underground market, the need for thePhysician’s Coalition to expand its presencehas never been greater.

Our press release speaking out againsta growing trend of teenagers using neuro-toxins to “prevent” wrinkles received mediacoverage from MSNBC and continues tobe relevant as new stories about youngcelebrities receiving injections emerge. Inthe release, Robert Weiss, MD, a Coalitionleader and Past-President of the AmericanSociety for Dermatologic Surgery (ASDS)stated, “Botox does not prevent naturalaging, so this seems like an unnecessaryrisk.”

Past-President of the AestheticSociety, Mark Jewell, MD spoke to themedia and went on record saying, “Botoxis a blockbuster of a product, but should ateenager be getting it? I think the answer isno.” The Coalition continues to focus onissues that affect the public’s safety andwell-being—this dangerous, growing trendis no exception.

In terms of internal housekeeping, we have recently gone through www.injectablesafety.org and set-up update protocols for our product listings, plannedfor new physician and patient videos, anddiscussed new injectables on the market.

Past projects like the Safety withInjectables Workbook, which was offeredfree of charge to the plastic surgery community, will be updated with newinformation and a new Physician SafetyWebinar is in the works. Here is a list ofnew updates on the injectable front:

New Fillers• An exciting new injectable has beenFDA-approved for injecting small spiderand varicose veins in the legs.Polidocanol, marketed under the nameAsclera, has been used in Europe for thepast 40 years and will open up newtreatment options to patients with thisunsightly and oftentimes uncomfortablecondition.

• Artefill dermal filler has been re-launched in the US market with newstudies and impressive safety data in linewith other fillers such as Juvederm andRestylane.

• Platelet-Rich Plasma-Fibrin Filler is thenewest line of fillers using the patient’sown blood and platelets to naturally fillskin depressions, scars, wrinkles andfolds. This cutting-edge technology hasnot been FDA-approved yet, but weshould all keep an eye on it.

Injectable Safety WorkbookThis workbook has helped a great

number of doctors and their practicesreevaluate their injectable protocols inregards to their safety and effectiveness.Updates to this great work will include thelatest products, consents, Scelerotherapyand more on the business side of orderingand processing injectables.

New WebinarWebinars have become the most effec-

tive way to disseminate crucial informationto a community of busy and somewhatdemanding individuals. ASAPS webinarshave always been available to all physiciansin the interest of education and safety. The Physician’s Coalition’s next webinarwill focus on ‘Adverse Events’ and the recommended course of action in the caseof complications due to injecting. Whatcould be a more important topic that canserve multiple specialties working towardsa similar goal of patient safety?

As the new Chair of the Physician’sCoalition for Injectable Safety, I hope tocontinue the great work previously doneby the Coalition Board members who areestablished leaders in their own specialtiesalready. My goals run along with what hasalways been precedence—a high level ofeducation and understanding of theinjectable community and continued vigilance against unsafe practices. Theamount of misinformation and rampantmisuse out there is both damaging and distracting to our field, but we know thatas physicians, the patient still comes first.

John E. Gross, MD, is an aesthetic surgeon practicing in Pasadena, CA. He isChair of the Physicians Coalition forInjectable Safety

JOHN E. GROSS, MD

UPDATE ON:The Physician’s Coalition for Injectable Safety

most notably a blurb in the New YorkTimes stating “The site is not meant todrive business to plastic surgeons, one ofits creators said, but to offer unbiasedinformation.” Although the site is veryinformative and reaches well beyond thescope of plastic surgery, it also links theconsumer to ASAPS’ Find a Surgeon searchengine on www.surgery.org, becoming areferral source for members.

While the soft launch had a limitednumber of videos showcasing the differentcategories on the site, ProjectBeauty.comcurrently has almost 2,000 members, 40original videos and has trafficked over4,600 visits per day. It is growing at a fastpace and clearly resonates with an internetgeneration that is more visually-oriented.

Much of its growth is due to a full-scale social media campaign on Facebook,Twitter (@project_beauty) and YouTube toshare valuable information and videos fromthe website to a wide audience of viewers.You have also contributed to the site’s success, by encouraging your staff, patientsand friends to become members and to“friend” us on Facebook and other socialmedia sites.

