Dr Samik Sharma, who has joined GMCH-32’s Department of Plastic Surgery in March from AIIMS Bathinda, highlighted that procedures like liposuction are very expensive abroad, and have a long waiting time too, but similar treatments in this institute “practically costs nothing”.
“We have people plan their visits to India to get these procedures, and the key here is that people feel confident that they are with experienced and highly qualified plastic surgeons,” stressed Sharma, Assistant Professor, Department of Plastic Surgery, GMCH-32.
The plastic surgery department of the institute has already treated several trauma and burn patients from across the region, apart from performing complicated reconstructive surgeries and congenital anomalies. It has performed more than 1,000 surgeries, with a significant increase in cosmetic and aesthetic surgeries.
Sharma further said in the last few months, many NRI patients, several from the UK who are visiting home here in Punjab, have opted for liposuction – a cosmetic procedure that removes unwanted fat deposits from the body – here at the hospital, with the waiting time only three weeks.
Body contouring is another procedure that is high on the list of many young women, especially after pregnancy, as the skin gets loose and the fat gets accumulated in the belly, especially in the lower belly. The fat cells are removed, and this is permanent, and there is a shape given to the body.
“For many this is a tough period, with many changes being experienced, the contouring gives a sense of confidence and psychological comfort. Of course, the key and our advice to all is to follow a healthy lifestyle and an exercise regime and that never changes,” Sharma said.
The average age of patients is between 20 to 50, be it for face lifts, body contouring, rhinoplasty, liposuction, with two to three cosmetic surgeries performed every week here at the Department.
Rhinoplasty, according to Sharma, is a very popular procedure, as many want to change the shape of their nose to suit their face, and for some, it is purely medical, as some people face difficulty in breathing because of the shape of the nose, and need correction.
“We had this young college student, who was very under confident throughout school and college, as his classmates teased him about his crooked nose, and the Rhinoplasty changed him completely. He shared how his level of confidence had increased,” says the professor, who added that counselling of the patient before a procedure is paramount.
Sunil Gaba, Department of Plastic Surgery, PGI, Chandigarh, said in the last one year there has been an almost 20 per cent increase in cosmetic surgery, with the department doing close to 50 surgeries in 2021-22, with many surgeries being postponed or put on hold due to a rise in Covid cases in the year.
The pandemic, said the professor, was a distressing time for everyone, including the medical fraternity, yet there were some interesting changes. “People between the age group of 25 and 45 thronged the plastic surgery centres/ departments for rectification of facial features like eye bags, wrinkles, sagging skin and even minute deformities of the nose as they had more time to look and their faces and became more aware of the apparent imperfections during the lockdown,” said Gaba, who treated many cases of rhinoplasy.
The unanticipated ‘Zoom Boom’ was a crucial factor, he noted as video calls made people super-critical about their looks and there was a sudden appetite for aesthetic transformations. The work-from-home culture facilitated such surgeries as patients could recover at home in plain sight, lack of social events and vacations were also contributing factors, as people could spare money and time for these procedures.
Dr Milind Wagh, consultant, plastic surgery, PD Hinduja and Medical Research, though has a caveat. “Patients must ask their doctors questions to ascertain the advantages and disadvantages of the treatment planned, any common complications and all alternative treatments available. They must check which treatments are FDA approved or have met ISI quality standards and make sure that they do not opt for those which are not time-tested,” said Wagh. It is equally important that all procedures are done in a hygienic environment using disposable single-use syringes,” he added.
Sharma said young men have now been asking for breast reduction procedures to the hospital, as many of them want to build muscles quickly, and go to gyms where they take anabolics, mass gainers, steroids, and excessive protein powders without consulting an expert or specialist.
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The bottom line, according to Sharma, is that your skin, hair and body will be healthy if you eat healthy. “No matter how many vitamins, minerals, age-defying creams you use, what goes inside the body as food matters the most,” he added.
Wagh said that people also are spending a lot on aesthetic treatments now because they have enough disposable income to spend on.
“Earlier most of those opting for these non-invasive treatments were from the entertainment industry and from the media. While that subsection of society still comes for aesthetic treatments and procedures which are necessary to maintain and enhance their looks and body image, today a large percentage of patients are also ordinary, aspirational middle and upper class with disposable incomes to spend on aesthetic procedures and treatments,” he concluded.
© The Indian Express (P) Ltd
First published on: 13-09-2023 at 04:30 IST
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