PALO ALTO, CA--(Marketwire - May 11, 2010) - "Where is the sense in introducing this product to the market? Why would patients or doctors need it when hundreds of similar products already exist?" These are just some of the questions that leaders of the Technology Innovation in Plastic Surgery (TIPS) Forum will address during their two-day conference in San Francisco from May 22 to 23.
Participants at the conference will join TIPS forum leaders in investigating why only a few products and surgery techniques exceed expectations whereas many are ineffective, to the extent of being categorized as needless. By fostering dialog and collaboration among clinicians, surgeons, medical technology companies, entrepreneurs, and investors in related fields in the estimated $10 billion a year plastic surgery industry, TIPS leaders want to stimulate successful clinical innovation and improved patient results.
Plastic surgery suffers from an imbalance between marketing and reality. Clinicians are concerned about urgent, unfilled needs in areas such as wound healing and stem cell research. Yet, at the other end of the spectrum, consumers and doctors alike are swamped with literally hundreds of cosmetic filler products that make the same claims for efficacy, without demonstrable proof.
The TIPS Forum will focus on how to bridge treatment gaps, identify common issues, and stimulate medically provable breakthroughs, while discussing ways of measuring the efficacy of certain treatments.
"You can compare the relative merits of vacuum cleaners and pain relievers, but there is no comparison chart for cosmetic fillers or breast implants," said Dr Geoffrey Gurtner, Course Director of the TIPS forum and Professor of Surgery at Stanford within the division of plastic surgery. "This is wrong. Even though patients spend billions of dollars on products and procedures they are confused about how to judge the outcome. Doctors want more proof than a claim that '8 out of 10 agree... '. Doctors want to have a say in developing scientific comparisons."
Standards and metrics
"There is frequently a real disconnect between provable science, positive results, and sales and marketing in our industry," added Dr Gurtner. "Consider that something in the region of $1 billion a year is spent within both the laser applications and breast implants markets. There is no way of documenting whether patients have received the best possible treatment, other than looking at the volume of 'redos' or complaints."
Delegates at TIPS will discuss the establishment of standards and common descriptions of technologies and methodologies to provide medical practitioners and clinicians with convincing facts that enable them to provide the best advice for their patients. Other topics to be discussed at the Forum include: Resurfacing Technology; Noninvasive Body Contouring; Breast Implants; Adipose-derived Stem Cells; Negative Pressure Wound Therapy; Acellular Dermis and Meshes; Injectables: Neurotoxins and Fillers; and How to Develop a New Technology in Plastic Surgery.
To attend the conference, register here.
About TIPS
Technology Innovation in Plastic Surgery (TIPS) brings together major stakeholders in the development of this specialization: plastic surgeons, ENT surgeons, dermatologists, podiatrists, wound care professionals, industry analysts and thought leaders, and investors. TIPS' goal is to share knowledge across functions, stimulate ideas, and explain the processes of taking innovation from concept to delivery in the field of plastic surgery. TIPS has been endorsed by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the Plastic Surgery Educational Foundation, the Association of Academic Chairs of Plastic Surgeons, and the Plastic Surgery Research Council. More information is at http://www.psurgtips.com.
Contact Information:
Further information:
Kathy Gurtner
TIPS
+ 1 650 575 3237/565 8715