Igor Anatolyevich Bely, the leading surgeon of the Ottimo clinic, talks about how the client of a plastic surgeon has changed in recent years and why a timely operation is better than regular visits to the doctor.
BH: Igor Anatolyevich, has the age of your clients decreased recently or, on the contrary, has grown?
IA: It has become smaller. But clients are also more demanding now. They expect perfect results and quick recovery after both non-surgical procedures and after surgery. In the first case, I mean manipulations that do not involve cuts. But here I always warn clients that the absence of incisions does not mean a quick recovery. It still takes 2-3 weeks - no magic wand has been invented yet.
BH: With what problems do clients come to you most often?
IA: The age of my clients is from 25 to 75 years old. According to my observations, Russian girls are the most beautiful in the world, so they have a very biased and scrupulous attitude towards beauty. That is, everyone is equally painful to perceive minimal age-related changes on the face and are ready to run very early to the surgeon. There is nothing wrong with that, the main thing is to choose procedures that are age appropriate and delicately adjust the changes.
BH: What can be done without surgery?
IA: Thread lifting is very popular now. However, not everyone knows that there are two types of threads. The first is the threads used by cosmetologists. Their task is only to improve skin turgor. Do not expect lifting from them. The second type is surgical threads. They allow you to get the lifting effect, but it will last for a maximum of a year, despite the 3-5 years promised by the manufacturer. Don't think that the thread manufacturer is trying to trick you. The laws of physics have not been canceled, and it is quite logical that 3-4 months after the procedure, heavy tissues will slowly begin to sink to their original place - the threads will not be able to hold them for a long time. Moreover, the average cost of the procedure is equal to the cost of a facelift, and the minimum rehabilitation period is 2 weeks. There is only one conclusion: if you want to get a stable effect (not a year, but 5-10 years), then only surgery will help.
BH: Is it too early for women under 45 to think about surgery?
IA: In this age category there are a large number of clients who have already "tried" injections of hyaluronic acid, botox, thread lifting. They all come for a consultation, show one movement and ask to eliminate the same thing - the effect of a tired face.
Until recently, all problems of the lower third of the face, middle zone and neck were solved in only one way - lifting (SMAS-lifting).
But keep in mind that when you are told about a facelift, it is not always about the same procedure. There are more than 18 types of SMAS lifting.
This does not mean that you have to try to figure out all 18, your goal is to get the effect you expect. And the task of a qualified experienced doctor is to perform the operation with high quality.
BH: How to understand which SMAS-lifting is needed to correct age-related changes?
IA: One of the problems with a classic facelift is the likelihood of getting a Surgery Look, as our American colleagues say. Sutures may be visible, an elongated earlobe, a flat and narrow mouth. Often, after such a result, the clients still pump their lips - the facial expression turns out to be more awkward. But in this regard, other positive trends have emerged. On the one hand, this is minimization of interventions (like the notorious French "Naturelle"), on the other, safer and more effective approaches to lifting. For example, Primalifting.
BH: What is special about the Primalifting procedure?
IA: The name itself contains the purpose of the procedure. Prima means "first" in Latin. That is, it is for those who want to remove the first age signs as delicately and for a long time as possible. One of the main differences between Primalifting and a classic lift is the very small seam in the ear, which is hidden behind the hair. The lifting effect is achieved not by removing excess skin, but by lifting the muscles. The lifting of the muscle frame is provided by the Support thred system developed by me. It allows you to get a more stable result: the effect will last not for a year, but for 5-7 years.
BH: What specific indications does Primalifting have?
IA: Correction of the flaps, nasolabial folds and the puppet zone (painting bags and soft tissue prolapse in the cheekbones). The operation is performed for 2-3 hours, and during this time there is no threat to injure the nerve exit zones. This also distinguishes the procedure from other more aggressive operations.
SMAS is a system that generally lifts the muscle frame. Therefore, the effect will be noticeable on the neck. I would also like to say about the correction of the painting zone - bags under the eyes. The problem of the middle zone is deeper and, in terms of the complexity of the solution, is comparable to a facelift. This area contains the largest branch of the trigeminal nerve, trauma to which can lead to serious complications. Therefore, work in this area can only be entrusted to a qualified doctor with the strictest indications. For example, I am deeply convinced that lipofilling in the painting area is absolutely impossible. A third of clients will get a good or average effect, and two-thirds will get swelling, adhesions and other problems. Moreover, they will not appear immediately, but 2-3 years after the operation, and it will be impossible to eliminate them.
BH: How long does it take to recover after Primalifting?
IA: In a sense, the real-life after Primalifting is comparable to thread lifting. In 10-14 days you will already be in the ranks! In this case, the patient stays in the hospital for only one day, the rest of the time he spends at home. This minimally invasive facial procedure is now considered one of the most gentle in the world.
Text: Julia Kozoliy
