Plastic Surgery and Aesthetic Concerns

Cosmetic Surgery + News

Plastic Surgery and Aesthetic Concerns

As a plastic surgeon for almost 30 years, António Conde has performed more than 27 thousand interventions. Contributing to your patient's happiness is your permission.

Source: https://liderancanofeminino.org/a-cirurgia-plastica-e-a-preocupacao-estetica/

Plastic surgery means the reconstruction of a certain part of the body. What the client wants is often not possible to achieve in that body.

Yes, often what is requested of us is not feasible for that patient, for technical reasons or because the patient’s expectations are far above what is possible to obtain in that specific case.

Nowadays this problem will no longer be so pressing, since people are, in my opinion, sufficiently alerted to this issue through conversations with other patients, in the media, on social networks, in doctors’ offices, etc…

When I started in Plastic Surgery (1991) this mistake was much more common. Many patients even thought that our interventions did not leave scarring after-effects! Today, patients are much more informed about Plastic Surgery.

However, we must continue to exercise “pedagogical” action on our patients regarding the technical limits and results of our surgical interventions or medical treatments. Proper patient information is, in all specialties but particularly in Plastic Surgery, of utmost importance for the patient to accept and appreciate the result of a medical intervention or treatment.

What types of treatments are available at the clinic?

In the Plastic Surgery Unit of Hospital dos Lusíadas Porto, which I direct. We provide all types of medical-surgical treatments that fall within the scope of Reconstructive and Aesthetic Plastic Surgery. Namely in the area of:

Aesthetic Surgery: Facial and cervical rejuvenation surgery (“face lifting”), blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery), rhinoplasty (nasal surgery), otoplasty (ear pinna surgery), baldness surgery, breast reduction, breast augmentation, brachyplasty (eye surgery). arms), abdominoplasty, liposuction, body contouring surgery after bariartric surgery, scar plasty, etc…

Reconstructive Surgery: this is the basis of all Plastic Surgery. The Plastic Surgeon who only knows Aesthetic Surgery won’t even do that well! In fact, in our Unit we are prepared to face all types of reconstructions, from the simplest to the most complex because we have a very solid basis in reconstructive surgery, particularly in breast reconstruction surgery, which is perhaps the area in our specialty in which the concepts and the practices of reconstructive and aesthetic surgery merge more.

Medical Treatments: facial rejuvenation with fillers (hyaluronic acid), botulinum toxin, thread lifting, Erbium Laser, Radiofrequency, Endermology.

Which are the most popular?

We are in great demand in terms of Aesthetic Surgery, particularly facial surgery, breast reduction and augmentation, liposuction and abdominoplasty. We do breast augmentation a lot, as this is one of the most popular surgeries in the world. I warn you that there are many ways to carry out this operation, particularly with regard to the type of materials used (prostheses), the hospitalization regime, the place where the intervention takes place and even the surgical team that performs it.

In my opinion, the patient should first look for a surgeon specializing in Plastic Surgery who has knowledge and experience in the main approaches (in some places this surgery is not performed by duly accredited specialists), then opt for a Hospital with support from all specialties medical and surgical care, 24-hour nursing support, intensive care unit, etc… (in some places the patient undergoes surgery and is discharged immediately, without the aforementioned facilities being available in those places). Finally, look for a place where the best prostheses available on the market are used (with a low rate of capsular contractures, with associated insurance, with guarantees, etc…). Another area where we develop an important activity is in breast reconstruction. The Plastic Surgery Unit collaborates with General Surgery colleagues (Dr António Moura and Dr André Magalhães), whenever indicated, in immediate breast reconstruction, using prostheses or flaps and fat grafts as indicated.

Do clients understand the difference between cosmetic and reconstructive surgery?

This issue, as I said, is extremely important, for example in breast reconstruction. Sometimes what we are given to treat are serious deformities that result from total or even partial breast amputations due to neoplasia. Many of these patients have previously undergone intense radiotherapy treatments, which significantly affect the vascularity and tone of the skin. In these cases, breast reconstruction, no matter how much experience, knowledge or talent the doctor may have, will never be able to obtain a fantastic result. It is therefore essential, in these cases, to explain this limitation and the real expectations of the treatment to the patient very well. The surgery cannot be considered aesthetic but rather reconstructive. Of course, the Plastic Surgeon in all his gestures always has an aesthetic concern “by default”. However, in these cases and many others, it is important to define the boundary between reconstructive and aesthetic very well.

Improving someone’s self-esteem is certainly very rewarding. What assessment do you make of your professional career?

It is indeed extremely rewarding. But, and demystifying it a little, our specialty is this issue, just like any other in Medicine. When a patient is cured, a life is saved, or a patient is able to relearn how to like themselves. After 27 years of Plastic Surgery and around 27,000 interventions, today I experience the same satisfaction in seeing that my gesture contributed to someone’s happiness.

What advice do you have for anyone thinking about cosmetic surgery?

1st Choose a duly accredited Plastic Surgeon

2nd Then choose it through referrals from other patients or doctors and never through advertising insertions on television programs, social networks or even in hairdressing magazines…

3rd Establish a doctor-patient relationship of true empathy. If this does not happen, it is very likely that there will be disagreements or mistakes later (it is almost like a marriage…)

4th That it operates in a location that has all the conditions I mentioned above.

5th Question him about his experience in the surgery in question and be proactive at the time of the consultation, exposing all his doubts.

6th Always remember that you will be treated by a man and not by a God. (although the Plastic Surgeon, in this situation, is the closest thing to Him…)



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