AMWC China: Celebrating Excellence in Medical Aesthetics

PRIME speaks to the winners of the second Young Physician Medical Research competition and the inaugural Facial Rejuvenation Case Competition, awarded during AMWC China 2024  in Chengdu 

Returning for its highly anticipated fourth edition, AMWC China 2025 will take place from October 17–19 in Chengdu, bringing together over 180 esteemed experts from around the world. As the second-largest AMWC conference globally, this event serves as a leading platform for knowledge exchange in anti-ageing medicine, cosmetic surgery, and dermatology. With the Chinese medical aesthetics market projected to grow by 10–15% annually, AMWC China 2025 offers attendees an opportunity to explore the latest technological advancements, treatment innovations, and industry trends shaping the future of aesthetic medicine.

Beyond the scientific sessions and expert-led discussions, AMWC China 2025 will also celebrate the next generation of talent with the AMWC Facial Rejuvenation Case Competition and the AMWC Young Physician Medical Research Competition. These prestigious competitions highlight the skills and creativity of rising practitioners, recognising groundbreaking clinical cases and pioneering research that push the boundaries of medical aesthetics.

In this article, we speak to last year’s competition winners to learn more about their cases, the clinical insights behind their work, and what this achievement means for their careers and the future of aesthetic medicine. By spotlighting the industry’s brightest minds, AMWC China continues to drive excellence and shape the next era of medical aesthetics.

AMWC Young Physician Medical Research Competition Winner

Dr Junrong Cai, as a PhD from the United States and a young expert in fat sculpting, could you share your academic background and main accomplishments? 

I currently hold two national projects with the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the Foundation’s Youth Project. Both projects are centred on the important regulatory role of the plastic transformation of adipocytes in tissue regeneration. In the past 5 years, I have published relevant research as the first author or corresponding author in top journals in the field of plastic surgery and regenerative medicine, such as Cell Metabolism (one article, IF=29, Zone 1, first author), JAMA Dermatology (one article, IF=10.9, Zone 1, last corresponding author), Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (16 articles, Zone 2, top journal in the field of plastic surgery), and Stem Cell Research and Therapy (4 articles, IF: 7.5, Zone 2), with a total impact factor of more than 200 points. I was also invited to serve as a reviewer for journals such as Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Stem Cell Research and Therapy, and Molecular Metabolism in the field of fat transplantation and fat metabolism. The applicant’s work has also been recognised by domestic and foreign academic circles: the applicant was invited to attend the Global Anti-Aging Conference in France in 2019 and made an oral report. In 2024, he went to the United States to attend the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, made an oral report, and won the Outstanding Paper Report Award. In addition, he won first place in the Youth Paper Exchange Competition of the 19^th Medical Cosmetology Academic Conference of the Chinese Medical Association, first place in the Young Physicians Forum of the 20^th National Academic Exchange Conference of the Plastic Surgery Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, and second prize in the Outstanding Paper Award for Young Physicians at the 19^th National Plastic and Cosmetic Physicians Conference.

What techniques do you excel in during your practice in plastic surgery?

I mainly engage in fat medicine and aesthetic injection. Fat medicine includes facial fat transplantation, large-volume fat transplantation and liposuction sculpting, while aesthetic injection includes injections of fillers and botulinum toxin.

What makes the case you submitted in the second AMWC Young Physician Medical Research Competition unique?

The content of this submission is my research published in Cell Metabolism (one article, IF=29, zone 1, first author). Adipose tissue, as an essential source of adipose stem cells, is an important research object in regenerative medicine. In addition, the role of adipocytes in disease regulation has been a research hotspot in recent years, and important research findings have been made in the fields of tumours, cardiovascular, and immunity. Adipose tissue is widely distributed in the human body and is closely adjacent to the surrounding organ structures. It can affect the surrounding tissues and organs through various pathways, such as paracrine and energy metabolism, and is closely related to the occurrence and progression of various diseases. Changes in the properties and functions of adjacent adipose tissue affect the progression of various diseases and are a new hotspot in current research. Adipocytes are closely related to skin regeneration. In recent years, studies have found that adipocytes can participate in skin regeneration through direct migration, production of antimicrobial peptides, release of fatty acids to activate macrophages, and transdifferentiation into fibroblasts. Related studies have been published in top journals such as Science, Cell Stem Cell, Nature Communication, and The Journal of Clinical Investigation. However, these studies are all centred on the role and mechanism of dermal adipocytes in skin regeneration, while the effect of subcutaneous fat on skin regeneration has not been reported. I reported for the first time the key role of subcutaneous fat in wound repair, and the relevant research was published in Cell Metabolism.