In fact, Project Beauty can be seen asa prime example of the power social mediaholds. By cross-promoting the site withour other ASAPS social media outlets, we have been able to reach thousands of consumers and cosmetic industry professionals nationwide at a fraction ofthe cost of normal promotional efforts.

This past month, more exciting developments have taken place on the website as we grow and dig deeper into ourcommunity.

BLOGWe have developed a written blog that

gives background information and morein-depth facts about our video subjects.Video is a great medium for stories, but we wanted to expand on all the wonderfultopics and give the viewers facts and perspectives that couldn’t possibly fit in ashort 2-minute video.

FORUMSince the community is growing, we

have opened up a forum so that consumerscan discuss what has or has not worked for

Project BeautyContinued from Cover

them in the beauty and fashion market.These forums are monitored by staff andencourage patients and consumers to askquestions and give opinions.

HOW-TOAs ProjectBeauty.com develops, so

must advertising. The How-To section willsoon be populated with videos directlyfrom companies in the Health and Beautyfield. Consumers will get informationabout new products straight from thesource and advertisers will contribute tothe website—a win-win situation!

As ASAPS members, you have been inthe loop the whole time—multiple blastsinforming you of the website and the contest have been sent to your email boxes,literature has been given out at the AnnualMeeting and there is continual promotionon our website.

If you still have not taken advantageof the benefits of ProjectBeauty.com, hereare some easy things you can do right away:• Go to www.ProjectBeauty.com and register• Consider using Project Beauty video onyour own website

• Follow @Project_Beauty on Twitter toreceive the latest info

• Like the Facebook page:www.facebook.com/projectbeauty

• Join the ‘ProjectBeautyTV’ YouTubeChannel

• Use the social media sites to promotegiveaways, health and beauty tips andfun facts with your patients

• Share the first-hand patient videos withyour patients, staff and friends—thevideos are very relatable and ofteninspiring.The Project Beauty Team is constantly

working and thinking of new ideas andsources – if there is something you wouldlike to suggest as an ASAPS Member orfan, please feel free to bring it forward. Wewould love to have your input and be asexcited as we are to contribute to thisgrowing community.

Daniel C, Mills, II, MD is an aestheticsurgeon practicing in Laguna Beach, CA,Chair of the ASAPS CommunicationsCommission and Chair of the Project BeautyTask Force.

The AestheticSociety is Nowa Pop-CultureReference

As a leading resource for the publicto obtain accurate information on aesthetic surgery, the Media RelationsCommittee has long been involved inpro-active and pragmatic media strategies.As many of you may know, these effortshave resulted in stories being publishedin leading newspapers, magazines,broadcast media and websites from theNew York Times to Web MD.

However, two of the more uniquereferences have not been part of newsstories, instead they have been a part oftwo popular mainstream television shows.

On the 9th episode of Season 3 ofthe Real Housewives of New York Cityone of the featured women, SonjaMorgan, takes her friend, RamonaSinger to her plastic surgery consultationto help her ask the surgeon necessaryquestions about her lipoplasty (liposuc-tion) procedure. During the consultation,Ramona Singer asked the surgeon if hehad operating privileges at a hospital toperform the procedure in question, whatyear he was board certified in, and if heis a member of ASAPS.

On the twenty-second episode of theSeason 21 of The Simpsons, SideshowBob, Bart Simpsons’ archenemy, is shownreading a book on how to perform plasticsurgery. The book is titled “AdvancedPlastic Surgery” and is written by ASAPS.

You know you have made it wheneven the writers on the Simpsons knowthe Aesthetic Society is the authority onall things plastic surgery!



Introducing the Humanitarian Services CommitteeBy Renato Saltz, MD

Whileserving asyourPresidentlast year, Iwas given aunique view

on the true philanthropic nature of manyof our aesthetic colleagues. This view wentfrom the global—a great example is thedangerous and vital work performed byAesthetic Society member Craig Hobar,MD via his LEAP Foundation, providingimmediate and on-going assistance to thepeople of Haiti following the devastatingearthquake there—to more grass rootsefforts such as the “Celebration ofSurvival” program launched by AestheticSociety member Anil Punjabi, MD, whoheld and organized a fashion show forbreast reconstruction patients in his practice.

