Annual Meeting of the Aesthetic Society – San Francisco, CA
- Posted on: Apr 28 2014
I’m writing this post as I’m stuck in the middle seat on an airplane flying from San Francisco back home to Detroit. I’ve spent the past couple days at the annual Aesthetic Meeting, a massive conference organized by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS) and attended by thousands of the top cosmetic plastic surgeons in the world. My trip this year was brief, flying in on Saturday and flying out on Monday, but chock full of great stuff. Some of my highlights from the meeting included:
1. The emergence of Voluma – for years I’ve been a big fan of Sculptra and fat grafting to add volume and rejuvenate the cheeks (midface). Voluma is a new FDA-approved injectable that’s taken the place of Sculptra in many of my patients. The more I use it the more I like it. There were several talks on Voluma at this meeting, and I’m even more impressed now.
2. Filming for a documentary on plastic surgery – I was privileged to bring around a camera crew who are filming a documentary about plastic surgery. I can’t reveal any more than that, but it was a lot of fun hooking the producer and director up with some of the biggest names in my field.
3. Alphaeon – This is a new player in plastic surgery, aesthetics, and the self-pay health care industry. As an investor, it was great to see and feel some of their new acquisitions and offerings. I think we’ll be hearing a lot about Alphaeon in the coming years as they (we) emerge as a major player alongside other aesthetics companies like Valeant and Allergan. It was a pleasure meeting the CEO Robert Grant for the first time. I am Alphaeon!
4. Re-Connecting with some old friends – It was great to see some of my old friends again, and make some new ones, too. I really enjoyed spending time with one of my best friends, Dr. Steven Svehlak, a top Beverly Hills plastic surgeon, and his beautiful wife Wendy. Some other top aesthetic surgeons I enjoyed talking with were Dr. Michael Schenden (Troy, MI), Dr. Bob Basu (Houston, TX), Dr. Chad Tattini (Bloomington, IL), Dr. John Diaz (Beverly Hills, CA), Dr. Tim Sayed (Boca Raton, FL), Dr. Sanjay Grover (Newport Beach, CA), Dr. Brent Moelleken (Beverly Hills, CA), and Dr. George Bitar (Washington, DC).
5. Dinner with Dr. Zein Obagi – I’ve been really impressed with ZO Medical’s new skin care lines and have been selling more and more of their products in my office. I was privileged to have dinner with Dr. Obagi and several of his inner circle of doctors and advisors (like the great author / media extraordinaire Wendy Lewis and Dr. Frank Barone from Toledo, OH) last night at a nice steakhouse in town. A definite highlight.
But the best part of my trip?
Heading back home to see my wife and kids. Can’t wait.
Tagged with: Aesthetic Society, Alphaeon, Annual Meeting, ASAPS, plastic surgery
Posted in: Plastic Surgery News