International Academy of Facial Surgery
RhinoPractice Basic Course
RhinoPractice Basic Course is a rhinoplasty course for physicians offered by IAFS (International Academy of Facial Surgery). Surgical techniques are learned progressively in small groups.
From observation to understanding. From understanding to repetition.
Learning individual maneuvers as part of a complete operation.
Small-group, continuing surgical education connected to clinical practice.
COURSES
Fully bookedThank you. Waiting list open.
December 2026–February 2027
Course 1 is fully booked. Thank you for your interest. You can join the waiting list through the existing Course 1 application form. For a new course application, please choose Course 2.
Course 1 Waiting List & Details →April–June 2027
Applications for Course 2 are now open. Apply by December 9, 2026 for 20% off, or by February 17, 2027 for 10% off.
Course 2 Applications & Details →01 / Why IAFS
Knowing individual grafts and suture techniques differs from designing an operation for a particular case. IAFS surgical education bridges that gap.
From preoperative assessment and planning through exposure, septal work, dorsum and tip surgery, to closure, learners examine structure and function and articulate the purpose of each maneuver. Videos, model practice, and case discussions develop judgment and technique.
With safety, reproducibility, and practical relevance as guiding principles, we connect learning to future clinical practice.
FACULTY / BY IAFS
RhinoPractice Basic Course, offered by IAFS.
Course Director
Oversees the educational program as Course Director.
Faculty
Works with Yorikatsu Watanabe to provide practical instruction, focusing on model-based training.
INTERVIEW / RHINOPRACTICE
Faculty members Yorikatsu Watanabe and Shoichi Imai introduce the course and its learning approach: understanding basic maneuvers step by step, repeating them on models, and discussing questions as they arise. The video also introduces the models used in training.
Pressing play loads the YouTube (Google) player.
Watch on YouTube ↗
The surgical workflow is organized into 10 STEPs. Learners review maneuvers seen in surgical videos on models, one stage at a time, then practice them repeatedly.
A silicone external nose model and a septal model help learners explore the three-dimensional relationship between structure and technique, with attention to both appearance and respiratory function.
Faculty connect knowledge, videos, and model practice through individual guidance. Learners reflect on difficulties and reasoning with instructors to deepen understanding.
This introduction to our educational approach is based on the interview video.
Source:Learning Rhinoplasty with Models: Yorikatsu Watanabe and Shoichi Imai in Conversation / BiOLiS CLINIC.
02 / Educational Method
Break down the technique. Understand its purpose. Repeat the same STEP.
Use faculty feedback to confirm the endpoint before moving on.
Articulate why this maneuver is performed.
Identify the structures to protect.
Understand what the maneuver is intended to change.
Share the checks required before moving to the next STEP.
03 / Master the Procedure
Understand open rhinoplasty through 10 STEPs.
Learn the complete sequence, from preparation to closure.
Detailed anatomy, operative criteria, and endpoints for each STEP are covered in IAFS materials and faculty instruction.
04 / Learning Architecture
COURSE LEARNING CYCLE
Observe the purpose and sequence of maneuvers through lectures and surgical videos.
Organize case-specific concerns, goals, procedures, and risks.
Reproduce maneuvers on models.
Receive individual feedback on judgment and technique.
Connect learning to future clinical practice at each learner’s stage of development.
Within DO / Practice Cycle for Each Technique
Watch → Understand the purpose → Practice on a model → Repeat each STEP → Review with faculty
LEARNING EXPERIENCE
Actively study short segments of surgical video, describing the purpose, structures to preserve, and intended changes with faculty.
Repeat basic maneuvers, graft design, preparation and fixation, and connection to the nasal tip on surgical models, with individual review.
Use a consistent assessment sheet to organize the chief complaint, photographic findings, functional assessment, goals, procedures, and risks for clinical decision-making.
05 / Faculty
Yorikatsu Watanabe / Faculty
Course Director
Deputy Director, Department of Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery, Tokyo Metropolitan Police Hospital
Doctor of Medical Science
Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon, Japan Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Board-Certified Aesthetic Plastic Surgeon, Japan Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (JSAPS)
Board-Certified Specialist, Japan Society of Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgery
Council Member, Japan Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (JSAPS)
Delegate, Japan Society of Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgery
Organizer, Rhinoplasty Study Group
He specializes in craniofacial, reconstructive, and facial aesthetic surgery and practices at Tokyo Metropolitan Police Hospital and Clinica Ichigaya. He completed specialist training in Birmingham, Paris, and Shanghai. His understanding of structure and function, developed through reconstruction for congenital and post-traumatic facial deformities and facial paralysis, also informs his aesthetic practice.
He teaches hands-on maxillofacial surgery seminars and helps organize the Rhinoplasty Study Group, which brings together plastic surgery, aesthetic surgery, and otolaryngology to promote interdisciplinary nasal surgery education.
As Course Director, he oversees the educational program. Drawing on his clinical experience, he shares approaches to case assessment, surgical planning, and the purpose of each STEP with attention to nasal form and function. Through videos, model practice, and case discussions, he helps participants connect judgment with technique and bring learning to clinical practice.
Recommended Reading
We recommend the following books and special issues for preparation and review. They provide references on nasal form and function, procedure selection, and operative techniques. Yorikatsu Watanabe contributed to each publication.
Medical View / 2025
Contributed chapters: “External Nasal Morphology” and “Nasal Osteotomy”
Kokuseido / 2019
Contributed chapter: “Correction of the Deviated Nose” (co-authored with Dr. Miyawaki)
Zen-Nihon Byoin Shuppankai / May 2026
Article: “Hybrid Preservation and Structural Rhinoplasty for the Deviated Nose and Nasal Septal Deviation”
Zen-Nihon Byoin Shuppankai / May 2022
Article: “Increasing Nasal Height without Artificial Implants”
Shoichi Imai / Faculty
Physician, BiOLiS CLINIC
Staff Physician, Department of Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery, Tokyo Metropolitan Police Hospital
Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon, Japan Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
His plastic surgery practice focuses on septal and external nasal surgery, alongside academic presentations and rhinoplasty research. In this course, he works with Yorikatsu Watanabe to provide practical instruction, primarily through model-based training. He reviews each STEP with participants and supports skill development through repetition and individual feedback, connecting learning with clinical practice.
Related Publication
Shoichi Imai, Yorikatsu Watanabe, Kei Yasuda, Kei Yoshimura
Journal of the Japan Society of Cranio-Maxillo-Facial Surgery. 2025;41(2):52–57.
An original research article reporting correction of a deviated nose with high septal deviation using a septal swing graft.
Read on J-STAGE ↗DOI: 10.32154/jjscmfs.41.2_52
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