Aesthetic Medicine Live returned to Olympia London on May 20-21, bringing 2,719 visitors together with some of the biggest brands in the industry.

A esthetic Medicine Live returned to London in May, featuring a packed conference and education programme and exhibitors from across the UK, who were on hand to demonstrate the latest products and help delegates discover emerging trends.

Hijene Bouchnak from headline sponsor Cutera said, “It’s been great, we have seen some really good interest and traction. It’s been busy with talks and live demos on and off the stand.”

Vanessa Brown, UK sales and operations manager at platinum sponsor Erchonia Lasers, said, “The show has been fantastic, there have been so many new faces and so many doctors that we wanted to catch up with. There are a lot of new practitioners that have just found out about the Emerald laser, which is really great. We are targeting different types of practitioners across all fields of medicine which is really nice.”

“Any education or any kind of conference we do across Europe is really important, simply because it allows people to find out more about us.”

Lauren Gibson, country manager UK and Ireland for platinum sponsor HydraFacial, commented, “We have absolutely loved the show this year! It’s been two jampacked days full of reconnecting with some old clients as well as meeting new potential clients and going to some great seminars.”

Tracey Dennison, nurse director at East Riding Aesthetics and Wellness, who featured on the clinical conference, spoke about the importance of coming to Aesthetic Medicine Live before investing in products, saying “[It’s important] to have that human interaction. It’s all right knowing the products, but will I get the aftercare? Have I got a relationship with the people I am doing business with?

I don’t think this is something you can achieve in the same way online as you can in an in-person experience.”

Aesthetic Medicine Live also provided delegates with six educational streams featuring industry-leading experts – aCPD-accredited Clinical Conference, Business Skills Seminars, Live Demo Theatre, Sponsored Symposiums, the British Association of Hair Restoration Surgery (BAHRS) annual conference, and the Consortium of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery Owners (CAPSCO) and UK Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (UKAAPS) annual conference.

Top-level speakers

Aesthetic Medicine Live featured a wealth of educational content. The Clinical Conference hosted a range of industry experts sharing advice and expertise and discussing issues within the industry over the two days. Opening up the conference on the Friday morning, Dr Anna Hemming spoke about the natural touch of dermal fillers. This was followed by Dr Rita Nandi speaking about combination therapies for the eye area, Mr Kambiz Golchin sharing the next evolution in skin resurfacing and Dr Natalie Geary talking about how to treat BMI up to 40.

In one session at the Clinical Conference, consultant surgeon and cosmetic doctor Mr Arturo Almeida spoke about the possible side effects of fat dissolving injections, including necrosis, scarring and infection. Mr Almeida mentioned that the predictive factors for complications are technique, the product used and patient selection – emphasising that fat dissolving injections can’t be used as a weight loss treatment.

Numerous experts also spoke about client and patient treatment with Dr Shirin Lakhani sharing how to treat menopausal patients and Dr Sharon Kaur discussing effective communication styles and successful patient interactions.

There was also an emphasis on promoting good mental health with Nick Babington talking about how to reduce workplace stress, Kimberly Cairns talking about the mind, the motivation and the mirror and Jennifer Irvine sharing how looking good doesn’t always mean feeling good. Dawn Knight also gave the patient’s perspective while Belinda Aloiso and Dr Nima Mahmoodi shared their thoughts on the integration of wellness and spiritualiuty.

Lots of the sessions focussed on troubleshooting issues such as Dr Steve Harris discussing how to avoid overfilled faces, Dr MJ Rowland-Warmann sharing her experience with ultrasound and Dr Martyn King talking about how to manage complications, as well as many more.

Dr Ted Miln, a hair transplant surgeon at Head Quarters Hair transplant in Cardiff, Wales, says that the talks are a great way to spark conversation with others in the industry, adding, “I particularly like those conversations you have over coffee with people in between the talks. The talks give a very structured approach to development, but I quite like just mulling over difficult cases and new ideas with people afterwards.”

Emerging trends

Amy Bird, founder of KAST Aesthetics in Cheshire and winner of Aesthetic Medicine’s Aesthetic Nurse Practitioner of the Year award, commented on the latest trends emerging from the show: “It’s definitely pushing towards a more holistic approach and not just coming from the face – there’s rejuvenation of hair, weight loss; there’s lots of new things coming on, and also lot of industry standards being discussed, which is good to see.”

Sara Cheeney, director of Pure Perfection Clinic, says she has also noticed an increase in the holistic approach within the industry. “Personalisation of treatments is a big emerging trend at the moment within the industry and the holistic approach to treating with multi-modal technologies. It’s always great to come to the show, it’s great to see colleagues and friends and see what’s up and coming and also what’s in your toolbox and what you need in your toolbox that you haven’t got.”

Personalisation of treatments is a big emerging trend at the moment within the industry and the holistic approach to treating with multi-modal technologies

Face-to-face

The show also gave plenty of opportunities for networking, with the event’s app allowing visitors to chat and arrange meetings in advance, and the chance to discuss industry challenges and business ideas at the business support surgery and Sinclair networking lounge.

Dr Ahmed El Houssieny, lead practitioner at Bank MediSpa in Cheshire, said, “The show has been fantastic, this is not my first time and it’s been great to finally meet everyone again after such a long time.”

Dr Edward Ball, founder and medical director at The Maitland Clinic, winner of Hair Restoration Practitioner/Clinic of the Year at the awards and BAHRS delegate, commented, “It’s a great opportunity to meet people. It’s lovely to see people face-to-face. People share so much knowledge, so if you are passionate about what you do, and you want to learn and share what you do with others, it’s a great opportunity. So, I am here to pick up tips, to share ideas, to meet old friends and new people; it’s a lovely event.”

Roy Cowley, founder, and chief executive of 3D Aesthetics says that one thing that is clear from Aesthetic Medicine Live is that the aesthetics industry is in huge demand.

“Aesthetics is definitely where the market is right now,” he said.

“People want to be in aesthetics. People want result-driven treatments because they can charge more for that. Post-pandemic, people are really looking to invest their money in treatments that really work.”