Editor’s Note
**Editor’s Note:** This article reports on ASSOMEDICOM’s first free training webinar for physicians, held June 19 in Rome. Association President Giancarlo Loiacono Bellavitis emphasized the critical role of ethical communication in aesthetic medicine, reinforcing his earlier call for a dedicated Observatory.
On June 19, the first free training webinar for physicians of ASSOMEDICOM (Italian Association of Physicians and Communicators) was held. In this regard, the Association’s President, Giancarlo Loiacono Bellavitis (who called for the establishment of an Observatory at the last Welfare for Health 2025), reiterated once again how fundamental ethical communication is in Aesthetic Medicine.
This issue also involved Health Minister Schillaci, who at the beginning of the month, during a question time, gave his approval for the establishment of a technical table to combat the abusive exercise of the profession in the aesthetic medicine sector.
Treatments performed in recent years by unqualified personnel have indeed increased sharply compared to the past; according to the latest estimates, in France 40% of treatments are carried out in illegal clinics, the number of patients adopting ‘do-it-yourself’ practices is proportionally increasing, while in January a Russian influencer was sentenced to four years in prison for illegal treatments using Botox purchased online, with consequences that can often be lethal.
Since 2020, there has been an increase in the black market for Botox, with a treatment index exceeding 40% worldwide. Our country leads the ranking, surpassing 1.3 million. These data confirm the importance of the initiatives carried out by the Association in an attempt to curb the risk of scams and abuses, which also spill over into the phenomenon of low-cost health tourism, another scourge the Association monitors.
ASSOMEDICOM APS is an entity that for over three years has represented a solid base throughout the national territory. Thanks to synergy with all major trade associations in the sector, it organizes training meetings, such as ECM courses, research projects, and collaborations with public and private entities, conveying 360-degree information regarding the area of competence, in order to reduce the distrust of all those approaching Aesthetic Surgery. Assomedicon has therefore created over time the prerequisites to educate physicians, becoming an important reference point also for patients by providing safe guidelines for choosing a reliable professional to trust.
In this perspective, the June 19 webinar represented another opportunity to reaffirm the need for constant monitoring, in order to guide patients in choosing the right physician and simultaneously provide physicians with the appropriate tools to develop that ‘ethical’ communication of which National President Giancarlo Loiacono Bellavitis has been a spokesperson for years.