Philanthropic endeavors are done by

many members, usually very quietly andwith great benefit and impact to the public. To foster and encourage this effort,President Felmont (Monte) Eaves, III,MD, asked me to Chair a new Committeefor the Society, focusing on humanitarianservices.

Our initial Committee membersinclude colleagues Stephanie Feldman,MD (a member of the Board of Directorsof Interplast), Larry Nichter, MD, FACS,President, Plasticos Foundation, Craig J.Salt MD, CAPT, and Trent Douglas, MD,CDR, MC(FS), USN, members of TheU.S. Navy’s Pacific Partnership, dedicatedto conducting humanitarian and civicassistance missions with and through partner nations, non-governmental organi-zations and other U.S. and internationalgovernment agencies to execute a variety ofhumanitarian civic action missions in thePacific Fleet area of responsibility.

The work of these Committee

members is impressive and, to me at least,a little daunting. With busy practices, family responsibilities and all the otherobligations we face on a daily basis, it’seasy to lose sight that sometimes small,local efforts can have an important impactnot only on your community but on yourpractice as well.

In the coming months, theCommittee will be brainstorming on sometemplates you can use to “act locally,”expanding your community involvementand letting your patients know that youare a good citizen as well as a great aesthetic surgeon. We will publish our suggestions in a future issue of ASN.

Renato Saltz, MD, is an aesthetic surgeon practicing in Salt Lake City andImmediate Past-President of the AestheticSociety. He is also the founder of the Image Reborn Foundation. www.imagerebornfoundation.org, a retreat center forbreast cancer survivors.


A Comparison of OutcomesInvolving Highly Cohesive, Form-Stable Breast ImplantsFrom Two Manufacturers inPatients Undergoing PrimaryBreast Augmentation ASJ: vol. 30 no. 1 51-65Mark L. Jewell, MD

Background: Although there havebeen reports of single-surgeon outcomeswith highly cohesive, form-stable siliconegel implants in women undergoing primarybreast augmentation, there has been onlyone study published that compares theoutcomes between the Allergan 410 andthe Mentor CPG devices.

Objectives: The goal of the study isto compare outcomes in each cohort andto determine if quality systems andprocesses would have an impact on lower-ing the surgical revision rate, as comparedto published reports for round gel implantsand form-stable implants.

Methods: Patients selected for thestudy were required to meet predefinedinclusion criteria and general indicationsfor breast augmentation. All subjects were treated uniformly with extensiveinformed consent prior to surgery. Theentire process of breast augmentation(patient assessment, informed consent, thesurgical procedure itself and postoperativeinstructions) was identical between the twogroups. Patients were not randomized, asthe studies did not start at the same time.The process for management of eachpatient was based on adaptation of theToyota Production System and LeanManufacturing, with emphasis on achiev-ing operational excellence in the use ofplanning templates for surgery, includingaccurate management of patient expecta-tions regarding size outcome.

Results: Outcomes data includedphysical breast measurements, quality oflife metrics, and patient/surgeon satisfac-tion assessment. Adverse events were compared against published data for breastimplants. Follow-up ranged between 20-77

NEWS FROM THE Aesthetic Surgery Journal

months (Allergan 410) and 16-77 months(Mentor CPG). The outcome data indicatethat these devices produce natural-appear-ing breasts with extremely low aggregatereoperation rate (4.2%). Only 0.8% of thereoperations were attributable to surgeon-related factors. There were no reoperationsto correct mismanaged size expectationsduring the course of each study. Therewere 13 pregnancies and no difficultieswith lactation were reported. Rippling (lateral/medial, palpable and/or visible) was encountered in both cohorts. TheMentor CPG cohort had a fivefold greater incidence of rippling (37.3% versus 7.6%in Allergan 410 cohort). This was highlystatistically significant (P < .001).

