THE CHANGING FACE OF COSMETIC SURGERY

If you’re considering a breast enlargement or reduction, liposuction, rhinoplasty, and more, Mediclinic’s Private Fixed Fee offering will bring you closer to making your dream a reality.

The demand for cosmetic surgery is on the rise worldwide, and Dr Nikita Blake, a plastic surgeon at Mediclinic Bloemfontein, says overall, she and her colleagues are performing “more and more procedures each year”. Among the most popular surgeries are breast augmentation and liposuction – a body contouring procedure in which excess fat is removed, while on the non-surgical side, Botox and fillers to reduce wrinkles and lift sagging face muscles are favoured treatments.

“During the COVID-19 pandemic we thought the number of procedures would decrease,” Dr Blake adds. “While this was the case during hard lockdown, they unexpectedly increased once restrictions were loosened because people had time to recover at home.” .

Reconstructive surgery trends

“Reconstructive surgery aims to restore form and function and is applied to a wide variety of congenital and acquired conditions,” explains Dr Blake. Cleft lip and palates, cancer excisions and trauma wounds are just a few examples of conditions that require reconstruction. Not only does reconstructive surgery fill an aesthetic function, it can also be lifesaving. “It allows more extensive cancer excisions because the defects can be closed,” she says. “It can also save limbs that may otherwise be amputated. In addition, reconstructive surgery allows integration into society for patients who would be isolated due to their deformities.”

With medical advancements come adapted and new techniques in the field of reconstructive surgery. “New understanding about how blood supply to tissues work and advancements in microsurgery have led to many more reconstructive surgery options and multiple new flaps being described,” says Dr Blake. Flap surgery is when a living piece of tissue together with the blood vessels that keep it alive are transferred from one part of the body to another.

Among the conditions that require reconstructive surgery are:

Burns

“Burns in the acute phase often cause thermal destruction and loss of skin,” says Dr Blake. “This presents as open wounds that require skin grafting. In severe cases or in patients where skin grafting was not done and wounds heal by secondary intention, burn contractures occur. These are disfiguring and impede function, for example, restricting range of motion of the arm. They can be treated by multiple reconstructive techniques such as Z-plasty release [which changes the direction of a scar so it’s better aligned with natural skin folds or relaxed skin tension lines], and skin grafting or flaps. With today’s advancements, donor sites – areas of your body where skin is taken to be used for a skin graft – can cause less morbidity.”

Cancer

Excising (cutting out) cancers creates defects. “When these defects are large, deform contours or structures, or expose critical structures like nerves or bone, plastic surgeons reconstruct using various techniques,” explains Dr Blake. “Whether it be a skin cancer that requires partial reconstruction of the nose, or breast cancer requiring reconstruction of the entire breast, the plastic surgeon has a whole range of reconstructive options to restore form and function.”

“New understanding about how blood supply to tissues works and advancements in microsurgery have led to many more reconstructive surgery options.”

Dr Nikita Blake, a plastic surgeon at Mediclinic Bloemfontein.

Time savers

Combination procedures are becoming popular, for example, the postpartum “mommy makeover” where you get a breast lift and tummy tuck at the same time. “Patients want to get everything done at once as time is an issue,” explains Dr Blake. “They want to get back to work without taking intermittent leave for different procedures.”

INJECTING NEW TECHNIQUES INTO PLASTIC SURGERY

New technology and techniques are constantly enhancing the results of plastic surgery. “Fat grafting, which we use as an adjunct to surgery, has gained popularity and momentum in recent years,” says Dr Blake. “The different types of fat grafting make it very versatile. With macro fat grafting we augment large volumes of fat and graft it into breasts or buttocks, for example, or we use smaller volumes during facelifts to augment or enhance features like cheek bones.” Nano fat, which contains stem cells and doesn’t give volume, is used for facial rejuvenation treatments, which is great for skin regeneration and remodelling, she adds.

Dr Peter Scott is a plastic surgeon at Mediclinic Morningside and a former treasurer of the Association of Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons of Southern Africa (APRASSA). He  explains that plastic surgeons have the surgical skills to obtain fat, prepare it, convert it into micro or nano fat, and inject it. “The effects here are far longer lasting than you would get from injecting fillers,” he adds.

“We’ve done up to 140 face lift fat injections simultaneously. Echoing European trends, we’re moving towards the natural-looking facelift combined with fat injection. The concept is to look younger, not like a different person. So, if you’re looking at the face from the front, we’re looking at its volume, around the eyes and mouth. That’s where our fat injection works, and the results are far superior.”

With macro fat used for large-volume fat grafting, fat can be obtained from the stomach or from another area that bothers the patient, explains Dr Blake. “This can facilitate a combination treatment where a patient gets liposuction in one area, and they get augmentation with the extracted fat somewhere else.” Less invasive treatments, like radiofrequency for skin tightening, are gaining popularity, she adds.

“You can get in-house ‘lunchtime treatments’ incorporating needling, laser, and radiofrequency to improve your skin texture, for example. We can even use radiofrequency during liposuction to get that extra skin tightening. Ultimately, when it comes to innovation, we’re combining more tools, and it’s this combination that gives us better results. The most important thing is to tailor techniques to your patient’s expectations and needs.”

FIND OUT ABOUT MEDICLINIC PRIVATE FIXED FEES

Mediclinic’s private Fixed Fees provide a quoted amount for a planned procedure, so our patients know exactly what to expect. This amount includes the hospital costs related to the clinical treatment received for the expected duration of stay in hospital, regardless of the level of care required. Our Fixed Fee packages cover a range of diagnostic and surgical procedures.

It’s important to keep in mind though, that doctor fees such as the treating provider and anaesthetist, and provider fees for associated medical tests, are not included in these costs. A potential additional daily fixed-fee charge may apply, should your admission extend beyond the expected duration. To find out more about private fixed fees and cosmetic procedures, visit https://www.mediclinic.co.za/en/corporate/fixed-fees/procedures.html and click on “Reconstructive Surgery”.