Aesthetics reports on the second International Association for Prevention of Complications in Aesthetic Medicine (IAPCAM) symposium.

The event took place on September 21 and was held at Church House Conference Centre in Westminster, London, where 120 delegates attended to learn the latest information and advice on complication management.

Conference director and aesthetic practitioner Dr Beatriz Molina introduced the meeting agenda alongside facial plastic surgeon Mr Frank Rosengaus Leizgold, who helped co-host the day. Kicking off the talks was aesthetic practitioner Dr Harryono Judodihardjo, who discussed considerations of complications and differential diagnosis techniques. He advised, “When faced with complications do not panic, but instead think logically. Ask yourself ‘can this complication be due to the treatment’ and ‘how severe is it?’” 

Then, aesthetic practitioner Dr Philippe Hamida-Pisal presented a talk on prevention and management of complications in mesotherapy. Following this, physician Professor Syed Haq performed a live demonstration of a full-face polydioxanone (PDO) thread lift. This was later followed by aesthetic practitioner Dr Nestor Demosthenous, who showcased a full-face thread lift with poly-L-lactic acid (PLLA) threads which provided an alternative option to the previous variant of threads shown. 

Following the thread theme, aesthetic practitioner Dr Kuldeep Minocha discussed the most common complications when treating the neck with fillers and threads. His tip was to, “Always advise patients to disinfect their hands before the procedure as usually the first they do after is touch their face.” 

Partner at law firm Hill Dickinson Emma Galland talked on mitigating the cost of a complication and best practice before and after a treatment, in which the key message was to ‘document everything.’ Ending a busy morning was dental surgeon Mr Andrew Greenwood who performed a live demonstration on using hyaluronidase for dermal filler complications. 

Guests were treated to a delicious lunch and given time to walk around the exhibition which housed well-known companies including Medical Aesthetic Group, HA-Derma, Aesthetic Source, Enhance Insurance, plus many more. 

After this, maxilloplastic surgeon Mr Jeff Downie and aesthetic practitioner Dr Gabriel Siquier Dameto co-hosted a session on understanding the anatomy. Mr Downie demonstrated this with detailed videos of the anatomy and Dr Siquier Dameto put it into practice with live demonstrations using dermal filler to the cheek, chin and lips. 

Medical device specialists Feza Haque and Salma Husain from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, then presented on current regulatory considerations of medical devices. This was followed by presentations of successful case studies from consultant dermatologist Dr Sandeep Cliff, aesthetic practitioner Dr Sophie Shotter and Dr Molina. 

To round up the day, a live panel discussion took place featuring Dr Cliff, Dr Rosengaus Leizgold, Dr Shotter, Dr Siquier, Dr Nestor Demosthenous, Mr Greenwood, Dr Minocha and Dr Molina. Delegates were able to ask questions to the panel, which included regulation, product recommendations and case-by-case advice. 

Dr Molina concluded, “It’s been another great day for all involved. Great speakers, an innovative agenda and fantastic support from all our sponsors helped us to provide a very educational day for our delegates. We have been able to hold an open, honest forum, allowing all to share their experiences with the difficult topic of complications within the aesthetic specialty. We look forward to seeing everyone back for next years’ IAPCAM symposium.”