Dr Ivar van Heijningen is a plastic surgeon who trained in the Netherlands. Whilst working as a resident at UZ Gent, he met his current wife; after completing his training in the Netherlands in 2001, he began working at AZ Zeno in Knokke and founded the Duinbergen Clinic. Driven by his concern for patient safety, he developed two European Standards: EN 16372 ‘Aesthetic Surgery Services’ and EN 16844 ‘Aesthetic Medicine – non-surgical procedures’. This led to leadership roles within plastic surgery associations: he is the current president of the Royal Belgian Society of Plastic Surgery, he is past president and current treasurer of the European Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ESAPS), and a trustee of the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS). His passion for training makes him a much sought-after speaker at conferences both at home and abroad, and he also organises events himself, such as the 10 editions of the Aesthetic Surgery Dissection Course in Liège.