Domestic Surgeons Embrace First-Ever Live-Streamed Aesthetic Surgery Conference: A New Industry Paradigm Emerges
Balancing epidemic control and economic development has become the new normal for society and the economy. For the medical aesthetics industry, it is even more crucial to continue advancing academic exchanges that sustain industrial vitality, especially against the special backdrop of the pandemic. Recently, it was reported that the Chinese Association of Plastic and Aesthetic Physicians Congress, which has been held for sixteen consecutive sessions, moved online for the first time this year, becoming the only authoritative industry conference that proceeded without disruption during the pandemic.
As the industry’s most “hardcore” academic exchange conference, how effective was its inaugural move to an online format? Reporters followed up immediately.
The impact of the pandemic on the entire medical aesthetics industry is evident. Medical aesthetics institutions were unable to operate normally, and offline customer experiences were significantly affected. Similarly, academic exchanges, which are crucial for industry development, were also constrained, with many academic activities forced to be postponed. As a national comprehensive conference with broad academic influence in the industry, Jiang Hua, President of the Chinese Association of Plastics and Aesthetics (CAPA), believes that the industry should proactively embrace change during the pandemic. Serious academic exchanges within the industry must not experience a “gap,” and the annual Chinese Association of Plastics and Aesthetics Conference should not be interrupted.
Opening Address by Jiang Hua, President of the Aesthetic and Plastic Surgery Branch of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association
Online live streaming breaks through spatial constraints, thus becoming a new breakthrough for academic exchange. This conference was the first to integrate an academic meeting into an online teaching scenario. Shanghai Huamei Medical Aesthetic Hospital served as the designated hospital for cloud-based surgical live streaming, and licensed plastic surgeons could register online to gain free access to the cloud live stream. Benefiting from its long-term technological accumulation and widespread recognition among plastic surgeons, So-Young Technology also served as the exclusive broadcasting platform for the conference, providing comprehensive technical support and operational assurance.
It is reported that the nine classic surgeries featured in the live broadcast covered seven major specialties: hair transplantation, facial lifting, oculoplastic surgery, endoscopic breast augmentation, breast reconstruction, rhinoplasty, and fat grafting. The event brought together the most influential and authoritative experts and professors in the field to personally demonstrate surgical procedures, including Professor Hu Zhiqi, Professor Miao Yong, Professor Huang Jinlong, Professor Jiang Hua, Professor Sun Meiqing, Professor Wu Yiping, Professor Feng Chuanbo, Professor Liu Antang, Professor Qian Yuxin, Professor Lu Feng, Professor Song Jianxing, and Professor Yang Chao. Professors Liu Qing, Lu Zhong, Cheng Jian, Wu Sufan, Tian Weidong, Zhu Xiaohai, Qi Fazhi, Gao Jianhua, Ai Yufeng, Mu Xiongzheng, Hao Lijun, Liu Linbo, Zan Tao, Li Shengli, Tan Qian, Liu Kai, Cao Weigang, Wang Hui, Yang Jun, Zhang Yuguang, and Ouyang Tianxiang provided professional, comprehensive, and exclusive interactive commentary on the surgical demonstrations onsite.
Agenda and Expert Profiles for the Classic Surgical Cloud Live Demonstration
The rigorous conference agenda, distinguished panel of experts, and adaptable format have drawn numerous practicing plastic surgeons to this premier industry event, the Physicians’ Conference.
Song Jianxing, Vice President of the Aesthetic and Plastic Surgery Branch of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association, presided over the opening ceremony of the conference.
Song Jianxing, Vice President of the Aesthetic and Plastic Surgery Branch of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association, stated, “This cloud-based conference has received substantial support from both hospitals and platforms. Shanghai Huamei Medical Beauty Hospital’s excellent hardware infrastructure and comprehensive service system ensured the smooth execution of the surgical demonstrations. Meanwhile, SoYoung maintains rigorous and standardized physician certification criteria and boasts the largest database of plastic surgeons in the industry today. Such collaboration enables broader coverage of compliant, licensed practitioners, reduces controversies, and allows the conference to evaluate the effectiveness of this live stream by leveraging its extensive base of physician users.”
