I have been using botulinum toxin-A, hyaluronic acid products and other collagen inducers for many years. I have always adhered to the MD codes. In 2017, I received an offer from Allergan, the world’s largest producer of botulinum toxin-A (Vistabel®, Botox®) and hyaluronic acid products. I was to participate in the Allergan Medical Institute’s Teach-the-Teacher (TTT) program to be trained as a teacher in the field. I accepted, of course. Through this, I learned an incredible amount of very different continuing education courses. These included courses on injection technique, aesthetics, presentation and communication. At the top of the hit list, of course, were the training courses with Mauricio de Maio. He is a plastic surgeon from Brazil who travels around the world almost exclusively to lecture on the subject. He, in turn, is the inventor of the MD codes, which for me is the most complete and best method for treatment with botulinum toxin-A and hyaluronic acids. In 2022, I successfully applied for the Mauricio de Maio Mentee Program with him (the applications are anonymous. You only see the injector’s hands during a given injection treatment). No other applicant from Germany managed to do that in 2022.

I have been contributing my expertise to the PAAU Academy as medical director since 2020. Here, employees of PAAU licensed practices are trained to the highest standards in the use of injectables. This is unique in Germany! Physicians working in the field of aesthetics usually have to undergo further training on their own initiative, which often leads to participation in many unrelated training courses. At PAAU, on the other hand, customized, interrelated continuing education creates a community of practice, a circle of trusting physicians who support each other and keep getting better together.

In June 2023, based on the very positive experience with this approach to continuing education, a new type of academy was launched together with the German Society of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons (DGPRÄC). This academy uses modern digital tools such as Moodle (the most widely used digital learning platform among German universities), in addition to the experience gained from the PAAU Academy, to optimally train members of the society. Here, too, I am the head of the academy and pass on my knowledge to the younger generation.