S. Randolph Waldman, MD Guest Editor

The past several years have been tough ones for many practices and businesses around the country. Certainly the field of aesthetic surgery and medicine has been impacted as much or more than other areas of medical practice. It is now more important than ever to make sure that every practitioner is knowledgeable and up to date with current business practices. Promotion of the practice is also something that most of us in private practice can no longer ignore if we wish our practices to grow and flourish.

I was asked to help organize and compile this issue of Facial Plastic Surgery Clinics of North America not because I am a business guru or mogul, but because I actually run a typical 2-person practice in the Midwest and my practice is not unlike most of yours. Additionally, I was asked to edit this issue because I also founded and organize an annual aesthetic surgery symposium in Las Vegas every summer. Realizing that there were many things that I needed to learn about management and also practice promotion, I began inviting both doctors and business and marketing professionals to help teach at my meeting. It did not take long for this to catch on and the popularity of this breakout session at the meeting has increased each and every year. Now it is not unusual for some physicians to bring up to 5 or 6 members of their staff to hear these valuable lectures as well.

I hand-picked some of the very best lectures given at our Summer 2009 Symposium. All are timeless and will be just as valuable 10 years from now. We have excerpts from an outstanding panel composed of some of the most astute office managers in our specialty. This panel really probed many of the issues that we all face on a daily basis in our practice. We have several articles that focus on the business aspect of managing our practices as well as several equally valuable articles that give advice in marketing and promoting your practice. Certainly the value of the internet continues to escalate and this issue will begin to probe this “fact of life.” Finally, for those readers who are considering skin care as an addition to their practices, we have included an expert’s advice on how this might be done.

I am indebted to my colleagues who contributed so much time and effort into making this issue of Facial Plastic Surgery Clinics of North America so valuable. We will continue to include “The Business and Promotion of Plastic Surgery” as an integral part of our future “Multi-Specialty” Aesthetic Surgery Meetings in Las Vegas. It is my hope that future issues of the Clinics will continue to report on these issues as I firmly believe that business and public relations acumen is just as important to the success of a practice as a physician’s individual clinical skills and knowledge. Our meetings and publications must continue to address the challenges we face not only as doctors but as business professionals in the coming decade.