Conclusions: Provided that there isadherence to core principles and avoidanceof errors in planning, patient expectations,and surgery, highly cohesive, form-stablebreast implants can deliver excellent longterm outcomes in primary breast augmen-tation in a diverse patient population. The impact of quality processes such asToyota Production System and LeanManufacturing was substantive in deliver-ing operational excellence in primarybreast augmentation.

Cosmeceuticals: The EvidenceBehind the Retinoids ASJ: vol. 30 no. 1 74-77Kajal Babamiri, MDReza Nassab, MBChB, MBA,MRCSEd, MRCSEng

A wide range of cosmeceutical products are available on the market currently, but evidence to support their use is often lacking in the literature.Specifically, there is a substantial amountof evidence supporting the efficacy oftretinoin in photoaging, but the evidencesupporting retinoid-based cosmeceuticalsremains sparse. The authors review the current data in the literature related tovitamin A–derived cosmeceutical productsand conclude that cosmeceuticals contain-ing retinaldehyde have been shown in large

randomized, controlled trials to have themost beneficial effect on aging skin.

The Dorsal Columellar Strut:Innovative Use of Dorsal HumpRemoval for a Columellar Strut ASJ: vol. 30 no. 1 30-35Rod J. Rohrich, MD and Jerome H. Liu, MD, MSHS

Background: Dorsal hump reductionis a common complaint among primarycosmetic rhinoplasty patients. Newer techniques for addressing the dorsal humpfocus on the preservation, reinforcement,or modification of existing structures.

Objectives: The authors describe theirtechnique of a “dorsal columellar strut,” an innovative use of dorsal nasal cartilagefrom hump removal for a columellar strut.Combined with other cartilage-conservingtechniques, this forgoes the morbidity and operative time of a septal cartilage harvest while preserving—and possiblyincreasing—tip support.

Methods: Candidates for this proce-dure are selected based on a number of criteria. Ideally, the patient is one whorequires 3 mm or more of dorsal humpreduction with tip reshaping and refine-ment. Each patient is treated using the open technique with a stair-step columellar incision, combined with aninfracartilaginous incision.

Results: With the addition of theauthors’ cartilage-conserving techniques(autospreader flap, lower lateral turnover,and tip suturing), patients experience successful reshaping of the middle vaultand nasal tip.

Conclusions: In well-selectedpatients, the authors have found their technique to be efficient, effective, and aesthetic. The precise dorsal reductionallows surgeons to use the cartilage fragment as a dorsal columellar strut, foregoing the standard septal harvest and reducing operative time and patientmorbidity.

The following select abstracts are from recent issues of the AestheticSurgery Journal. Full text can be found at http://www.surgery.org/members/publications/aesthetic-surgery-journal



News from ASJContinued from Page 16

Online CME Site Launches for Aesthetic Surgery Journal

The Editors of the Aesthetic Surgery Journal are pleased to announce the launch of an online CME portal, located athttp://aes-cme.sagepub.com/. Rather than having a different process for ASAPS members and nonmembers, we have simplified the process such that all readers will now be able to login and complete their CME credits online.

Some exciting features of the CME portal include: • Online availability of the two most recent CME articles published in ASJ, with five additional articles from the archivebeing added shortly

• Instant posttest results and explanations; the reader is directed to highlighted sections in the original article to aid inunderstanding questions they may have answered incorrectly

• Instant printable CME certificate, as well as a comprehensive record of all completed CME activities for a particularuser under “My CME”

• Automatic transmission of CME certificates/credits to ASAPS for Society members• No dual registration required—the username and password for the main ASJ site (www.aestheticsurgeryjournal.com)also works for the CME portal

• An electronic pretest and posttest comparison that helps ASAPS staff to identify additional areas for potential CME,enhancing the future educational experience for members and readers

We urge you to try the new portal and encourage your feedback! Please send any comments or suggestions to Managing Editor Melissa Knoll at [email protected]

lead to a significant breakthrough in thetreatment and prevention of capsular contracture around mammary implantsand will have application to a wider rangeof implantable medical devices.

The ASERF Congenital and AcquiredBreast Deformity Grant Program hasawarded the first grant to Dr. Anne Taylor,Columbus, Ohio.

This grant was established to provideassistance to five patients in need of reconstructive breast surgery who would be unable to obtain care without financialhelp.

