European Academy of Facial Plastic Surgery

The annual meeting of the European Academy of Facial Plastic Surgery this year was held in the vibrant and welcoming city of Dublin, the capital of Ireland. This was the first time that the Academy traveled to Ireland, and we congratulate the Organizing Committee for serving up such sumptuous fare. The professional standard at this meeting was high and the members benefited from the vast experience of experts from Europe and beyond.

This year's meeting had special emphasis on trainng in facial plastic surgery. Mr. Paul Burns, a specialist Registrar in Otolaryngology, presented the findings of a questionnaire that highlighted the exponential rise of interest in this subspecialty in the United Kingdom (UK) and Ireland. A study from Amsterdam recently had shown a similar trend in the Netherlands. The emphasis on training was amply demonstrated by introducing the hands-on dissection workshops for the first time. These were held in the anatomy laboratories of the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland on the third day of the meeting. The RCSI was founded in 1784 and is responsible for postgraduate training in Ireland. Its corridoors are steeped in history.

There were three special lectures during the meeting. The first was the Joseph Lecture, “Facial Plastic Surgery: A Global Specialty,” by Dr. Wayne Larrabee of the United States, President of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. This lecture was delivered beautifully and took the audience along a journey of providing care and surgical expertise of the highest standard to far-flung areas on the globe with limited access to such care. It was a beautiful collage of memories spanning many continents. He shared with us the joyous moments spent with his patients and their families while traveling with fellow surgeons. His vision of developing our specialty on a global front was displayed eloquently.

The keynote address, “Face Transplantation,” by Dr. Benoit Lengele, a member of the pioneer French team that shook the medical community by their first successful partial facial transplantation, was undoubtedly the high point of this year's meeting. The impassioned description of their journey was both amazing and exhilarating. The attention given to minute details and to the sensitivities of the involved families showed how well the team anticipated what they were exposing the world to. The delivery was artistic and sensitive. The substance was rich and worthy of such a momentous achievement. It excelled at both professional and human levels. Dr. Lengele and his team's special feat was celebrated by thunderous applause from an audience that knew they had witnessed history in the making.

The scientific program included sections on rhinoplasty, facial plastic techniques, blepharoplasty, nonsurgical aesthetics, facial reconstruction, plastic surgery of the ear, and risk analysis in facial plastic surgery spread over the fourth and fifth of September. There were two sessions available for free papers.

The sections on Rhinoplasty were chaired by Mr. Tony Bull and Mr. Kris Conrad on day 1 and by Dr. Pietro Palma and Professor Gilbert J. Nolst Trenité on day 2. Mr. Julian Rowe Jones kicked off this popular section with his lecture on “Surgery for Disorders of the Nasal Tip, Projection and Rotation.” Professor Nolst Trenité discussed the issues surrounding cosmetic surgery on the short nose. Mr. Munish Shandilya of Ireland, presently a fellow in FPRS at Amsterdam with Professor Nolst Trenité, presented this unit's substantial experience of nasal surgery in children. Dr. Gerhard Rettinger spoke of secondary rhinoplasty in the unilateral cleft lip nose. Dr. Pietro Palma from Italy discussed the failed nasal profileplasty. Mr. Hesham Saleh from the UK showed how important it is to be aware of facial asymmetry in rhinoplasty candidates.

The second section on Rhinoplasty next day was inaugurated by Professor Kris Conrad of Toronto, Canada. His presentation revolved around the difficult nose. Dr. Dario Bartossi of Italy shared his 20-year follow-up in rhinoplasty. Dr. Hans Behrbohm of Germany discussed the diagnostic strategy in secondary rhinoplasty and stressed the importance of palpation. Dr. Wolfgag Gubisch of Germany described his philosophy of handling the difficult nose. He displayed his experience with reduction of medial and lateral crurae of the alar cartilage and showed examples of vertical dorsal skin excision in cases with excessive skin envelope. Dr. Nedim Pipic of Austria displayed his results in difficult rhinoplasty using cartilage and bone grafts. Mr. Nasser Nasser of the UK showed that premaxillary augmentation can be a useful adjunct to rhinoplasty.

The section on Techniques of Facial Plastic Surgery was chaired by Mr. David Roberts of the UK and Dr. Nedim Pipic of Austria. Dr. Jarl Bunaes of Norway started this session with a detailed account on “Facial Rejuvenation, Surgery and Other Methods.” Mr. Jack Lancer gave a very comprehensive overview of facial flaps and assured the aspiring facial plastic surgeons that all they need is “20 odd flaps” in their armamentarium. Professor Kris Conrad shared his vast experience with using Goretex in rhinoplasty and gave a very balanced account of this material and his long-term results.

