5th International Plastic Surgery Symposium, Munich, Germany

The organising committee – Christoph Heitmann, Hisham Fansa, Wolfgang Gubisch and Dirk Richter – invited us to the 5th SOS Symposium that took place in Munich, Germany.

The topic of discussions were exclusively rescue procedures following failed aesthetic surgery operations. The topics covered breast, face, eye lid, nose, body and upper leg treatments, and were presented by eminent lecturers.

The live operations was carried out at the Frauenklinik of Dr Geisenhofer and transmitted directly to the hall at the Sofitel. An ambitious operation programme was planned. Some treatments were watched live, others as edited videos. Such a form allowed the best opportunities to interact and learn.

It was the intention of the SOS Symposium to learn from each other mutually and not to blame the surgeon for any complication. We all experience complications. Some complications cannot be foreseen and we are practically forced to encounter them. Complications may also arise due to one’s wrong surgical diagnosis, as a result of wrong surgical skills, wrong choice of the patient or the surgical technique. It was the objective of the symposium to provide solutions to failed cases, and to learn the methods of avoidance of complications in the future. The operation day was followed by the lecture day, with lectures amended by panel discussions.