Many young women experience congenital breast deformities as theymature into womanhood, while othersmay develop deformities after childbearingor after dramatic weight loss. Those who have breast deformities often feel

self-conscious and have difficulty findingclothes to mask their breast deformitiesand these factors can negatively affect theirfeelings of self worth.

The Aesthetic Surgery Education andResearch Foundation (ASERF), theresearch arm of the American Society forAesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS), has been quietly funding research projects formore than 15 years. Many surgeonsdonate their services under these circum-stances, but this grant will allow for his orher surgical team to also work at a reducedrate. This program has been funded by acharitable donation from the MentorCorporation.

Please visit the following linkto download the application package:

http://www.surgery.org/private/CongenitalBreastDeformitiesApplicationPacket

As the research arm of ASAPS,ASERF is creating new opportunities tostudy issues to enhance safe surgical practice. Please visit www.aserf.org or callASERF to learn about the many excitingopportunities to participate in ASERFeither as a donor, sponsor or researcher.We welcome your participation.

Finally, I would like to express mythanks and gratitude to ASERF’sImmediate Past-President Laurie Casas,MD. Her hard work and dedicationproved immeasurable to the Foundation.

Geoffrey Keyes, MD is an aesthetic surgeon practicing in Beverly Hills, CA. He isPresident of the Aesthetic Surgery Educationand Research Foundation and an AssociateProfessor at the University SouthernCalifornia.

Update on ASERFContinued from Page 11


IntroductionSummer is heating up but your

phones don’t have to cool down if you putcreative strategies in place to keep yourpatients coming back throughout the summer and the entire year.

Just because your practice surgeriesmay slow down during the summermonths, doesn’t mean your patients arenecessarily on hiatus from ALL aestheticenhancement—just some of it. The goodnews is your aesthetic patients want tolook good now and next month and nextseason. While they may not be interestedin some of your services now because theyare in a bathing suit and shorts for thenext three months, they could very well beinterested in other treatments and proce-dures that would keep them looking greaton their vacation and at family barbecues.

Granted, summer is not the perfecttime for your patients to clamor for surgery. Now that the weather is nice, theyare not dying to hide away at home torecover from liposuction surgery. Theywant to be outside, playing in shorts andbathing suits.

So while they may be holding off onbody surgical procedures, they have plentyof other concerns they want to addressduring this season.

Injectables are Hot!No matter what the weather, aesthetic

patients always need a touch up on theirBotox and fillers. Weddings, summercook-outs, weekends at the country club,friend and family get-togethers are allmotivators for your patients to want tosmooth their sun-squints, fill in their faciallines and plump up their lips.

The beauty of these minimally-inva-sive procedures is you can have them doneanytime with minimal or zero downtimeso they don’t interfere with your patients’

busy summer schedules. It will not onlykeep your patients looking good, it willalso give you an opportunity to spendmore time with them. That will help solidify your relationship with them sothey return to you for more extensive procedures when the timing is right.

Summer Surge StrategiesFirst, decide on your message.

Honesty is always the best policy so yourmessage might include the fact that theslow summer months give your patientsmore 1-on-1 time with you.

Offer complimentary consultationsalong with a computer analysis session, afacial or microdermabrasion treatment anda sunscreen product. Bundle it all for anattractive price and give it a theme—YourSummer Skin Kit, or Summer BeautyBundle.

Once you have your message, findyour audience. One popular summer audience is teachers and professionals thathave the summer off or have a major summer slowdown. You could also use thesummer as an opportunity to connect withanybody who came in for a surgical consultation but didn’t book.

You have your message, you have youraudience, all you have to do now is createand send. Write a thoughtful letter thatspeaks directly to your audience. Again,think honest and enticing. For example:

Things slow down around here in theSummer so I have a more flexible schedulethan I do any other time of the year. If youhave your surgery done this Summer orbefore August 31, you are entitled to(Insert Special Offer).

