Arturo Ramírez-Montañana, MD
ISAPS President

Dear Friends and Colleagues,

As I look ahead to our ISAPS World Congress 2026 in Cancún, I feel a familiar mix of anticipation, curiosity, and excitement at bringing our #ISAPSFamily together again. This year’s Congress will be especially meaningful for me as I welcome you to my home country to share, reconnect, challenge our thinking, and enjoy the warmth and energy of Mexico together.

I am looking forward to the breadth of this year’s scientific program with the usual state-of-the-art lectures alongside new “Deep Dive With an Expert” sessions, lively “You Be the Judge” debates, morning Short Course Master Classes, and more than 800 talks from more than 200 colleagues from around the world. Whether your focus is face and neck, breast, body, rhinoplasty, minimally invasive practice, or business leadership, there will be plenty to explore and opportunities to hear different perspectives.  Here are just some of my personal program highlights to help plan your attendance ahead of our Early Bird Registration deadline on August 27.                

 

One highlight is the return of our highly rated Intra-Op With the Masters Program, integrated for the first time into our first main program plenary day on Wednesday, October 28. All delegates can enjoy this “almost live” surgical teaching, as 24 ISAPS experts guide us across the face, nose, breast, and body. I know how much we all value practical detail—the small decisions, refinements, and tips that can change the way we operate—and this promises to be a session full of knowledge you can apply as soon as you get home.

For our early career and trainee surgeons, the pre-Congress Residents’ Symposium on Tuesday, October 27, offers a dedicated space to learn and build your network early in your ISAPS journey. I also hope many of you will make time for the daily Aesthetic Insights: Lunch With an Expert, an informal setting that captures what I love most about ISAPS: generous mentoring and focused conversations across generations and borders.

We all know that successful surgical practice also needs a strong business approach, and I look forward to the next installments of our ISAPS Leadership Session on Friday, October 30, and a full morning of ISAPS Business School on Saturday, October 31, led by Renato Saltz. ISAPS member surgeons can register their office teams as “ISAPS affiliates” to join these practical business updates and support the growth of their practice.

Beyond the lecture rooms, Cancún gives us time to celebrate together. I invite you to join me at the President’s Networking Dinner on October 30 to celebrate our special Mexican Día de los Muertos festival with Mexican food, music, and dancing, and at the relaxed 1970s beach Informal Social on October 31. These moments matter—they are where professional connections often become lasting friendships.

This E-Mag also celebrates the forthcoming United Nations World Humanitarian Day, and I am proud to announce ISAPS’ first Congress humanitarian effort, in cooperation with Operation Smile Mexico and Fundación Cancun Center, taking place at Hospital Joya Cancún just prior to the World Congress. In this issue, we also honor Dr. Gottfried Lemperle, who will receive the first ISAPS Humanitarian Award in Cancún for his lifetime contributions to plastic surgery in a humanitarian context.

If you have not yet registered, please do take advantage of the special Early Bird rates before the deadline on August 27, 2026—and remember to secure your place at any optional sessions or social events you would like to attend. Hotels closest to the venue are filling quickly, so book your accommodation soon to make the most of ‘non-congress-networking’ time with friends and colleagues.

I cannot wait to see you in Cancún—to learn with you, debate with you, laugh with you, and continue shaping the future of aesthetic plastic surgery together.

Warmly,
Arturo Ramírez-Montañana, MD
ISAPS President