Dear friends,
It gives me great pleasure in welcoming you to ISPRES: the newly founded Society (International Society of Plastic Regenerative Surgery) which will function within the IPRAS structure. I had the privilege of being elected its first president at its inception in Vancouver during the 16th IPRAS congress.
Plastic surgeons around the world have realized the benefits of fat and fat grafting. The versatility of fat and its innumerable applications both in aesthetic as well as reconstructive surgery has made it the most dependable tool in practice. However, it is important for the plastic surgeons to realize that both technical expertise and knowledge is mandatory for obtaining the desired results.
Therefore, similar surgeons such as me and several others have come together to consolidate this particular aspect of plastic surgery as a foundation for an adjuvant yet independent discipline.
Our primary aim would be to explore the versatility of fat and its use, in simple as well as in the most impregnable problems. We would like to innovate older procedures and use fat as a steady and consistent ally with the conventional methods so as to better the results and redefine the expected outcomes thus, raising our standards in both aesthetic as well as reconstructive surgery.
One of the most important features in the study of lipoaspirate includes its enormous potential as a large house of stem cells in regenerative medicine. This particular aspect has kindled significant interest not only in plastic surgery but in each and every field and facet of medicine the world over.
The aim of this society includes an in-depth research into the ability of lipoaspirate to become not merely a volume filler but the faithful and reliable workhorse in most difficult situations where treatment options are rarely present. The effect of stem cells in various chronic and practically untreatable conditions is coming to light, however, with this one also having to understand the responsibility of using it. Least to say, the safety in imparting these treatments without causing any change in patient condition for the worse, cannot be ignored.
Besides, failure to obtain the much desired results shown by experts as well as inability to be consistent has been a bane of fat grafting among many who have been practicing it.
Thus society also aims to take responsibility to help standardize protocols universally in fat grafting. This would in effect help plastic surgeons across the world to duplicate their treatment techniques as close to the recommended ones as possible with consistent results. In accordance with this, our aim would be to extend help and guidance to plastic surgery societies in general and individual surgeons in particular to follow these guidelines.
This society also aims to be the scientific advisory body to the various regulating governmental health administration councils to specify indications, help choose the recommended treatment options and set statutory limits for safety and thus streamline and simplify patient management.
My task as president is uphill and I am sure to meet several challenges in this maiden venture; However I hope, with the support of Roger Khouri, Syd Coleman, Alessandra Marchi, Gregory Evans, Andreas Yiacoumettis, Brian Kinney and Lee Pu who are giants in this field with enormous experience and knowledge, besides being the main advisory pillars of this society, I will be able to meet and overcome them.
I am sure besides the few names I mentioned above there are several of you who need to contribute your experience and participate in this exciting adventure as well as those who desire to be a part of this family.
ISPRES is in its infancy and a fledgling of its parent the IPRAS. The society hence is not in need of financial support from its potential members as there are no membership dues at the moment. I therefore urge you all to be a part of this exclusive family so that we can join hands and go from strength to strength.
Gino Rigotti
President ISPRES
PS. Please click on the links below to find the ISPRES By-Laws, the ISPRES Board of Directors and the Founding members.