As long as you give them a logical reason for why you are doing somethingspecial, that could be just what they need-ed to jump off the fence and move forwardwith you. Keep in mind, the offer needs to

be something worthwhile. You know whatI mean because you get offers all the timein the mail, via email, etc. When you see10% off, is that exciting? Not at all. Somake it good, you don’t want to take thetime to send a letter just to make yourpotential patients lose interest.

Summer Skin SeriesLet your skin care staff do the heavy

lifting during the summer while you sitback and relax. Have them conductSummer Fun Events in your office forsmall groups of patients and their friends.They learn about cool ways to have beauti-ful skin during the hot days of summer.

Your staff can demonstrate peels andmicrodermasion, they can explain how tochange makeup for summer tans, how toprotect skin from the harmful effects ofthe sun, etc. Your vendors would love tohelp with this so get them involved.

You can be available afterwards tofield any questions or to just be availablefor 1-on-1 time with patients who want tosay hello to you. This could be just whatthey needed to seriously reconsider thatsurgery and book it for the fall.

Take Advantage of theSummer Slow Down

Every day I hear doctors and staffcomplain that they have no time to getanything done. A slow period can be ablessing in disguise; a time when you cancatch up on all the training, planning, andcleaning that can’t get done during busymonths.

If things quiet down in your officeduring the summer months, this is the perfect time for you and your staff to“sharpen your saw.” Hold staff training sessions and go over phone skills, patientrelations protocols and procedural FAQ’s.Do role-playing and fun contests to help

Don’t Let the Lazy Days of Summer Melt Your Profits By: Catherine Maley, MBA, Author, Your Aesthetic Practice


them learn pertinent information.Brainstorm with your entire team how youcan be even better with your processes soyour patients get that WOW experienceduring and in between visits.

Or, use this slow time to clean, organize files, throw out unnecessary storage boxes, repaint and anything elsethat normally doesn’t get done because youare so busy. If you decide to do a renova-tion, that can be a great reason to contactyour patients in late summer, early fall andinvite them to see the new ‘face’ of yourpractice.

NetworkSince other businesses are often slow

through summer, it’s a great time to connect or reconnect with them. Pool yourresources to email and mail co-marketingpieces to both of your databases to cross-sell each other’s services. Include veryexclusive Sizzlin’ Summer Special Offersthat are only good for a very limited time.

Spread the WordSpread your message by starting

broadly. Add new in-house signage, mention it on your phone greeting, explainit in your next email message and designan eye-catching banner for your Website.

ConclusionUse these lazy days of summer to

catapult your revenues, your relationshipswith your patients and your resolve to havethe best trained staff ever! And don’t forgetyour sunscreen!

Catherine Maley, MBA is Author ofYour Aesthetic Patient and President ofCosmetic Image Marketing. Her firm specializes in growing aesthetic practices usingeffective and creative strategies. For a FreeMarketing Checklist, visitwww.CosmeticImageMarketing.com or callCatherine at (877) 339-8833.

Set Up a Summer Sizzle Surge Calendar:

To make the most of this slow time, set up a Summer calendar ofevents that will help you and your staff get things done sinceyou’ve attached a deadline date to it. This will also add a senseof urgency to help your patients make a decision to see younow. Here’s an example:

July: • Summer Email Blast• In-house Signage • Skin Care In-House Event—get vendor support• Letter Mailing to school teachers• Network with at least one neighborhood salon/spa/alliance• Staff meetings to go over phone skills and summer surge ideas• Remove all office clutter

August:• Summer Email Blast• Skin Care In-House Event—get vendor support • Mailing #2 to school teachers• Network with one more neighborhood salon/spa/alliance• Staff meetings to go over handling objections and improving patients experience• Organize Office files and supplies• Clean the office thoroughly


It is important in any professionalsociety that leadership actively solicitsinput on member attitudes and concernsin order to best address membershipneeds. During the Aesthetic Meeting 2010in Washington, DC, many members cameto the microphone during educational sessions or approached leadership in thehallways to voice concerns. Membersexpressed frustration over industry—unsubstantiated marketing claims, poorscience, marketing to inadequately trainedproviders—and with “non-core” providerswho flock to adopt aesthetic surgical andcosmetic medicine procedures, functioningwell outside their scope of training.Leadership heard concerns about patientsafety and the integrity of the specialty.

