105 speakers from 19 countries gathered in Darmstadt on the first weekend of December to present the latest surgical, as well as interventional, procedures to the loyal and recurring attendees of the Darmstadt Live Symposia.
For 22 years now, this symposium has been held every two years, and the vast majority of participants already have the date for the 12th symposium, which will take place from 28.11.-1.12.2014, firmly marked in their agendas. And it’s worth it! Initiated by Dr. med. Gerhard Sattler, Chief Physician of the Rosenpark Clinic in Darmstadt and pioneer in aesthetic dermatology and dermatosurgery, the congress is now presided over by him and PD Dr. med. Maurizio Podda, Director of the Skin Clinic Darmstadt. The conference secretariat and direction will be managed professionally and with great commitment by Dr. med. Sonja Sattler from the Rosenpark Clinic.
Unique concept
The organization is very elaborate: Surgical procedures, laser treatments, aesthetic dermatological procedures, but also smaller cosmetic treatments are transmitted live from three operating rooms alternately from the Rosenpark Clinic to the congress hall of the Kempinski Hotel in Frankfurt-Gravenbruch. In the theater-seated congress hall, the operations are moderated by an accomplished expert, while on an immense screen the surgeon performs and comments on his procedure directly from the operating room. The moderator in the room will be additionally supported by experts specially selected for this session. This leads to a lively discussion in the lecture hall between the moderator, the surgeon and the experts about the intervention that has just taken place. The audience also has the opportunity to ask questions directly, make comments. This interactive visual concept guarantees a maximum learning effect with above-average practical relevance. These annotated live contributions will be supplemented by selected short lectures in the hall. Thanks to the excellent coordination of the direction, led by Dr. Sattler, the congress participant is thus guided through three or more operations, interventions and topics during a single session. This concept is unique in Europe, probably globally!
Workshops directly in the operating room
Thursday is reserved for the workshops, which are held in small groups directly in the operating room of the Rosenpark Clinic in Darmstadt. The range of workshops is broad and the interested congress participant is often faced with the problem of being “spoilt for choice”. In addition to topics such as “Challenge: the periorbital region – dark circles, crow’s feet, brow ptosis, dermatochalasis and eyelashes”, the participant must decide on alternatives such as “Facial rejuvenation with fillers and volume therapy”, “The aging face – my approach with laser” or “Deep peeling face, neck and hands”.
Sufficient time is allotted for each workshop with four hours. However, these are also necessary, as each topic is examined from different angles by up to four experts. On the one hand, this concept allows the participant to get a fully comprehensive overview in the chosen subfield, but on the other hand, it also gives him the opportunity to exchange ideas directly with the various speakers and the other participants.
Thus, in the workshop of the perioral region, Dr. med. Tanja Fischer showed what can be achieved using laser technology, but also where its limits are. Gerhard Sattler, MD, took on autologous fat versus hyaluronic acid treatment in this particular area. The somewhat different therapy approach of the American colleague C. William Hanke, MD, was also exciting. In the USA, the availability of hyaluron fillers is limited, which on the one hand can possibly lead to a somewhat one-sided view, but on the other hand motivates dermatologists and plastic surgeons working in the field of aesthetics to constantly develop new therapeutic approaches. Dr. Hanke showed some of these techniques, which are less known here in Europe, and gave numerous practical tips and tricks , which the interested participant can already use in his next augmentation treatment.
From scrubs and powder masks
In the “Peeling Workshop”, the author of this article showed that depending on the technique, preparation and post-treatment, quite different results are achieved. Especially with the deep peelings, the success resp. averting dreaded complications very often in the details. The author pointed out that in addition to the correct implementation of the peeling, the pre- and post-treatment are of great importance. Strict follow-up in the post-peel phase is important to properly catch any overreactions. The patients treated in this workshop were briefly presented daily over the course of the next three days, so that in addition to the technique itself, the sometimes impressive reactions after deep peeling were also shown. Dr. med. Marina Landau, president of the “International Peeling Society”, Israel, showed her self-developed phenol peeling method. The face of her patients is occlusively taped immediately after the peel. After 24 hours, the adhesive dressing is removed and patients are given a powder mask containing antibiotics, which is left in place for seven days. According to Dr. Landau, better results can be achieved by this technique due to better depth effect.
Dermatologists and plastic surgeons at the same table
The variety of topics during this weekend was almost inexhaustible and ranged from photodynamic therapy for precancerous lesions and aesthetics to scar management, from the problem area of vessels (legs, hands, face) to hyperhidrosis and tumor surgery with live operations, where flap grafts, but also split and full-thickness skin grafts were shown. In general, it should be emphasized that the platform at the Darmstadt Live Symposium is available in a sympathetic manner not only to dermatologists but also to plastic surgeons in perceived equal shares. The two otherwise sometimes somewhat competing specialty groups were motivated to show their pearls of techniques and each discussed the advantages and disadvantages of each approach – a coming together, an understanding and, above all, an acceptance of the other specialty that must be sought at other international congresses.
On Sunday evening, the end of the symposium, everyone agreed: a high-level event with a lot of practical learning – too bad it’s over!
Source: 11th International Darmstadt Live Symposium, 29.11.-2.12.2012
