“They say once you get a procedure done, you may need it again and again,” asked a 35-year-old woman. “Does it show too much on you face,” asked another.
The response from the plastic surgeon, Dr Sheikh Ahmed Abdullah, elicited a laugh: “If you do not want to show it on your face just pay me and go back home.” The US-based doctor launched his clinic in Karachi on Wednesday which target the well-heeled crowd.
The excited audience was mostly made up of models, actors and even men who flooded him with questions. The men were particularly curious about hair transplantation and the women focused on facial procedures.
Dr Abdullah soothed them by saying that his clients have the same concerns the world over. But the whole purpose of the treatments is to make a person look younger, not stretched out, blown in the wind or abnormal. “You look younger not different.”
According to him, the best age for a facelift is between 45 to 50 years when the skin is elastic. A face lift may stay for almost up to the age of 60 year until you may need another one, but that is because of aging and not because you have had it done, he explained.
The uneasy silence was cut through by some women who raised their concern that society here considers ‘messing’ with your looks a taboo. “It was the same in America about 30 or 40 years ago,” responded Dr Abdullah. “It will fade here too.”
Prices
At the Aesthetics International Plastic Surgery Clinic a facelift will set you back $3,000 (Rs300,000). The anti-aging therapy comes with a $4,500 pricetag and breast restructuring surgery can cost about $10,000. These prices are well in line with current market rates for high-end clientele, commented well-respected plastic surgeon Dr Tahir Shafi, when The Express Tribune contacted him for an independent assessment. He practices at the Aga Khan University Hospital and at a private hospital in Clifton. However, added Dr Shafi, there are also places that offer a face lift for nearly half the price at Rs150,000. Patel Hospital is one of them. According to Dr Mazhar Nizam, the head of Patel’s plastic surgery department, their procure would cost Rs125,000.
Services
The Aesthetics International Plastic Surgery Clinic has a team of five foreign practitioners for the first Karachi branch in the country and will travel between the Middle East and Pakistan for their clients. While plastic and cosmetic surgery are procedures already available in Karachi, Dr Abdullah pitched his team’s endoscopic facial rejuvenation, stem cell fat transfer, short-scan breast lifts as their unique selling point. Dr Shafi pointed out to The Express Tribune, however, that procedures as stem cell fat transfer, short scan breast lifts are already available in Pakistan. “The only thing that is not here is the endoscopic brow lift,” he said.
The Aesthetics clinic also claims to introduce age management therapy that targets diet, changes in hormones, inflammation caused by age, and sustainability and exercise. It will also offer Hormone Replacement Therapy. Among other services are treatments such as botox, fillers, peels, minor surgeries for skin lesions and post cancer reconstruction, hair removal, vein treatment, skin resurfacing, permanent tattoos, mesotherapy and therapeutic cellulite and size reduction. Other advanced surgical procedures include aesthetic facial surgery that can target external ear, brow and forehead lifts, rhinoplasty, eyelid surgery and fat grafting for face contouring.
The women in the audience were also given an injection of breast cancer awareness from Dr Kay Abdullah who told them about the causes, prevalence and treatment and its incidence for Pakistani women.
Dr Somi Namazi, who is running the dental aesthetics arm of the clinic, mentioned that patients can choose to have their work done in Karachi or Dubai where they have another office.
Patel Hospital’s Dr Mazhar Nizam warned, however, that post-operative care for any such surgery is crucial. Hence, the presence of the surgeon really impacts the results. “There are many people who have died after liposuction surgery,” he said.
Dr Nizam also cautioned about the growing trend of dermatologists entering the field of invasive and reconstruction procedures. This needs to be discouraged as they require proper training, he remarked.
As with any procedure, it is highly recommended for the potential patient to do their research, consult properly qualified practitioners and keep their family physician in the loop.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 18th, 2012.
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will there be hymenoplasty facilty also?
The doctor is not being very candid. After all it is his bread and butter. or condo and beach house plus a sports car. Of course, you can tell if someone has had a face lift. As you age, its not just your face that sags but also skin around the neck and hands. Granted your face is the first thing that is apparent to another person but eventually the other person notices the difference between face and neck and concludes that this person certainly looks weird. The more observant person also notices the other's hands as well. Disasters in PS are fairly common as well. Google terms like trout pout, breast misalignment, liposuction poisoning etc.
For movie actors, wrinkles are reduced through make up and the camera does not pick these up. Ever seen an actor without make up ? Remember your shock at how old the person looks ? For Pakistani men, the favorite has to be dyeing the hair black. Now if your face has a million wrinkles, who do you fool by using excessive amounts of kala kola ?
Remember, after PS, you might fool yourself that you look younger but you cannot fool others.
Note that I am all for reconstructive facial surgery in trauma or congenital cases. But this surgery for vanity is another matter. People should understand the risks specially as there is no legal recourse in medical cases in Pakistan.