2024 Meetings
Mentor’s Breast Symposium is one of the highlights of our calendar. This time, we met in Amsterdam, and the symposium was packed with interesting talks based on the themes of Right implant, Right patient, and Right procedure. The theme brought together a fantastic group of speakers and topics.
It is the largest annual gathering dedicated to breast surgery, with more than 400 participants from around the world.
This year’s theme allowed us to participate in incredible expertise and many exciting results in breast implants and plastic surgery!
Dr. Martin Halle, informed about the importance of participating in breast implant registries and the importance of this for patient safety. Dr. Sara Dominguez Bengoa shared findings from 21 years of breast implant follow-up, Mentor’s CPG/anatomic implants. The research includes 835 patients with 1674 implants and six types of surgery.
Uppsala Breast Meeting 2024
We participated in the first Uppsala Breast Meeting 2024 organized by Akademiska Sjukhuset, Uppsala University and GReTA, bringing together more than 100 specialists from around the world to share knowledge and discuss practice in breast implant surgery.
Dr. Bashar Zeidan discussed how to successfully use TIGR, surgical mesh, in breast implant surgery and presented his experiences with TIGR Matrix, a fully synthetic, 100% animal product-free surgical long-term resorbable mesh for reconstructive and aesthetic breast surgery. Henrik Hjort, the CEO of Novus Scientific (the manufacturer of TIGR), introduced us to this innovative medical equipment used by surgeons around the world.
Beauty Through Science 2024
BTS is the most prestigious aesthetic meeting, gathering plastic surgeons, dermatologists, and clinical staff to share and discuss knowledge, findings, and experiences towards delivering the best results for patients. Although opinions are divided between proponents of round and anatomical implants, different surfaces and procedures, the overall conclusion is that there is no perfect implant. Instead, The goal is to find the most suitable implant for each patient, just like we saw in Amsterdam, proving that patient needs are at the forefront of every concern.
Mentor organized an interactive panel discussion with Dr. Bill Adams (USA) as moderator and Dr. Marc Pacifico (UK), Dr. Sara Dominquez Bengoa (Spain), and Prof. Yoav Barnea (Israel) as panelists. They explored implant selection and surgical planning for complex cases. The session included patient cases that provided valuable insights into the decision-making process for selecting the most appropriate implants to achieve predictable and long-term results.
https://youtu.be/Nc6HjwHiDOI
Kirurgiska Programet
The surgical program included further discussions of surfaces and matrices, including microtexture and polyurethane surfaces, as well as perspectives on the differences between matrix, mesh, and ADM. The session formats were also innovative, with surgeons presenting their best cases in minutes, followed by enlightening group discussions that allowed the audience to share different perspectives on the same topic.
Speakers emphasized the importance of data and research in improving practice and outcomes and introduced several research articles on treatments and procedures in breast surgery.
The surgical program included other discussions of surfaces and scaffolds involving microtexture and polyurethane surfaces, with perspectives on the differences between matrix, mesh, and ADM.
Dr. Martin Halle presented an update from the Swedish Breast Implant Registry (BRIMP). He explored how the registry provides objective data for surgeons and industry, improving women’s health and safety already today. The registry has increased our knowledge of potential complications and the overall outcomes of implants.
At the same time, Dr. Paolo Montemurrro presented several cases, including rotational predisposing factors for anatomical implants, based on data from over 1500 patients. He also analyzed whether anatomical implants lead to more complications, based on a study of 648 patients over six years. The research showed that anatomical implants have fewer complications than round implants (9% vs. 11.9%, respectively), disproving the assumption that anatomical implants cause more complications.
https://youtu.be/u5XuuZhjSwk
Although opinions are divided between proponents of round and anatomical implants and different surfaces and procedures, the overall conclusion is that there is no perfect implant. Instead, The goal is to find the most suitable implant for each patient.
The meeting, a collaborative effort with a diverse range of speakers, offered an equally engaging program, making it a challenge to condense the rich discussions into a few lines.
Key insights include the general assumption that there are no perfect breast implants and that one must find the best solution for each patient. The importance of educating patients and clarifying the facts due to the prevalence of misinformation online was emphasized, as was the impact of social media platforms on self-image, self-esteem and health. Also discussed was the need to use social media as a marketing tool to build and guarantee one’s professional reputation by creating content that engages patients, builds trust, manages crisis communication, and damages control from negative (and sometimes inaccurate) online reviews.
https://youtu.be/c7FccbYAElg
Malpractice was also discussed, and ensuring we are attuned to the need was again noted. Being able to perform a task routinely doesn’t mean we can’t fail, and Lisa Grunebaum reminded us that in these busy times, we need to slow down, become more efficient and reduce risk.
Icke-kirurgiska programmet
The non-surgical program brought together many international speakers who updated us on the most promising techniques and revolutionary hair growth methods, permanent injections, fillers and toxins, mesotoxins, nanofats, HA and non-surgical facelift. The focus was on less invasive and non-surgical treatments and a broader approach to aging. Discussions touched on how excessive aesthetic concerns can negatively affect health, highlighting the psychological effects and social pressure to achieve perfect bodies and beauty standards spread via social media. We have no objective tools for evaluation, so patient education is very important. This affects patients of all ages with impossible body ideals and filtered faces.
https://youtu.be/lgSBB2kk9x8
Important things include new ideas and conceptualizations about aging. Every patient is unique and has specific facial rejuvenation needs, and everyone can benefit from improving their skin quality. However, we learned the difference between rejuvenation and surgery, where rejuvenation involves turning back the clock, while regenerative surgery slows the ticking of the clock. This represents a new challenge and opportunity for the future towards the concept of preventive rejuvenation. Real anti-aging efforts should begin early in life to extend the disease-free interval and promote healthier, longer lives.
BTS also revealed relevant information and experiences on business management, including customer and patient relations, using social media as a growth tool and digital platforms to attract and retain patients. They emphasized how to relate to patients through social media. Miguel Pierre provided insightful considerations on how AI can be a valuable tool for your practice. He explained how AI tools can be introduced to implement marketing strategies. Michelle Henry discussed using social media, particularly Instagram, as a tool to build trust and foster long-term patient relationships based on her own experiences. Patients are online, and almost 75% use social media to look for information. Due to misinformation, we need to make sure we check the story.
https://youtu.be/mk4Aahkl6pI
Marc Pacifico presented several examples of customer communication, focusing on dealing with disgruntled patients who criticize you on social media. For many patients, it seems that everything is possible to do, but we know it is not. It only takes one patient returning unhappily to make you unhappy because it will drain your energy and attention. Using Tripadvisor’s example, he shared case studies and, based on his own experience, advised us to remain calm, keep communication simple, always give honest explanations and suggest solutions. The review and the response will be available online for all to read.
https://youtu.be/Ufaz9FGyk74
Follow us on Linkedin, YouTube and social media as we’ll be sharing some insightful details from BTS in the coming weeks!