The Gardone Riviera – Salò, May 23rd-26th, 2019

This was the 16th edition of the course organised by Dr Giovanni Botti, dedicated entirely to aesthetic surgery of the ageing face. It took place in one of the most beautiful places in the world, in Salò on the Gardone Riviera, on May 23rd-26th of 2019.

The main topic were new face, neck, upper and lower eyelid operations.

One could think whether after so many years of face and neck operations, patients may be offered new operations beside new techniques. Well, if the world would still have such great and marvellous surgeons as prof. Giovanni Botti, prof. Mario Ceravolo Pelle, prof. Bryan Mendelson, who eagerly share their enormous knowledge and suggest new operation techniques, then one might say that this is possible. This year, the Gardone meeting was divided into two parts. The first were a cadaver course hosted by these wonderful surgeons, during which the participants were able to try out all the new techniques. The remaining two days were lectures, video sessions and round-table talks on the head, face and eyelids. It is incredible, how many new ideas emerged during the meeting.

Everything that happened this year in Gardone expands very much upon the possibilities of operations. In addition, each day, operations were transmitted live from the private plastic surgery clinic of prof. Giovanni Botti. I think that it is only after returning home over the course of the next few days one can slowly analyse the multitude of excellent and valuable things that happened during this trip. The form of the congress was great, because it gave the opportunity to view operations, participate in cadaver exercises and engage in personal contact with the great ones of this world. The scientific committee included not only the great surgeons mentioned earlier, but also Dr André Auersvald of Brazil (incredible two face and neck operations using the new techniques), Dr N. Joshi (new techniques of eye lid operations), Dr N. Waterhouse (new neck operations), Dr P. Tonnard (new methods of application of fat just after a concluded face and neck operation). Knowing the value of this meeting, to all my colleagues – I greatly recommend participation.