Beauty time: five questions for a plastic surgeon
At what age can plastic surgery be performed? And what age is considered optimal for them?
Otoplasty (ear plastic surgery) can be done from the age of 5, but basically almost all aesthetic operations are performed starting from the age of 18. It is important that the patient is an adult and is well aware of why he is undergoing surgery. In addition, by this age a person is already fully formed physically and aesthetic changes can be absolutely accurately predicted. Anti-aging aesthetic surgeries are usually performed after 35 years, or even after 40, when age-related changes become more pronounced. In any case, age and what kind of surgery can and should be performed are determined individually. But “up to what age” - this is decided only according to indications and health status. I had a patient who, at 72 years old, decided to make some changes in her appearance. Everything went well, everyone was happy.
What examinations do you need to undergo before plastic surgery, what tests should you take?
We have a complete list of tests required for a particular operation. Mandatory tests in all cases are fluorography, cardiogram, general blood and urine analysis. Further, it depends on the operation. For example, for breast surgery you also need to undergo an ultrasound of the mammary glands and obtain a mammologist’s opinion.
When is the best time to have surgery? Is there a “seasonal” calendar for plastic surgery?
Operations can be done at any time of the year. But, for example, in the summer it will be somewhat uncomfortable for patients to undergo mammoplasty or abdominoplasty. After them, you need to wear special compression underwear, which is not easy to hide under light summer dresses. But this is a matter of aesthetics - and nothing more.
How to choose a clinic and “your” plastic surgeon?
First of all, you need to pay attention to the personality of the surgeon himself. It is important that it is known not only through advertising and self-promotion, but through patient reviews and press publications. Probably, the determining factor in the formation of the opinion “a good plastic surgeon” is the number of operations performed per year. I perform 500-550 surgeries a year and I think that, for example, 50 plastic surgeries are not enough. Another important factor is the presence of your own clinic or a link to a specific clinic, so that the patient is confident that he can always find his surgeon and turn to him for help or advice. And, of course, the plastic surgeon must have at least ten years of experience, since this experience already makes it possible to avoid possible inaccuracies and choose the optimal method of performing the operation. Finally, having chosen a surgeon, the patient should look at what conditions and services the clinic offers, understand how comfortable he will be during rehabilitation after the operation - this is also an important point.
What plastic surgeries can be considered the most difficult, and in what cases do you need to prepare for a long recovery period?
Basically, all aesthetic surgeries take place with a recovery period of about two weeks. There are operations that require more time and a longer recovery period, such as abdominoplasty and a circular facelift. I consider rhinoplasty the most difficult. In addition to the fact that it is difficult for a doctor, who, in addition to experience, must have good aesthetic taste, the rehabilitation period after it lasts up to a year. And during all this time, the surgeon must monitor the patient to be sure that everything is going according to plan.
Who to go to for youth: the opinion of a plastic surgeon
Expert opinion
Otari Gogiberidze, leading plastic surgeon at the Time of Beauty clinic “Today, many plastic surgeons complain that aesthetic cosmetology, which is really rapidly developing, is taking away their bread, because instead of surgery, patients choose thermage or alterotherapy.
These same unemployed surgeons create myths about the dangers of procedures: I myself have more than once had to prove the opposite to patients who are sure that “threads leave fibrous compactions in the skin” and that “after Thermage it is impossible to do a tightening.” If a person comes to me and immediately asks for an operation, and I understand that the skin can still be supported with devices and injections, then I send him to cosmetologists without talking.” “Why rush? Plastic surgery in the absence of medical indications was and remains a surgery of whim, and besides, one must not forget that any operation is a risk. For the patient and for the doctor. My decision-making principle is extremely simple. There are problems that only surgery can solve. These include excess skin and subcutaneous fat on the eyelids, gravitational ptosis, age-related jowls, and a massive “double chin.” In such cases, a facelift, liposuction of certain areas, blepharoplasty will be the only correct solution.
Dermatocosmetology with its hardware and injection capabilities helps the surgeon improve the result of the operation or continues his work, and at the “Time of Beauty” clinic I sought to combine the efforts of specialists in these two areas. I'll explain with an example. A girl comes to see me for an appointment - all the signs of a “heavy” face: a floating oval, deep nasolabial folds, a large amount of fat in the submandibular area, “painting bags” under the eyes. As a surgeon, I understand that I can do eyelids and a lift of the lower part of the face at the same time, and when everything is completed, I call a cosmetologist directly into the operating room - to give the patient alterotherapy under general anesthesia, which can be quite painful, and additionally tighten the skin and remove excess fat under chin. In a month, we can again turn to a cosmetologist and work on the quality of the skin with the help of treatments, peelings, and injections.
By the way, in addition to new procedures, new, more gentle methods of operations are also appearing today. So, 10 years ago I did about a hundred circular lifts a year using the old technique, and today this figure is lower, because there is a short-scar lift, which is much less traumatic. However, this does not mean that you need to immediately run to do it. I am convinced: a conscientious surgeon should refuse an operation that can be done without, and not pursue money, just like a decent cosmetologist, seeing that devices and injections no longer help, must admit: I did everything I could - and send the patient to a plastic surgeon.”
Text: Dasha Kozachok
