We are living in the ‘Viral World’ where everyone is looking at creating content to go super viral! We do not want to be left behind. In a highly genuine effort, Chennai Plastic Surgery has compiled ‘What it is to be a Cosmetic Surgeon’ hoping the social media makes ‘our genuine cry’ viral.

Medical Advancements

If you are under the presumption that medical advancements take ages to be implemented in India, you are highly mistaken! Every advancement needs training and one needs to stay updated with latest techniques and equip themselves with the latest machinery to keep up with the latest medical procedures, and Indian Surgeons are quite fast learners and quicker at adopting newer techniques.

Clients Expectations

In most cases, it becomes next to impossible to convince a patient that they cannot be totally someone else! We have had several clients having celebrity obsessions and want to transform themselves into their favourite movie star. Also the obsession towards selfie photography is causing too much of a pain, that a Cosmetic Surgeon has to balance out every aspect. It is roughly estimated that a Cosmetic Surgeon spends 80% of his consulting time counselling his clients to think straight and not to be clouded with unattainable aspirations.

Body Dysmorphic Clients

Most of us have something about our appearances that we don’t like. It could be a crooked nose or an uneven smile or eyes that are too large or too small. Though they do not come in the way of leading normal lives, there are people who constantly worry about their perceived flaws over and over giving them the title Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD). Such clients threaten surgeons and are very difficult to please. Their own perceived flaw becomes too difficult for them to cope up with, that most of such clients never settle for anything less than their own ‘dream bodies’. Usually a negative review is considered as a black mark anywhere and in the medical field, it immediately touches your emotions and asks you to stay cautious. These clients always ensure that they leave negative feedback for the surgeon / hospital just because the hospital did not want to take up their case or have refused to completely give them what they want.

Media Hype

Thanks to social media, blogs and instant chat services, sensitive news stays in limelight all the time. If it is a story of a common man, it lasts for days and if its a sensational story of a celebrity, it lasts for weeks. Many comments passed, judgements served by common people, yet more often than not, the truth always stays buried. Take the example of celebs accused of dying on account of cosmetic surgery – both the media and the public dabble on various theories until the story bores them. The news eventually dies with no light thrown on the mystery. This results in tarnishing our name and reputation.

We Got To Pay Bills Too

Taxes are a killer. The service tax levied on cosmetic procedures are gigantic! There has always been a rise in non medical players and non core specialists getting into the field of Cosmetic Surgery. Specialists like Gynaecologists and Dermatologists are not supposed to be performing plastic surgeries but they do! This results in price discrepancies, for the non core specialists are not charging much, covering up the shortcoming of their technicalities, while hard core Cosmetic Surgeons are labelled to be ‘expensive’. Also Doctors are not allowed to advertise, which results in tougher competition. The Government of India has made Medical Visa mandatory for international clientele. This has become a huge area of hindrance for people abroad travelling to India for such procedures as well.

Every field has its own drawbacks. It is wise to stay cautious before taking any decision but it is important to listen to your Doctor when they advise on medical procedures. The Doctors at Chennai Plastic Surgery are always available for a very open conversation. We do not push our clients to make decisions in our favour but aim to educate them and show them a path that they will benefit from the most.