Hello everyone, Dr. Kao here.
It is with great pleasure that I announce the next Ponytail Academy™ Foundational Course, taking place at ASAPS in Miami, Florida, on Thursday, April 15, 2027.
Ponytail Academy was founded on a simple conviction: True surgical mastery is not achieved through observation alone, but through disciplined practice, thoughtful mentorship, and an unwavering commitment to excellence.
Francisco Bravo, Dr. Raphael Wenny, Dr. Brannon Claytor, and Dr. Basel Sharaf, whose collective expertise will enrich the educational experience.
Following the lectures, we will devote the majority of our day to the cornerstone of the Academy: an intensive, hands-on cadaveric dissection lab.
This is where knowledge is translated into surgical proficiency.
Yet perhaps the most distinguishing aspect of Ponytail Academy is that our commitment to your development extends well beyond the conclusion of the course.
Every participant becomes part of our private Ponytail Academy WhatsApp community, providing a direct channel for continued mentorship, case discussions, technical guidance, and the exchange of surgical insights.
Whether you are preparing for an upcoming procedure, refining a particular maneuver, or evaluating the outcome of a challenging case, you will have an opportunity to seek my guidance and benefit from the collective experience of our surgical community.
Because the transmission of surgical knowledge should never end at the classroom door.
To make this educational opportunity more accessible, we have introduced a flexible four-part payment plan.
Additionally, all participants will receive an exclusive 20% discount on future surgical livestreams through AestheticStreams.com.
These immersive, interactive broadcasts provide an exceptional opportunity to observe my surgical procedures in their entirety, from preoperative assessment and surgical markings to the most intricate operative maneuvers and final closure.
Through close-up visualization and real-time dialogue, participants can continue to study the technique, appreciate its subtleties, and engage directly with me throughout the procedure.
Our program is designed to provide far more than an introduction to a surgical technique. It is an immersive educational experience intended it transform the way surgeons understand, approach, and execute endoscopic facial rejuvenation.
We will begin the morning with a comprehensive series of didactic lectures exploring the anatomical foundations, surgical principles, technical nuances, and aesthetic philosophy underlying the Ponytail Lift™.
I will personally guide participants through a meticulously structured, step-by-step progression of the Ponytail Lift technique. Each stage builds upon the preceding one, with careful attention to anatomical understanding, surgical precision, and the economy of movement.
Our teaching philosophy is deliberately sequential. We advance as a group, ensuring that every participant develops a clear understanding and practical command of each step before proceeding.
No participant is left behind, because true education is measured not by how much is taught, but by how much is genuinely learned.
My ambition is not simply to teach surgeons how to perform the Ponytail Lift. It is to cultivate a new generation of thoughtful, technically accomplished surgeons who will continue to advance the discipline.
This philosophy is deeply rooted in the Japanese tradition of sensei and deshi, a relationship between teacher and student founded upon mutual respect, dedication, humility, and the pursuit of mastery.
When you become my deshi, you enter a mentorship that extends beyond a single course. I consider your continued growth, confidence, and surgical development an important part of my responsibility as your teacher.
It is our way of ensuring that learning remains continuous, accessible, and clinically relevant.
Enrollment for our Miami course will be intentionally limited to preserve the intimate nature of the cadaver laboratory and provide each surgeon with meaningful, individualized instruction.
I would like to leave you with a thought that has guided my philosophy of surgical education.
The true legacy of a surgeon is not measured solely by the patients we treat, but also by the knowledge we pass on, the surgeons we inspire, and the standards of excellence we leave for the next generation.