How do you integrate internationally advanced plastic surgery techniques with local practices?

I would say, maintain a learning attitude towards cutting-edge science and advanced clinical technology, keep pace with the times, and update your own learning tools, whether it is artificial intelligence, code learning or various new data platforms. At the same time, I actively participate in academic conferences at home and abroad, keep in touch with the outside world, and understand the differences between domestic and foreign technologies. Only by adhering to the idea of ​​going out and bringing in can we better combine internationally advanced plastic surgery technology with local practice.

What technological innovations do you have in the field of plastic surgery?

As a core member of the Nanfang Hospital Adipose Medical Team, I have participated in the innovative inventions of many fat transplantation processing technologies, including fat gel preparation technology, frozen fat technology, and component fat transplantation technology.

How do these technological innovations impact clinical treatment and the recovery of patients seeking aesthetic procedures?

These technologies greatly increase the effect of fat transplantation, not only improving the retention rate of fat transplantation but also reducing the risk of overfilling, reducing postoperative swelling, speeding up postoperative recovery, and reducing the risk of swell-up. In addition, fat cryopreservation technology can greatly improve the tolerance rate of fat transplantation and save patients from the pain of secondary liposuction.

How do you apply fat grafting facial filling techniques to create youthful skin and how do you use them in facial contouring?

Fat transplantation technology is based on component fat transplantation and fat cryopreservation technology. Component fat transplantation refers to the physical treatment of fat to obtain fat products of different components. Some of them are rich in fibrous tissue, have high support force, and are suitable for deep support; some are soft and ductile, suitable for superficial filling. Through component fat technology, we optimise the properties of fat tissue as a filler, thereby improving the long-term effect and early recovery of fat transplantation.

What are your views on the current trends in the medical aesthetics industry, especially in facial rejuvenation and fat transplantation?

I think the domestic medical beauty market will become more and more diversified, including diversified demands, products, and concepts. As a plastic surgeon in a public hospital, my responsibility in the medical aesthetic industry is to make the industry standardised, scientific, and evidence-based. At present, the industry is booming in China, and more and more technologies and products are being launched in the market. Doctors in private hospitals can contact and use the latest products and technologies when available, which is something that doctors in public hospitals cannot always do. However, our advantage should be the dialectical and evidence-based thinking of medical technology. For the implementation and promotion of any new product, we should rigorously and objectively evaluate the efficacy and provide feedback to customers, patients, manufacturers and the market to guide the survival of the best products.

What are your plans for the future? How do you intend to continue contributing to the field of medical aesthetics?

Taking into account both scientific research and clinical work, solving clinical needs and clinical problems through scientific research and evidence-based data is what I think a public hospital doctor should do for the aesthetic medical market. I hope to make greater breakthroughs in academic research, solve some scientific problems in skin and soft tissue regeneration, and help our medical beauty field to have new product directions. I also hope that my clinical technology will continue to improve in future work and provide better treatment effects for those seeking aesthetic treatments.

AMWC Facial Rejuvenation Case Competition Winner

Dr Zhulin Xue, can you tell us about your professional background and main research direction?

I am a clinical doctor and Postdoctoral Fellow in Orthognathic Surgery at Peking University School and Hospital of Stomatology. My main research directions are clinical research on orthognathic surgery for dentofacial deformities, digital surgical techniques, and basic and clinical research related to bone biology.

How do you perceive the role of oral and maxillofacial surgery in facial rejuvenation?

On the one hand, oral and maxillofacial surgery, especially orthognathic surgery, is an important treatment method that can effectively achieve facial rejuvenation; on the other hand, facial rejuvenation is also an important concept that maxillofacial surgeons need to follow in their clinical aesthetic diagnosis and treatment work.

What was your initial motivation for participating in the inaugural AMWC Facial Rejuvenation Case Competition?

As most professionals in the field of facial rejuvenation are plastic surgeons or dermatologists, as a doctor in orthognathic surgery, I hope to share and exchange some of our team’s related work with industry experts and receive guidance; on the other hand, we also hope to learn more new treatment concepts from different perspectives through the competition to better carry out clinical work in the future.

During the preparation process for the competition, what do you consider to be your biggest challenge, and how did you overcome it?

The challenge may also lie in the professional concepts, as most of the participating cases use injection, optoelectronics, or medication to achieve facial rejuvenation. It is uncertain whether the concept of orthognathic surgery to enhance facial rejuvenation for patients can be recognised. However, from another perspective, this is also a completely new perspective, and I hope to communicate with colleagues.

Could you introduce your award-winning facial rejuvenation case? What innovations does it feature?

The case is entitled: ‘Bone Anti-ageing: Facial Rejuvenation Orthognathic Surgery Treatment for Patients with Skeletal Class III Malocclusions.’ In this case, we increased the bone volume and support in the midface during orthognathic surgery to counteract the congenital maxillary deficiency and the reduction in bone volume caused by surgery, ultimately achieving the ‘bone anti-ageing’ treatment strategy of improving soft tissue and facial rejuvenation. This effectively solved the aesthetic problem of ‘facial ageing’ in patients with skeletal class III malocclusion after surgery and achieved a youthful treatment effect.

What technical or conceptual challenges did you encounter during the implementation of the case?

We have integrated the concept of injecting MD codes in the field of medical aesthetics into orthognathic surgery treatment, and our cases and subsequent clinical studies have shown that patients have achieved satisfactory treatment outcomes.

How do you view the integration of oral and maxillofacial surgery technology with facial rejuvenation technology? 

I believe that the integration of multiple technologies is a clinical trend, with the ultimate goal of providing better treatment and prognosis for patients. With the gradual increase in public demand for facial aesthetics, whether for patients in maxillofacial surgery, orthognathic surgery, or medical aesthetics, doctors need to integrate multiple technologies to meet the needs of patients. Integrating oral and maxillofacial surgery techniques with facial rejuvenation techniques will be beneficial for patients.

What interdisciplinary collaboration experiences have you had in your career? 

For patients with severe dentofacial deformities, in addition to treating their jaw deformities through orthognathic surgery, it is also necessary to collaborate with plastic surgeons and cleft lip and palate specialists to complete treatments such as fat transplantation and nasolabial shaping. For patients with more complex craniofacial syndromes, such as Crouzon syndrome, Lefort III osteotomy combined with distraction osteogenesis is needed. Owing to the complexity of the overall condition of children, collaboration with multiple professional teams, such as neurosurgical, respiratory, and otolaryngology teams, is necessary. Through multidisciplinary consultation and collaboration, we can provide patients with more comprehensive and systematic treatment.

What are your thoughts on the future development trends of facial rejuvenation treatments?

The future development trend of facial rejuvenation treatment may revolve around technological innovation, personalised treatment, safety improvement, interdisciplinary integration, and other aspects to provide patients with safer, more effective, and personalised treatment plans.

How do you think facial rejuvenation technology will evolve in the future, especially in the field of oral and maxillofacial surgery?

The development trend of facial rejuvenation technology in the field of oral and maxillofacial surgery will be a combination of technological innovation and multidisciplinary cooperation. By introducing advanced technology and equipment and conducting relevant clinical research, the treatment effect and patient experience can be continuously improved. In the field of oral and maxillofacial surgery, it is also necessary to introduce new technologies to provide patients with minimally invasive, safe, and effective treatment plans.

What are your plans for your career? What specific research and career development goals do you have for the next 3 years?

In the future, I will continue to engage in clinical work on dentofacial deformities and perform more clinical and basic research related to bone anti-ageing and facial rejuvenation. In the next 3 years, multidisciplinary and multi-technology integrated treatment plans will be developed to provide patients with more comprehensive treatment plans in clinical practice.

How do you plan to continue contributing to the field of facial rejuvenation?

In the future, we will continue to study, practice, explore, and collaborate in the field of facial rejuvenation and conduct in-depth clinical and basic research. Technologically, interdisciplinary technology integration should be strengthened, treatment plans should be optimised through technological innovation, patient needs should be truly addressed, treatment effectiveness should be improved, clinical applications from patient feedback should be refined, and patient satisfaction should be increased.

  For more information: amwcchina.com