We were delighted to catch up with Thierry Besins, esteemed Plastic Surgeon and Scientific Director of AMWC.
Can you tell us a little bit about what led you into the field of aesthetic plastic surgery and what have been the highlights so far?
After having performed almost all surgeries, including major surgeries, I gradually found it difficult to deal with and manage the inevitable deaths of certain patients, the unhappiness of families, and the injustice of many situations. I turned to aesthetic and reconstructive plastic surgery, which has become for me a surgery of the soul, of the rebirth of being, and with enormous personal satisfaction. My only goal is to make people happier after the treatment than they were before; if this is not the case then I have failed.
What has been the best piece of advice that you have received in your career and what advice would you offer to those following in your footsteps?
To remain a doctor first and foremost, and to always tell the truth in the interest of the patient, which allows you to keep your power to heal or to manage a complication. Being a doctor must remain a special, ethical and honourable job, too often it can become purely a commercial and soulless one!
You are known for being very dedicated to training; do you see this as an important part of your work and have you continued this virtually during the COVID-19 pandemic?
I love the networking, companionship and sharing of medical education. It is essential in medicine, which is a specialty of permanent doubt; certainties are aberrations, although unfortunately the ego can sometimes take precedence over scientific basis. Of course, we continued education through webinar platforms every month and people like it generally. But, we all need human contact, laughs and discussions . . . they are often more useful around the event than in a scientific room!
You are the Scientific Director of AMWC Monaco. Do you enjoy this role?
It is a great honour to be involved in such a huge scientific machine of 12,000 attendees! It is hugely rewarding (although a lot of work!) to build scientific sessions to interest the greatest number of participants. The mixture of cultures, nationalities and specialties is wonderfully enriching: our aim is to make everyone happier and increase their self-esteem!
In 2022 AMWC will return at the end of March. Can you tell us about the themes and potential highlights of the event?
One of the highlights of this 2022 edition is the focus on the demand for treatments from millennials (likely because of social media). This can create a big problem for practitioners – must we give into their, often outrageous, demands, or not, and how to communicate effectively with them?
On a more technical level, permanent tensor threads for facial rejuvenation will become THE revolution of the next decade and will increasingly supplant fillers and surgery, which are often used with too much excess!
And finally, if you have any spare time, how do you like to relax?
My moments of relaxation come through listening to music, reading and sport. I love to travel but this has, of course, been difficult for the past two years. What a disaster COVID-19 has been!
Many thanks for your time!
Comments are welcome
If you would like to comment on this article please contact:
Chris@pinpoint-scotland.com