The section on Blepharoplasty and Face Lifts was chaired by Dr. Claus Walter of Switzerland and Dr. Dominique Rheims of France. Dr. Herve Raspaldo of France discussed good indicators in blepharoplasty. Mr. Dev Roy from the UK, Professor Kris Conrad of Canada, and Jose Santini of France presented their techniques and preferences in face lift surgery.

The increasingly popular section on Nonsurgical Aesthetics was chaired by Professor Michael Walsh of the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland and Ms. Lydia Badia of the UK. The indications, techniques, and the role of Botox and dermal fillers were described by surgeons practicing face rejuvenation surgery. Mr. Maurice Collins showcased the state of the art in hair transplantation in facial plastic surgery.

The free paper sections allowed 10 presentations. Ms. Aidah Isa of the UK delivered an interesting paper on assessing patients' benefit in rhinoplasty. Ms. Mona Thornton of Ireland described a technique of total reconstruction of the nasal dorsum. The standard of presentations in this section was good throughout.

The section on Facial Reconstruction was chaired by Mr. Martin Donnelly of Ireland and Mr. Peter Lohuis of the Netherlands and was an informative session with lectures by Mr. Michael Early, Mr. William O'Conner, and Mr. Michael Harney of Ireland. This section concluded with a lecture on the ethics of face transplantation delivered by Mr. Peter Butler of the UK.

The section on Plastic Surgery of the Ear was chaired by Dr. Ralf Siegert of Germany and Mr. Don McShane of Ireland. Mr. Charles East gave an excellent overview of techniques used in otoplasty. Dr. Werner Heppt of Germany explained why he preferred the Walter excision technique, whereas Dr. Herman Raunig defended his preference for the scoring technique and showed his elegant minimally invasive scoring modifications. Mr. Tony Bull apologised for his “Armstrong voice” and showed with his beautiful diagrams why the suture technique is the king. Dr. Vasilis Pavlidelis of Greece demonstrated his technique of ear reduction in macrotia. This most informative section was rounded up with refinements in ear reconstruction by David Gault of the UK and in microtia repair by Ralf Siegart of Germany.

Mr. Thomas Ryan, President of the Royal Hibernian Academy, delivered the other keynote address, “The Portrait Face.” It was an interesting note on which to end this year's academic program. Dr. Ryan encouraged the surgeons to experience clay modeling and enhance their feel for the facial form.

The guest of honour was Dr. Wilfred Goodman from the University of Toronto. For his pioneering work, he is widely regarded as the father of external rhinoplasty. Dr. Goodman was conferred the Honourary Fellowship of the RCSI for his achievements. The ceremony took place on Tuesday, September 5.

The social events included a gala dinner at the Conrad Hotel in the Dublin city center and a faculty dinner at the yacht club. Both these events were expertly organized and once again reminded the guests of the famous Irish hospitality.

Our congratulations to the Organizing Committee members of the annual meeting of EAFPS in Ireland:

Mr. Andrew Maguire

Professor Michael Walsh

Mr. Martin Donnelly

Professor Gilbert J. Nolst Trenité

Dr. Pietro Palma

Dr. Ralf Siegart

Figure 1 Dr. Wayne LarrabyLarrabee, President of The the AAFPRS, delivered The the Joseph Lecturelecture, “Facial Plastic Surgery: A Global Specialty.”

Figure 2 From left: Mr. Andrew Maguire, Vice President of the EAFPS in Ireland; Professor Gilbert J. Nolst Trenitée, President of the EAFPS; Dr. Benoit Lengele, after delivering the keynote address, “Face Transplantation”; and Professor Michael Walsh of The the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland.

Figure 3 Mr. Pietro Palma of Italy, General Secretary of the EAFPS.

Figure 4 From left: Professor Gilbert J. Nolst Trenitée, President of the EAFPS; Mr. Andrew Maguire, Vice President for EAFPS in Ireland; and Mr. Munish Shandilya (Fellow fellow FPRS with Professor Nolst Trenitée in Amsterdam).

Figure 5 Professor Kris Conrad from Toronto, Canada.

Figure 6 Mr. Tony Bull defending the dome division technique.

Figure 7 Dr. Wilf Goodman at the special conferring ceremony of the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland.