By Bill Murphy, MD, Medical Director, Turquoise Springs Medical Spa

Yes, we had lots of fun, and we have no intention of leaving it in Vegas and not telling you about it. Our crew of aesthetic professionals at Turquoise Springs Medical Spa joined 2000 others from around the globe last month. We arrived at the beautiful Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas for the annual American Medical Spa Association convention. Why would we not leave our secrets in Vegas? Well, because much of the fun was during the daytime with our colleagues from Europe, Asia, South America, Australia, Africa, and all over North America and the United States. We spent three full days learning from each other, sharing new ideas, and improving our skills so we can take better care of you.

Medical Aesthetics is a diverse field made up of many different medical specialists. All are represented as members in the AMSPA organization and come together once per year to learn from each other. Our field is made up of dermatologists, plastic surgeons, facial aesthetic surgeons, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, registered nurses, anesthesiologists, laser and regenerative specialists, and many others. Each discipline has much to share, from a variety of perspectives, to create the growing field of medical aesthetics.

Please allow me to share with you several topics I am most excited about after this year’s meeting.

First, lifting threads for moving and lifting tissue is better and more popular than ever. I spent time with some of the best physicians in the world and picked their brains about the work they are doing with new types of threads and new techniques. I spent over an hour with Dr. Kwok of South Korea, discussing his reverse threading techniques for lifting sagging neck and lower face tissue with new molded threads. I am very excited about this technique, and I am adding it to my already extensive repertoire of threading procedures.

Second, I learned how many things we are already doing better than most spas in the world. I was already sure of this, but it was very cool to see the satisfied faces of my staff when they began to realize it as well. As they attended successive sessions on topical care, skin products, Hydrafacial techniques, patient safety, botanicals, Microneedling and radiofrequency, and laser safety protocols, I could see them or hear them realize, ” we already do that.” It is good to know and recognize there is education in being acknowledged by colleagues and having what you are already doing certified as “standard of care” by experts in the field.

Another major topic at the meeting was the role of collagen rejuvenation procedures and the use of injectable agents to stimulate collagen in concert with these procedures. I continue to realize how important it is to link collagen bio-stimulators like Sculptra with what I feel is our most important procedure for long-term skin care. The workhorse of our spa and my favorite procedure for both short and long-term results is the Secret RF. I spoke to many clinicians there about the success we are having in San Antonio with combining bio-stimulators with Microneedling/RF for neck, face, and body rejuvenation. I picked up some tips on making the procedure much more comfortable, and I will be making some changes in our anesthesia choices for these same procedures. All in all, it was a wonderful trip for our staff and for me. We are already planning for next year’s meeting, which will be in Las Vegas again. Please locate our full-page ad in this edition and use the QR Code to download our new Turquoise SpringsVIP APP for your mobile phone.