Mala McAlpin 
The 7th annual Non-Surgical Symposium was held last weekend 15th – 17th June, this year hosted on the sunny Gold Coast with spectacular beach views of Surfers Paradise. NSS Australia has now become the premier non-surgical event in Australasia, selling out of trade booths and registrations for the past few years, including this year’s event.
Hundreds of plastic surgeons, dermatologists, cosmetic doctors, nurse aestheticians, dermal therapists, practice staff, brands and media flocked to the Gold Coast Convention Centre to catch up with all the latest trends, treatments, devices and developments in the non-surgical aesthetics industry.
Seminars and education sessions were the main drawcard, held over the entire 3-day event and offering an extensive list of both renowned local experts and highly anticipated international guests. The theme this year was ‘The Great Debates’, with each session showcasing panel discussions, case by case analysis and sessions on hot topics.
The scientific program featured international dermatologists, plastic surgeons, cosmetic physicians, oculoplastic surgeons sharing their collective knowledge on everything from toxins and filler techniques and do’s and don’ts, lasers and EBD, clinical dermatology, to the latest beauty trends and 
cosmeceuticals. Topics also delved into more niche categories like digital marketing, economic trends of various regions and analysing the differences in cultural expectations.
Emphasis was placed this year on toxin injection and filler dangers zones, as well as genital treatments such as laser rejuvenation, filler sculpting and combined treatments.
NSS’s social events were as grand as ever this year, with the welcome reception on Friday evening hosted poolside at The Star, and the grand Gala Dinner event hosted at the spectacular Royal Pines Resort on the Saturday evening. Guests to the dinner were treated to free-flowing drinks, canapes, 3-course meal, contemporary dance performance and live band.
As always, this year’s NSS provided the backdrop for 3 days of intense education from some of the best the industry has to offer, and days of invaluable networking opportunities for brands and business owners alike. Next year’s Symposium has already been confirmed, with save-the-dates released as June 14-16 at Sydney’s International Convention Centre.
