My mind is abuzz.
We doctors do CME. Continuing medical education. Meetings, symposia, tests, readings. Medicine is an ever evolving field. CME is a way to make sure we are always learning and striving to improve.
Frequently we go to medical (yawn) meetings (sigh) where you hear the same people from your society talk about the same things. You are lucky when you come home from a three day meeting with one or two good pearls to use in your practice.
TIPS-technology innovation in plastic surgery- meeting was anything but mundane. It was interdisciplinary with researchers, companies, doctors. Plenty of Q&A time. Topics which are salient to now. I am proud to be a board certified plastic surgeon. I am proud of those who organized the meeting and those who attended. As a group they truly seem focused on real science, good medicine, and the future.
Blogs will follow, many of which reach much farther than what most would think of as the realm of plastic surgery. We plastic surgeons are doctors of the skin and wounds. In the past amazing advances have been made with flaps and grafts. Now heralds a new era. Topics:
- Biofilm. Have you even heard of this? It is critical in healing of open wounds, any implants (from hip replacements to breast implants), and a likely culprit in capsular contracture.
- Noninvasive liposuction
- Skin resurfacing. radiofrequency, ultrasound.
- Fat grafting. To the breast and other areas.
- Stem cells. In fat and other areas.
- Tissue engineering. Acellular dermal matrix: mesh now for hernias and breast reconstruction, but in the future scaffolds to create anything?
- Scars scars scars. Insights and some promising new future treatments?
It was a great meeting. I highly recommend to to all plastic surgeons.