Before I arrived at the ODAC, I blogged about how and whether the current recession might impact aesthetic dermatology. I’m not sure I have an answer, but based on the attendance at this meeting, dermatologists’ interest in aesthetic procedures is booming.
The speakers are playing to a packed ballroom—even the front row was full! Some attendees were sitting in extra chairs lined up along the wall, and some were sitting on the floor. I haven’t confirmed these numbers, but I heard that the conference organizers were originally expecting between 200 and 300 attendees, and the total is closer to 400.
Even at the end of a long day that was running late, I’d say at least two-thirds of the crowd resisted going to the happy hour in the exhibit hall (just on the other side of the curtain, so you could hear the glasses clinking) to watch the live demonstration on facial shaping with fillers. One of the presenters actually had to tell us to go and visit the exhibitors as they finished up with the volunteer patient onstage.
Are more dermatologists looking to add aesthetics to their practices to boost business during a recession? Or, as I suggested in my previous post, are they getting more demand for aesthetic procedures from job-hunting patients?
Whether either or both of these things are true, interest in aesthetic dermatology looks healthy from where I sat. (I felt lucky to get a chair)
Heidi Splete (on Twitter @hsplete)
Senior Writer