In order to get a more complete biopsy of membership attitudes concern-ing industry interactions, training of non-core physicians, and similar areas ofconcern ASAPS undertook an email-based membership survey. 562 members and 93 candidates responded with an over-allresponse rate of approximately 30 percentmembers, and 20 percent candidates (combined response rate: 27 percent).

Respondents listed confusion overboard certification and “junk boards” asthe number one external threat faced byboard certified plastic surgeons, with71.2% rating this a “serious threat” and anadditional 23.9% rated this a “threat.”Only 4.9% felt that such confusion wasnot a threat. The second most frequentconcern was companies marketing devicesand procedures to “non-cores,” with61.9% ranking this a serious threat and27.2% a threat, and only 10.8% rated this as not a threat. Competition from“non-cores” (47.0% serious threat, 37.4%threat) and direct to consumer marketingby industry (34.1% serious threat, 33.6%threat) were also significant concerns.

The survey results were truly remarkable for the incredible consistency

of responses among board certified plasticsurgeons. Almost 9 out of 10 (89.1%)believe that some segments of the aestheticsurgery and cosmetic medicine market-place engage in deceptive advertisingand/or unsubstantiated claims. Even further, 97% felt that companies sellinginvasive surgical procedures to non-surgeons—despite company training—represents a significant patient safety concern, as such individuals are still notqualified to safely perform such surgery.Similarly, 91.4% felt that ASAPS membersshould not be teaching aesthetic surgerytechniques and procedures to non-coresand 79.8% believed that our membersshould not teach cosmetic medicine (non-ablative lasers and injectibles) tonon-cores. The comments to respondentsreinforced these findings and echoed thedeep concern of board certified plastic surgeons for patient safety through appropriate training, science, and honestmarketing. ASAPS members are willing toput their money on the line to addressthese concerns. Medical societies typicallyreceive industry support in the way ofadvertising revenues, grants, or othermechanisms. Almost three fourths ofrespondents (72.8%) felt that ASAPSshould refuse to accept money from companies that violate ASAPS concepts ofsafe patient care or whose advertising isfalse or misleading, even if it leads toincreased dues or meeting registration.Fully 90% would like to see a portion oftheir dues be used to take a much moreaggressive position against deceptive adver-tising or promotion of surgery by non-surgeons. The vast majority of our members(87.6%) felt that we should cooperate with“core” physicians to cooperatively addressissues of company behavior or non-corephysicians in aesthetic surgery, therebyincreasing our numbers and influence.

Felmont Eaves, III, MD is President ofThe Aesthetic Society.

Are companies selling invasive surgicalproducts to non-surgeons (e.g. sellinglaser lipoplasty machines or breastimplants to primary care physicians) asignificant patient safety issue?

n Yes, even with company training such individuals are not qualified to...

n No, as long as they provide sufficient training

n No opinion

Would you like to see a portion ofyour dues be used to take a muchmore aggressive position againstdeceptive advertising or promotionof surgery by non-surgeons?

n Yes, and it is a significant problem

n Somewhat, but it is not much of an issue

n No, it is not a problem

Yes

No

No opinion

0 200 400 600

Do you believe that some segmentsof the aesthetic surgery and cosmeticmedicine marketplace engage indeceptive advertising and/or unsubstantiated claims?

ASAPS Membership Survey: Ethics, Non-Cores and AdvertisingFelmont F. Eaves, III, MD

BienniAl

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G r e e c e

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I t a l y

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6–13

2011

Chair

Jeffrey M. Kenkel, MD

Vice Chair

Dennis C. Hammond, MD

www.surgery.org/cruise2011

Aesthetic Surgery on the

Adriatic

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®

Notice anything different this year inthe Washington, DC exhibit hall? Maybethe dearth of “reminder gifts,” like engravedpens and key chains? Welcome to PhRMA/AdvaMed, a 2009 voluntary stepping backby device and pharmaceutical manufacturersfrom the medical profession’s perceivedculture of influence. So is all this reallynecessary?

Apparently so. Here’s the goal forPhRMA and AdvaMed:

A healthcare professional’s careof patients should be based, and should be perceived

as being based, solely on each patient’s medical needs and

the healthcare professional’smedical knowledge and

experience.

