Dr Philippe Kestemont is an aesthetic head and neck surgeon based in France and has managed the annual course of ‘Surgical anatomy of the face’ at the School of Anatomy and Surgery of the Faculty of Medicine of Nice since 1996.

Dr Kestemont will be conducting a cadaver dissection at the School of Anatomy and Surgery of the Faculty of Medicine of Nice, which will be live streamed directly into the Anatomy of Cadaver Workshop at IMCAS Asia 2017.

We asked Dr Kestemont a few questions about why the Anatomy on Cadaver Workshop is the ‘must not miss’ event of IMCAS Asia 2017.

Why is the Anatomy on Cadaver Workshop such an important session at IMCAS Asia 2017?

Over the last 20 years aesthetic treatment techniques have evolved and changed, to the point that we can now not imagine applying these techniques without a thorough knowledge and understanding of anatomy. We are no longer exercising plain and superficial treatments – we are carrying out volumetric augmentation. This involves going deep into the skin, with cannulas and threads, which affect the whole zone of the face or the body. Extra care and attention must be given in order to not affect any nerve or arteries, and to avoid damaging any muscles.

The study of the anatomy is undergone in the very first year of medical studies, and after we feel like we have mastered it, not many of us return to it. This can create a knowledge deficit and we are coming to realize that it is important to continually improve our anatomical knowledge and masterfully manage our treatment techniques to produce the best results for our patients.

Who should attend the workshop?

Everyone should attend this workshop – surgeons, plastic surgeons, physicians and dermatologists. Of course the expectations and needs of each attendee won’t be the same, but the lessons will be invaluable for everyone.

I like to compare it to driving. When you have been driving for a while you start to think that you don’t need to go back and read or study the theory, because you already know how to drive. However that’s not exactly true. Everyone should go back and refresh their knowledge.

What do you personally find more rewarding about participating in the Anatomy on Cadaver Workshop?

As a teacher and speaker I have found that there is room for everyone to perfect and tweak their skills – we are constantly advancing, progressing. Every year there are new things to learn. In this workshop especially, through seeing the doctors perform their treatments and listening to the commentators, we get the chance to question, exchange and discover. And that to me is always very rewarding.