P.za Bra
37121 Verona
Italy
Dario Bertossi presenting the conference bell to Alwyn D’Souza, starting a new tradition.
Riccardo Nocini, EAFPS Fellow.
The 46th annual meeting of the European Academy of Facial Plastic Surgery (EAFPS) was held at the iconic Palazzo della Gran Guardia in Verona, organised by Dr Stelio Antonio Mocella, the Meeting Chair and Professor Dario Bertossi the Programme Chair.
The three-day meeting was kick-started by an exceptional lecture by Professor Pier Francesco Nocini, Dean of the University of Verona, sharing his 35 years of experience in head and neck surgery, and by Dr Russell Kridel, the legendary facial plastic surgeon, on reconstructive septorhinoplasty. The inaugural ceremony was led by Dr Mocella and Dr Bertossi, with the presidential address delivered by Professor Alwyn D’Souza, culminating in a tintinnabulation of the EAFPS conference bell, starting a distinct new tradition.
Panels and video sessions over the following three days covered controversies and innovative techniques in aesthetic and functional septorhinoplasty, ageing face surgery, forehead and brow lift, otoplasty, facial nerve reanimation, facial reconstruction, orthognathic surgery, scar revision surgery, head and neck oncologic reconstruction and psychological aspects of facial plastic surgery. A session in ‘Women in facial plastic surgery’ and a young surgeons’ session were among the highlights. Additionally, delegates participated in an advanced techniques rhinoplasty wet lab, 18 live sessions on non-invasive techniques and one full day watching live surgery.
The meeting was held in three different rooms, with instructional courses, video sessions, oral communications, as well as monothematic courses. Providing a global perspective were more than 200 speakers from 56 countries, including some of the most established names from across the globe. This, and other scientific opportunities, led to the presence of over 600 colleagues.
Pictured: Stelio Mocella, Pier Francesco Nocini, Alwyn D’Souza and Dario Bertossi.
The traditional celebrated ‘Joseph lecture’ was delivered by Professor Pietro Palma from Milan, outlining 35 years of experience with pearls of wisdom shared with the younger generation of surgeons, highlighting the merits and mastery of endonasal rhinoplasty.
Dr Toriumi gave the keynote lecture on rhinoplasty. He shared the highlights and pitfalls of his successful rhinoplasty practice and detailed some of his experience in the field. Meanwhile, Prof D’Souza delivered the keynote talk entitled ‘100 shades of success: how to get from where you are to where you want to be,’ an inspiration to younger aspiring surgeons.
On Saturday night the Main Hall of Palazzo Della Gran Guardia was transformed into a breathtaking venue, hosting the gala dinner, an amazing event with attention paid to every detail, an occasion where friends and colleagues shared memories through a video session and finally, live music and a 70s atmosphere, songs, and the super nose cake that epitomised the evening!
On the final day, 48 young surgeons took part in free paper presentation session, allowing exchange of scientific knowledge and innovative ideas, creating a fertile ground for the future of facial plastic surgery.
Overall, this was an exceptional scientific meeting with key updates from various bearers of facial plastic surgery, including otorhinolaryngologists, maxillo-facial surgeons and plastic surgeons, offering a fantastic opportunity to meet, socialise and learn together in a beautiful atmosphere. The EAFPS Annual meeting is a must attend on the facial plastic surgery calendar, so please save the date – 20-22 September 2024 – for EAFPS 2024 in Istanbul, Turkey.
Pictured above: Abdulkadhir Goksel, Jose Carlos Neves, Russell Kridell, Pietro Palma, Alwyn D’Souza, Hesham Saleh and Frank Riedel.
