Tales from a Plastic Surgeon

 I was a teenager  when I first watched the movie ' Legally Blonde'  As much as I was fascinated by Reese Witherspoon's performance, I was also intrigued by the 'alibi' the fitness instructor who was falsely accused of murder provided. 'Liposuction' she said and Reese's character gave a short squeal of shock. I didn't have Google at my fingertips at that time, but  being a medical student I guessed it had something to do with fat, as 'Lipo' means fat.. Years later when I chose to become a plastic surgeon, I was eagerly looking forward to performing this procedure and when I finally got to do it, I was amazed by its simplicity and its results. So what really does Liposuction mean? Well, to begin with, it is not a weight loss procedure, but a body contouring procedure. It is meant for people who have controlled their weight with diet and exercise regimes, but are still left with certain areas of stubborn fat which refuse to respond to ...

Unwanted hair growth is a common aesthetic problem. Common methods of hair removal include Waxing, Shaving and use of epilators. However these techniques can be painful, need to be repeated often and their effects last for just a few days after the procedure. LASER hair removal promises to be a permanent painless solution and has emerged to be one of the most requested aesthetic procedures in recent times. Owing to the simplicity and demand for the procedure, a large number of 'LASER Clinics' have mushroomed in the last few years. However, due to low-quality machines and inadequately trained staff performing these procedures, the results have been inconsistent and LASER hair removal has fallen into disrepute. Hence, there is a need for adequate research and knowledge of certain facts before venturing out and spending your hard-earned money for these procedures. 1. Not all Hair removal LASERS are equally effective. Before going for the procedure it is important to k...

Little drops of water Little grains of sand Make the mighty oceans And the pleasant land.... I had learnt this hymn in my convent school in childhood, but today when I recall, I find the words more relevant than ever. These words hold true in so many ways. Be it investments, be it marriage, be it parenting, be it making friends, be it losing weight, be it your career goals... Even overnight success doesn't happen overnight. It has been in the making for long. Its just the manifestation which is visible to us. The efforts, the struggles are concealed, but they are very much present. Ups and downs are a part of every single journey. The only thing that is important is, to remain consistent. As they say, you have not failed until you quit. It is important to put one step forward EVERY SINGLE DAY. It is important to look back and take into account, the distance you have covered and gauge the distance you still have to go. Take a breath, take a pause and th...

Sunday morning 5.00 am, I was in deep sleep when the door bell rang, multiple times.... I got up startled, wondering who it is at this hour. I saw my neighbour, a young man, desperate...his father was not being able to breath properly. I ran to his home and to the patient's side, checked his pulse. It was feeble  but present. But he was gasping, unconscious. I quickly asked whether he was diabetic, he was, it could be hypoglycemia I thought. He was cold, definitely in shock. He needed to be in a hospital ASAP. I was just gathering my thoughts when he took a loud gasp and stopped breathing. It was panic and mayhem with all his dear ones around. They all were fearing the worst. The daughter in law called the ambulance. It would take 20 minutes, they said...too late, We had to carry him to the hospital. I initiated CPR, but couldnt do it all along while we were carrying him. I checked his pupils just before we transported him. They were fixed. It was almost over. We somehow gathe...

Motherhood ushers in a new era in the lives of women. The world seems to be centred around the little bundle of joy. Yet, once the euphoria settles and one looks back, she misses her days of youthful yore. Pregnancy is an overwhelming physical and emotional journey. The beautiful experience of giving birth does take its toll on the young women and leaves behind stretched muscles, loose sagging skin and deflated breasts. Earlier women would make peace with their new body and dress down to loose clothes to hide their baby weight. But the new age woman seeks a better quality of life. She wants to wear gym clothes, run marathons and swim in the sea and rock in little black dresses.  Of late there has been a great upsurge in the number of women opting for a  'Mommy Makeover'.  The goal of a  mommy makeover  is to restore the shape and appearance of a woman's body after childbearing. There are many areas of the body that can be addressed, most commonly the b...

'Just chop it off' she said. I saw Poorvi*, a fit 18 year old girl in clinic a few years ago when she made this statement. She was distressed about her disproportionately large breasts. She couldn't  participate in athletic activities, play badminton or even jog. She could only wear loose fitted clothes, and would also find it difficult to get brassieres of her size in local stores, They always had to be shipped from abroad. Her problem was quite genuine and practical. Her parents were extremely supportive and understood her woes well. After knowing all the pros and cons, she underwent a breast reduction procedure and was indeed very relieved. Yet, as breast reduction is commonly considered a cosmetic procedure in India, her surgery was not covered by Insurance. Rather that option was not even sought for. Disproportinately large breasts or 'macromastia' as it is called pose some unique problems for women. 1. Pain in the back, neck, shoulders and breast. 2....

As an Indian, I believe Heirarchy is deep-rooted in our system. We are conditioned in a way as to give more respect to certain jobs and certain people as compared to others. We tend to believe that certain jobs are 'more important' than the others. We fail to understand that we live in an ecosystem where all characters play the part and it is team work that wins in the end. A hospital for example is NOT run by doctors. Its efficiency is equally dependent on the administration team, the nursing staff and even the multi-purpose workers. Without any of these, no hospital can run smoothly. Yet we see, there is a wide gap in the pay system. When I was working abroad, I was pleasantly surprised with the equality amongst all classes. For starters, all the people in our department would call each other by name- there was no 'Sir' or 'Madam'. No age heirarchy, no social heirarchy. We all ate at the same table, visited the same restaurants and wore the same OT scrubs. Th...