The grand scale of this cloud-based event signifies more than just proving the feasibility of online training for medical aesthetics professionals; it also reflects an industry-wide consensus on the rising demand for talent in this field. While the pandemic has caused losses, from another perspective, it has also served as a period for physicians to refine their technical skills and strengthen their core competencies.
According to statistics, a total of 7,833 licensed physicians registered for the surgical cloud live broadcast (which was exclusively open to licensed physicians), with cumulative viewership reaching 65,988, setting a new record in recent years for professional attendance at academic events. While these figures may seem modest compared to the tens of millions of views commonly seen in e-commerce live streaming rooms, it is important to note that there are only approximately 30,000 registered plastic surgeons in China. The successful hosting of this cloud live broadcast and the attention and discussion it generated sufficiently demonstrate that, in the wake of "black swan" events, enhancing professional expertise through online academic exchanges has become, or is becoming, a major trend among plastic surgeons.
According to a representative from New Oxygen Technology, the resumption of academic industry conferences via “cloud live streaming” was both a passive response and a proactive choice. To ensure uninterrupted “teacher-student interaction,” the live stream enabled interactive comments, allowing viewing physicians to post questions at any time, with expert commentators providing real-time online answers. This approach not only stimulated teaching enthusiasm but also ensured high-quality online instruction.
Online Interaction Between Doctors and Experts Under “Surgical Cloud Live Streaming”
A plastic surgeon from Inner Mongolia remarked after watching the live broadcast of “Endoscope-Assisted Dual-Plane Breast Augmentation with Implants” that ultra-minimally invasive techniques place high demands on the operator. Professor Jiang Hua’s maneuvers were gentle and precise, with meticulous incisions, resulting in breasts that moved naturally and appeared lifelike. Having previously only heard of his renowned reputation, he greatly benefited from this rare opportunity to observe the procedure firsthand.
The trend toward digitalization in the industry has given rise to new solutions. At this year’s Chinese Association of Plastic and Aesthetic Surgeons Conference, a partnership with So-Young marked a shift from isolated efforts to cross-boundary collaboration via an integrated platform, providing a model for innovating talent development in the medical aesthetics sector. Leveraging complementary strengths between emerging internet technology platforms and the academic community, precise and effective online initiatives have injected new vitality into the transformation of the medical aesthetics industry.
Nowadays, the medical aesthetics market is continuously expanding into lower-tier regions, yet the distribution of physician resources remains highly uneven. In the educational article “How Can Consumers Find Reliable Medical Aesthetics Physicians?”, the publisher analyzed physician data from 351 cities and found that 2.8% of these cities accounted for 53.7% of plastic surgeons.
Jiang Hua, President of the Aesthetic and Plastic Surgery Branch of the Chinese Medical Doctor Association, stated, “This live cloud broadcast of plastic surgery procedures ‘marks the beginning of the online transition of academic exchanges in the medical aesthetics industry.’ It represents an innovative exploration in the training of medical aesthetics professionals in China and provides a model for the future decentralization of high-quality resources within the industry, holding profound significance.”
As is well known, professional academic conferences have always been cautious in their collaborations with third-party platforms. The decision to select So-Young for the exclusive live streaming of this conference’s debut on the cloud was based not only on the platform’s technological and experiential advantages in digitalization but also on its credibility among plastic surgeons, which served as a key evaluation criterion.
Furthermore, in conversations with several experts who have attended the conference for many years, reporters learned that this year’s “Cloud Summit” offers two key improvements over previous editions. First, comprehensiveness: cloud-based live streaming has further expanded the scope of academic exchange, enabling more people to share in the conference outcomes without leaving their homes. Second, practicality: public-welfare demonstrations of classic surgeries have concretized cutting-edge academic content, ensuring that every physician gains valuable insights.
The pandemic has merely served as a catalyst; the digitalization of all sectors is an irreversible trend. In the future, the medical aesthetics industry will see associations, physicians, and platforms converge into a unified force, becoming more integrated and specialized. Meanwhile, we must recognize that technologies, forms of collaboration, and business models will undergo innovation, further empowered by emerging technologies. Nevertheless, the core element remains human-centric. Regardless of market fluctuations, professionals in the medical aesthetics field should exert greater self-drive and return to the essence of medical practice.