Interesting and informative interview with Plastic Surgeon of Ideal Aesthetics Clinic in Limasssol – Nick Kranidhiotis
Why and how did you decide that plastic surgery is your destiny?
Coming from a family background of engineers, I inherited an inclination to seek out and comprehend the inner workings and process of the biological machine. In turn, like a true engineer, you apply the knowledge to alter the form and structure of the biological machine in order to facilitate it in the anti-ageing or the repair process. I have been fortunate enough in my carreer to experience Plastic Surgery in all its facets, not only in the Aesthetic disciplines, but also in Reconstruction and Micro-Surgery for Trauma, Burns, Cancer and Hand Injury. Aesthetic and Cosmetic Plastic surgery combines art with science to achieve results that will improve the quality of people’s lives and make them feel more comfortable and content with themselves.
What is the most demanded plastic surgery in Cyprus?
Body Contouring is the surgery most in demand in my practice, mainly because it combines many surgical processes for the anti-ageing of the body – it encompasses different forms of abdominoplasty (tummy tuck), liposuction and liposculpting, lifting of lower body and arms. It is increasingly rare now for an individual to seek surgery only for one particular aesthetic problem – instead we receive requests to utilise a surgical session to improve more than one area that causes aesthetic concern, often performing multiple procedures simultaneously such as tummy tuck with breast lift, or liposuction and utilisation of the harvested fat to augment the breasts or face.
Non-invasive treatments, do you think it really works? When do you recommend non-invasive treatments vs plastic surgery?
The non-invasive aesthetic field is a discipline of Aesthetic Medicine that has grown immensely in the last decade. In some respects the technology has allowed us to offer near-surgical results for targeted therapies.
The most noted example of this is the application of the Coolsculpting procedure in the destruction of localized fat deposits. This process proves that a properly utilized and applied technique non-invasive treatment will give you results comparable to a liposuction procedure.
There are of course non-invasive treatments that do not have a surgical equivalent – there are no surgical procedures to restore collagen of the skin or to increase the elasticity and firmness of skin, decrease pore size or eradicate acne scars. All these are cosmetic concerns that must be addressed when addressing a holistic approach to anti-ageing. When we combine these procedures with cosmetic surgery, we can anticipate better results and faster recovery.
In what case you would talk a patient against plastic surgery?
If a condition can be corrected effectively and efficiently with a minimum invasive procedure, then I would discuss all alternatives with the patient.
You may also encounter patients who may have an improper ability to comprehend the limitations of plastic surgery and whose expectations exceed what is reasonable.
The most difficult patient is the one who has developed a “body dysmorphic syndrome” and does not properly perceive what is considered normal and acceptable appearance, often demanding results that would be judged as extreme or in cases abnormal. In this case you have to tread carefully and consult with caution remembering that even if they are not a candidate for procedures, they are still a patient who deserves proper medical consultation and guidance to return to a state of perceiving correctly what is considered normal and acceptable.
What was the most difficult surgery in your practice?
The most difficult surgeries but often the most gratifying cases are the ones concerning reconstruction due to burns trauma or cancer. The most challenging cases deal with advanced cancers of the Head and Neck region where major surgery by a multi-disciplinary team is required to remove the cancer, followed by microsurgical reconstruction of the resultant defect. A recent example was a 16.5 hour long surgery where a team of highly qualified and specialized surgeons participated and with great success managed to remove the cancer and restore structure and function.
Anti-ageing procedures – What is your general recommendations? At what age should a woman consider it and what is normally step 1, 2 and 3 in it?
There really is no “right” age indication to begin anti-ageing procedures, since technically we start aging from the day we are born. This may sound far-fetched but in fact most of us practice it without even realizing it. As an example consider the sun screen used for children – this is a perfect example of anti-ageing at a young age where prevention is used to limit the hazardous effects of UV radiation on skin structure.
We are receiving increasingly younger women and men enquiring about prevention against the ageing process. My advice to them is that, as with most things, prevention is better (and also cheaper) than cure.
First, the Basics – I often offer the analogy of a potted flower plant when describing the requirements of the skin in that you need to offer the correct amount of water, sunlight and nutrition if you want the organism to thrive. It is a very simple analogy but one that very clearly demonstrates how simple it is to have the correct balance.
We have not (yet?) been able to reverse the biological ageing process, but we can delay it and reverse its expression with the various methods. It is now possible to reverse the effects of natural or accelerated skin ageing (sun damage / photo-ageing) with bio-stimulation mesotherapies and collagen induction treatments. The 2nd step, would be to regulate and maintain the correct amount of elastin and collagen in the skin with regular stimulation of the collagen support structures of the skin to achieve long term facial and body firmness. This is achieved with specific equipment targeting the correct layers under the skin to stimulate accordingly. Finally, volume replacement in the form of hyaluronic acid can be utilized to replace or enhance facial contours
Seasonal wise what is the best time for surgery? How long normally does recovery take?
Surgery can take place any time of the year but it is generally recommended to avoid extensive surgical procedures requiring heavy garments in the warmer months.
With the use of minimally invasive surgery and modern anaesthesiology methods recovery is now much quicker than before. It is now possible to undergo a breast augmentation surgery under local anaesthetic and light sedation and return home on the same day, and work only a few days later. Likewise, for BodyTite liposuction and body tightening, the patient may return to work in 2-4 days.