No ASAPS member would seriouslychallenge this proposition, but it’s humannature to believe our professional trainingrenders us intellectually immune to theinfluence of entertainment, recreation,resort and restaurant “gifts” flowing fromindustry. On the other hand, industrywouldn’t continue to offer such “gifts”unless they believed they successfully influenced physician purchasing and prescribing behaviors. Since we have heardunconfirmed reports that members continueto pressure industry representatives to“work around” the restrictions, the needfor marketing codes of conduct appears tobe well-founded.

Our exhibitors aren’t nostalgic aboutthese perks, because eliminating themhelps during HHS investigations, and itsaves them money which then gets reroutedinto properly structured corporate supportand educational grants which benefit allASAPS members instead of a chosen few.Even our non-device and non-pharmaceu-tical exhibitors eliminated their annualmeeting reminder gifts at the Gaylord,suggesting there is broad industry supportfor these reforms.

PhRMA and AdvaMed are voluntary,but Massachusetts enacted them into law.So what can members and exhibitorsexpect in Boston next May? Memberswon’t see any difference; meals, entertain-ment, recreation and reminder gifts are stillprohibited, but unlike Vermont which prohibits “food,” Massachusetts only prohibits “meals” in the exhibit hall, soHershey Kisses are still safe.

Device and pharmaceutical exhibitors(all others are exempt) will see one differ-ence: Massachusetts (and Vermont, slightlydifferent rules) requires yearly registration,a fee, adoption of a marketing code of conduct, appointment of a complianceofficer, and disclosure of advertising andCME activities, something not required byPhRMA, AdvaMed or the other 48 states.If you want more info, the law is here:http://www.mass.gov/Eeohhs2/docs/dph/regs/105cmr970.pdf and an explanation ishere: http://www.sonnenschein.com/docs/docs_healthcare/03-11.pharm_faqs.pdf.

You can do your part and support ourexhibitors in Boston in their compliance.It’s also in your self-interest: Massachusettsisn’t taking any chances with doctors or with device and pharmaceutical manufacturers:

A person who knowingly andwillfully violates 105 CMR 970.000

shall be punished by a fine of not more than $5,000for each transaction, occurrence or event.

Industry is already embracing thesecodes of conduct; Massachusetts just wantsthem to prove it, and if you’re a health carepractitioner (not just a plastic surgeon),Massachusetts wants you to support thesecodes as well and ensure that your medicaldecisions are based on your knowledge,your experience, and your patient’s needs,and not on industry perks. See you inBoston!

Bob Aicher, Esq. is The Society’sCorporate Council.


ROBERT H. AICHER, ESQ.

LEGALUpdate:

PhRMA Redux

The Aesthetic Society is proud to present our

PREMIER INDUSTRY PARTNERS

PA R T N E R

PREMIER INDUSTRY

Medicis Aesthetics is dedicated to helping patients attain ahealthy and youthful appearance and self-image, and to helpyou redefine beauty in your patients. It’s at the heart of everything we do for you. And it’s why we offer a comprehensivecollection of products for your facial aesthetics practice.

Sientra™ offers an array of plastic surgery implantabledevices for cosmetic and reconstructive surgery, including

breast implants, tissue expanders, body contouringimplants and specialty products, including the Silimed®

brand portfolio of products.

The Industry Partnership Program has been created to align the mission and goals of the Aesthetic Society with those companies providing products and services to our members.

Premier Industry Partners share our desire to empower Society members to provide the best patient care possible. We encourage you to learn more

about their products by visiting their websites.www.sculptraaesthetic.com • www.sientra.com • www.medicis.com

If you would like information on partnering with the Aesthetic Society, please contact Kathie Muehlebach at

562-799-2356 or [email protected]

For nearly 6 decades, Dermik, a business of sanofi-aventis U.S. LLC, has pioneered the development of new pharmaceutical products that span aesthetic and therapeutic dermatology. sanofi-aventis is a leading global pharmaceutical company that discovers, develops and distributestherapeutic solutions to help improve the lives of patients.

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