IMCAS Alert is a powerful tool on IMCAS Academy developed to promote safe practice to all aesthetic physicians around the world.

Dr Ashraf Badawi and Dr Daniel Cassuto, two coordinators of Alert Groups, share for the first time their personal tips so that you can get the best responses, and therefore the best experience, on IMCAS Alert. You won’t get this kind of advice anywhere else!

Who should post on IMCAS Alert?

Dr Badawi: Any physician who is a member of the IMCAS Alert group can post anonymously an inquiry, a case of complication he faced or even a question for discussion.

Dr Cassuto: IMCAS Alert should be a “shelter” for any practitioner who has to treat an unusual case or a complication but is not sure about its correct management. It is a very fast and effective way to consult with many experts in virtually no time.

How can a user present an attractive case?

Dr Badawi: An attractive title helps! The significant details are important, not too much unnecessary nor missing important details.

What are some of the must-have information to include with my post?

Dr Badawi: Age, skin type, medical history, any concurrent medications, the details of the procedure with any possible parameters

Dr Cassuto: Every case should include all the available information: patient’s detailed history, a detailed description of the problem and its planned treatment and, last but not least, good quality pictures documenting the evolving conditions.

What kind of patient information should I share? And how detailed should my treatment description be?

Dr Badawi: Any parameters and details of treatment available should be mentioned.

Dr Cassuto: All the possible information should be made available to those who will try to help. Problems are often caused by details that we overlook because we because we consider them irrelevant. An expert, meaning someone with more experience, can identify this relevance and suggest the right diagnosis and solution only if this information is given.

A case should be presented as done in a University Hospital Internal Medicine Department. It can’t be an SMS.

Tell us about the importance of following-up on a treatment after posting on IMCAS Alert.

Dr Badawi: It is extremely important to post the follow up photo or update the case according to the progress achieved after the advises received from the colleagues, this will be more motivational for everyone to actively participate. In addition, having a full story is serving the educational purpose of IMCAS Alert.

Dr Cassuto: Follow up by the presenting/treating physician is the only way the whole forum can finally assess whether the diagnosis was correct and the solution appropriate. This way we can all learn a lot from each case. We must all keep learning from these very interesting cases since they can happen to anyone of us.

Do you have any guidelines for the doctors who would like to comment on the cases and share advice?

Dr Cassuto: Please do not “shoot” solutions without having all the relevant information at hand. Do not comment cases without adequate imaging. No verbal description can be adequate in this field. Do not propose treatments without having a tentative diagnosis in mind. Evidence based treatments aren’t usually the rule when dealing with complications. Some sound logical thinking should back up every treatment plan.

What would you like to continue seeing with IMCAS Alert? How do you imagine it in the future?

Dr Badawi: I wish to see more cases with follow up and feedback after managing the complication described. I expect IMCAs alert to be one of the most important platforms serving the medical community.

Dr Cassuto: It would be great if more colleagues from different world areas could join the Alert and share their problematic cases. Globalization has brought people from different ethnic groups to different countries, and the local physicians have not always been trained accordingly. The Alert could easily fill this gap.

As a coordinator, did you learn something new through the posts on IMCAS Alert?

Dr Badawi: All the time. There is always a chance to learn something new. Seeing new cases, reading the comments and the approach of different colleagues is always inspiring and giving me new ideas. I feel lucky to be part of IMCAS Alert family and I do strongly encourage all my colleagues who are not members of our Laser and EBDs group to join us ASAP.

Dr Cassuto: I never stop learning what to do in many cases, but even more what to avoid doing. As written in the Psalms: “From all my teachers I grew wise…”. Everyone posting a case or a comment always teaches me something.