The Aesthetic Surgery Education and Research Foundation (ASERF) is pleased to announce that Dr. Scott Spear will posthumously be awarded the 2018 ASERF Career Achievement Award. The presentation will take place at the Member Business Meeting to be held during The Aesthetic Meeting 2018 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York City on Sunday, April 29.

Quite simply, Dr. Spear was an icon in the field of aesthetic and reconstructive breast surgery, widely viewed as one the brightest and most creative thinkers in the specialty.  Of his many accomplishments, he may be best known for being a pioneer and tireless advocate for nipple-sparing mastectomy that has revolutionized reconstructive breast surgery.  Dr. Spear was instrumental in helping to end the longstanding FDA restrictions on the use of silicone gel breast implants and provided creative solutions for improved outcomes in primary and secondary breast implant surgery.

Dr. Spear was a gifted and innovative educator. As the founding Chairman and longtime chief of the Department of Plastic Surgery at Georgetown University, he helped mentor and train multiple generations of residents and fellows over many years.  Dr. Spear was a fixture as a speaker at ASAPS’s annual meetings and sponsored symposia, and authored many papers and textbooks on all aspects of aesthetic and reconstructive breast surgery. Among his favorite accomplishments was the creation of the Royal and Ancient Society of American Plastic Surgeons (RASAPS), a think tank of many of the nation’s top plastic surgeons who, in lieu of a conference room, have used the world’s most popular golf destinations as their office to discuss how to innovate and improve the specialty. 

Dr. Spear was about family and friendships. This will be his greatest legacy and the gift that he shared with so many. When he passed away suddenly on March 16, 2017, he was survived by his wife Cindy, daughters Alexandra and Geri, and son Louis. (Cindy will be present at the ceremony to receive the award in New York.)

To honor this ground-breaking surgeon, please join us in making a tax-deductible contribution to ASERF. You can make your gift at ASERF’s donation page and even add a personal message in the Comments field.

Your tribute to Dr. Spear will be used to fund valuable research for aesthetic plastic surgery. It will also serve as a nod to his distinguished career and legacy. We look forward to seeing you in New York on April 29 and join us in showing our gratitude to Dr. Spear’s invaluable contribution to our specialty.

Donate today to support ASERF’s mission of research in aesthetic plastic surgery!

ASERF is recognized by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) as a 501[c][3] nonprofit organization. The Foundation’s federal tax identification number is 33-0613185.

Research Intended to Curtail Complications Associated with Increasingly Popular Procedure

New York, NY (November 28, 2017) – Buttock augmentation is one of the fastest growing aesthetic procedures in the United States. According to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS), more than 20,000 procedures were performed in 2016 alone, (a 3,267% increase compared to 2002, when ASAPS first began tracking statistics for buttock augmentation). ASAPS began tracking fat grafting to the buttocks in 2015, and for the two years it has collected that data, an average of 91% of all buttock augmentation procedures have consisted of fat grafting. Recently, The Aesthetic Surgery Education and Research Foundation (ASERF) formed the Gluteal Fat Grafting Task Force to investigate the risks associated with this increasingly popular procedure.

The Task Force, comprised of board-certified plastic surgeons, identified factors that either added risk or proved to be protective and/or preventative techniques associated with the procedure. These findings were published in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal and have led to the adoption of the following recommendations: 

• Avoid injecting fat into the deep muscle
• Use a >4.1 mm single hole injection cannula
• Avoid downward angulation of the cannula
• Position patient and place incisions to create a path that will avoid deep muscle injections
• Maintain constant three-dimensional awareness of the cannula tip
• Only inject when cannula is in motion
• Consider pulmonary fat embolism in unstable intra- and postoperative patients
• Review gluteal vascular anatomy and draw landmarks to identify and avoid injection into the pedicle
• Include risk of fat embolism and surgical alternatives in the informed consent process

The creation of the Fat Grafting Task Force and its findings are important first steps in research and education surrounding this sought-after procedure. It is ASERF’s mission to provide research and data that will contribute to decreasing the morbidity and mortality rates associated with this procedure by educating plastic surgeons about specific techniques. ASERF in concert with ASAPS, is also committed to educating prospective patients about the importance of finding a board-certified plastic surgeon when considering any plastic surgery procedure.

The full study can be found here: https://academic.oup.com/asj/article-abstract/37/10/1199/4499135?redirectedFrom=fulltext

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About the Aesthetic Surgery Journal
The Aesthetic Society Journal is the official publication of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. It is published eight times per year and contains scholarly articles on new advances and procedures pertaining to cosmetic medicine and the plastic surgery industry. ASJ was indexed with MEDLINE/PubMed in 2008 and with the Thomson Reuters Journal Citation Report (JCR; formerly ISI) in 2011. It is the official English-language journal of many major international societies of plastic, aesthetic, and reconstructive surgery representing South America, Central America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. It is also the official journal of The Rhinoplasty Society. The Journal also includes Continuing Medical Education articles and exams.

www.aestheticsurgeryjournal.com

About ASAPS
The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS), is recognized as the world’s leading organization devoted entirely to aesthetic plastic surgery and cosmetic medicine of the face and body.  ASAPS is comprised of over 2,600 Plastic Surgeons; Active Members are certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery (USA) or by the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada and have extensive training in the complete spectrum of surgical and non-surgical aesthetic procedures. International Active Members are certified by equivalent boards of their respective countries. All members worldwide adhere to a strict Code of Ethics and must meet stringent membership requirements.

www.surgery.org