By: Mr Rajiv Grover
Created on 09th November 2009
Mr Rajiv Grover, Consultant Plastic Surgeon and Secretary of BAAPS, cautions the public that they should thoroughly investigate any treatment before embarking on potentially life-changing decisions
The 2009 Annual Meeting of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) was held in Cardiff this September. The primary aim of the BAAPS conference is the education of surgeons in new techniques and the promotion of safety in the field of aesthetic surgery. As the BAAPS also exists to provide the public with accurate advice on aesthetic surgery it is essential that new technologies are assessed and debated in a scientific forum in order that safe, unbiased information is easily available.
One of the main topics discussed at the meeting was fat transfer. This is a technique for removing fat from unwanted areas and transplanting it either to the face to replace volume which occurs with ageing or perhaps to the breast which is at present a very new technique.
Dr Sydney Coleman of New York, the main pioneer of modern fat transfer, opened the Conference with a lecture on ‘The Art with the Science' of fat grafting. Following Dr Coleman's presentation was Dr Roger Khouri from Miami, who spoke about fat grafting of the breast.
Although the combination of fat removal from the abdomen and replacement in the breast potentially offers ‘two benefits for one', the transfer of fat to the breast does cause some calcium deposits to form. The concern here is that calcium deposits in the breast are also found in some early breast cancers so the appearance of these with fat transfer could cause confusion with mammograms used to detect breast cancer.
Although this is an exciting area it is likely that the British Association of Surgical Oncology (BASO) will recommend that women contemplating this should only be treated as part of a clinical trial until long-term studies are available to evaluate this potential risk of confusion with mammography when looking for breast cancer.
A major event of the Conference was the delivery of the Lowry Lecture, commemorating Professor John Lowry who passed away a year ago. Professor Lowry had championed standards in aesthetic surgery and the lecture was delivered by Dr Foad Nahai from Atlanta, who is one of the most famous plastic surgeons in the world today as well as former President of the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (ASAPS).
Dr Nahai spoke on risk reduction in aesthetic surgery internationally, which was then followed by another presentation that investigated the amount of information given by websites offering cosmetic surgery overseas. Few of the sites gave information on the procedures and almost none (less than one in ten) provided information on the risks related to aesthetic procedures.
It is clear from the meeting that aesthetic surgery is an area where innovation is flourishing, however the application of new techniques for the public should only be recommended with caution after careful clinical trials. The BAAPS exists to debate and study these techniques so that its advice puts public safety as the first priority. The public is therefore urged to think carefully before embracing anything new which is often hyped by the press and seek guidance from the BAAPS website (www.baaps.org.uk) for up to date information.
CS&AM
Mr Rajiv Grover works as an NHS Consultant in Plastic Surgery as well as running a private practice in Harley Street and London's King Edward VII Hospital. He is the secretary of the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) and is responsible for the Royal College of Surgeons audit of cosmetic surgery and safety. For more information on Mr Rajiv Grover visit www.rajivgrover.co.uk.
