The Aesthetic Cruise is a bi-annual event that brings together top aesthetic plastic surgeons from around the world to share ideas, educate, and enjoy some amazing ports of call. This year, Dr. Douglas was an invited faculty member and was honored to participate in the Current Trends in Facial Rejuvenation panel as well as speak on Best Practices in Breast and Body Contouring. The international faculty included experts from the United States, Australia, Great Britain, Spain, and New Zealand.
The incredible part of The Aesthetic Cruise is deepening existing relationships and nurturing new friendships and relations with colleagues. Dr. Douglas especially enjoyed spending time with fellow breast and body expert Dr. Brad Calobrace, as well as breast experts, Dr. Renee Burke and Dr. Danielle LeBlanc. Additional pearls of wisdom were shared with rhinoplasty expert, Dr. Jamil Ahmad and body contouring expert, Dr. Kristi Hustak. Although lectures and courses offer educational opportunities, many professional secrets and tricks are shared over dinner or while walking around one of the beautiful cities that were on this year’s itinerary. Some of the most interesting ports were St. Tropez, Rome, Mallorca, Sicily, and Istanbul with the two-day stop in Istanbul being Dr. Douglas’s favorite of the voyage.
A fun fact about Dr. Douglas is that he and his wife of 21 years, Trish, were married at the Vatican in Rome in the Chapel of the Choir and had their marriage blessed by Pope John Paul II. Every time they visit Italy, they return to the Hotel de Russie where their reception was held to enjoy lunch and share very fond memories. Similarly, they like to visit Positano on the Amalfi Coast and the Hotel Il San Pietro where they honeymooned to enjoy the beautiful scenery and do a little shopping.
Dr. Douglas was recently elected to the Executive Board of Directors of The Aesthetic Society and volunteers countless hours to the advancement of aesthetic surgery through service on the Board and numerous committees. Dr. Douglas truly embodies the core values of Aesthetx by putting patients first in his leadership roles on the Patient Safety, Continuous Medical Education, and Membership committees. Dr. Douglas is on track to become president of the Aesthetic Society in 2029 and the Aesthetic Cruise was a great way to connect with current society president, Dr. Kiya Movasshagi, and former president, Dr. Herluf Lund. Discussing the current goals of the society with Dr. Movasshagi and learning historical points of importance from Dr. Lund had tremendous value for Dr. Douglas as he continues to advance in society leadership over the next five years.
