Beauty is a very relative characteristic of a person which creates an aura of pleasure or satisfaction in others who appreciate it. Beauty varies according to culture so that physical features that make a person beautiful vary widely among Caucasians and Asians. Whatever it might be, beauty evokes a sense of pleasure and well-being in the eye of the beholder. A person is considered beautiful both by a combination of physical features and psychological factors. Physical features that portray beauty include, for instance, a beautiful nose, a perfect body and the presence of appropriate amount of fat in the right areas. Here comes the role of Cosmetic Surgery.
Cosmetic surgery is a branch of plastic surgery that deals with the improvement of appearance of a person through medical and surgical means through a perceived ideal that would portray a sense of beauty in the eyes of the beholder. The number of cosmetic surgical procedures is going up worldwide day by day as more and more people are educated about its benefits. With cosmetic surgery, a variety of features in the human body can be addressed which are considered as imperfections by the patient. Although the number of female patients desiring cosmetic surgery has always been more, in recent years male cosmetic surgery is picking up at a good pace. Typically female cosmetic surgery can include a reshaping of nose (rhinoplasty), taking out excess fat from an area of the body (liposuction), increasing or decreasing the size of the breasts (mammoplasty), lip augmentation, anti-aging procedures as well as specific procedures addressing the female genitalia (labial contouring, hymenoplasty, vaginoplasty). Male cosmetic surgery includes male boobs surgery (gynecomastia), liposuction, anti-aging surgeries like facelift, lip reduction, hair transplantation and surgery to increase the length and girth of the penis or to address a hidden penis.
Apart from the above, there is a range of cosmetic surgeries addressing possibly every part of the body which aim to make the targeted area as “ideal” as possible as part of “Project Beautiful”. However, is this project without any risk? The answer is a big NO! Risks are inherent with any surgery and any patient who is not willing to take any risk even after being apprised of the side-effects the surgery might entail should not go ahead with the surgery. Also, results might not be along expected lines despite the surgery being done in a perfect manner. In gist, there is nothing called “Surefire Project Beautiful”.
Prof. (Dr.) Souvik Adhikari’s Cosmetic Surgery practice in Kolkata addresses patients on a case-by-case basis because no two persons are equal and their requirements would of course be different. First of all, he listens to the concerns of the patient regarding their body form and the “target” they set out for themselves. Next comes the education phase in which he counsels the patients about the realistic goals they can achieve because no one can be made Miss World overnight by plastic surgery! Therefore, designing a realistic goal is very important. He also informs the patients about the options they have and show them photographs about the changes that other patients have achieved by going through surgery. He moves on to inform them about the possible complications of surgery that can occur despite careful attention. Finally, it ends in a phase where there is mutual agreement to go ahead with the surgical procedure and the consent forms are signed. Appropriate counseling by a psychologist is provided whenever necessary.
During performing the cosmetic procedures, his main aim is to “create no harm”, therefore he ensures the safety of the patients at all costs and then go on to take them as close to their desired needs as possible. He always uses the smallest access incisions possible so that the scars are insignificant and placed at hidden sites. He also takes extreme care of his patients in the postoperative phase and the period thereafter to ensure that they progress at an uneventful rate.
When choosing a cosmetic surgeon it is important on part of the patients to verify the credentials of the surgeon because surgeons without adequate training in plastic and aesthetic surgery can do more harm than good and it might then be impossible on part of a subsequent aesthetic surgeon attending the patient to take the patient forward towards his/her goals.
