LET’S TALK COSMETIC SURGERY

Our guest for today is a Plastic Surgeon. His passionate dedication to Medicine is inspiring.
We estimate that he has personally mentored at least 1000 new Doctors and has set an extraordinary “yes, you can” example for many of us.

He is someone a lot of people  look up to, because of his great skills and passion for the practice.

The practice of Plastic Surgery is the story he will share with us today. In his words, “The Transformation is not just in the body of our clients, but also in their mind and energy levels. It is a very rewarding practice”

Ladies & Gentlemen, I give you …Associate Professor Kingsley Opara.

What are your hobbies outsides of Work?

Hobbies are animal farming and playing tennis.

What does it take to become a Plastic surgeon?

Different countries/ regions have their unique training programs. Here in Nigeria, you need to go through the Residency training in general surgery up to the part one level, and then go through a senior residency training in plastic and reconstructive surgery for another 3 years. After which you pass your board exams to qualify as a Plastic Surgeon

But of course you need to further build capacity going through other training programs relevant to your interests and practice. For example I got further training at Ganga Hospital in India, and Georgia plastic and reconstructive surgery Hospital, Atlanta, Georgia, USA

How long have you been a Medical Doctor, and what attracted you to this medical speciality?

I have been a Doctor for 25 years now and a plastic surgeon for about 15 years. For me, I couldn’t picture myself doing anything else. The results can be quite dramatic and the satisfaction you get when you see the smiles return to the face of a satisfied client cannot be qualified.

Not many people know what this speciality is about. Tell us about the scope or various branches or aspects of this practice

Plastic surgery involves two major subdivisions. Cosmetic surgery and Reconstructive surgery. Cosmetic surgery involves improving the form or appearance of a part of the human body, while reconstructive surgery involves replacing a part of the body or restoring function to a part of the body

How widely available is it in the country?

We have qualified plastic surgeons in most states who can provide good service. Our center is however the first cosmetic surgery center offering a full range of cosmetic surgery/Aesthetic services in Port Harcourt and it’s environs

I have come across most of your works and they’re incredible, I must say. What are the challenges of this speciality practice?

One of the major challenges facing the practice of cosmetic surgery in Nigeria is the misconception by a lot of Nigerians that those who have cosmetic surgery done are vain. Having been in this practice for several years, I have come to realize that most of the cosmetic surgery clients are accomplished people who are bold enough to go for what they want. People who consider investing in their bodies worthwhile. The good news is that many Nigerians are beginning to accept cosmetic surgery as a worthy investment capable of increasing ones productivity by improving his/her self esteem

Tell us more about your personal experience in this field.

The response to Cosmetic Surgery in Nigeria is a little bit different from what’s obtained in the western world. Outside this country, a lot of people are open about having cosmetic surgery. Cosmetic surgery clients don’t have any problem being seen walking into a Cosmetic surgery clinic. They’re more open to telling their friends they had a plastic surgery procedure done.
Here, your client has a procedure and tells her friends she got her shape from dieting and exercise, because she doesn’t want to be judged by the society.
So that affects referals coming from your clients. The bad publicity resulting from some of the negative occurrences involving one or two plastic surgery practices in the country have also not helped matters. These are some of the few challenges.

However, we are seeing an increasing demand for plastic surgery. Many more Nigerians are beginning to approve of plastic surgery, and are less judgmental in their response to any one who has had a plastic surgery procedure done..
Many more ladies want to have good curves, with a narrow waist line, and they go for it.
Many clients after their procedure confess to having an Improved Body self image with consequent improvement in their productivity. So the positive effect in the lives of the clients is actually obvious to us. A lot of clients who have had this procedure, you see them evolve in their level of self confidence.

It shows right from their communication to their dressing. And that gives us a lot of satisfaction. The Transformation is not just in the body of our clients, but also in their mind and energy levels. It is a very rewarding practice.

And today, what are you going into?

Today, I’m going to be reviewing my patients for the week and also those for surgery. Incidentally, I’ve 4 clients for the week. Two of them are for Brazilian Butt Lift (BBL), one is for liposuction of the upper arm, and one is for liposuction of the entire back and arm.
The patients for BBL want a 360 liposuction. We will try them on their garments, make sure they’re ready in terms of laboratory investigations and other preoperative preparations necessary before undergoing such procedures.

Cosmetic surgery doesn’t just end at the procedure, we also follow them up. So will take them through the post operative instructions. From tomorrow, our surgeries will Kick off. We expect the day to be very busy. We also take alot of photographs today. Show the patients the areas we need to work on and results to expect.

So give us an example. Let’s say I’m coming for a Tummy tucking.  So what should I expect…as to patient preparation.

If you have booked to have a Tummy Tuck. At first consultation, we assess you. Assessment involves General health assessment to make sure you’re fit for the procedure,
Also take a detailed history to make sure Tummy Tuck is the procedure recommended for you. Some patients come for consultation with a procedure in mind only to find out at consultation that they need an entirely different procedure to achieve their goals. So at consultation, we assess their expectations and try to match their expectations with what is realizable. We also advise patients to stay off some drugs like Aspirin and quit smoking for at least 3weeks prior to the procedure. In addition we take the client through pre and post operative instructions. So we make sure you understand everything about taking care of yourself before even going into having the procedure. We advise 2 to 3 consults before the procedure which is aimed at

• Assessing the patient
• Educating the patient
• Re-enforcing some of these information we have given the patient to make sure he or she really understands.

Pre operatiively, we also try the garments. Also, If patient is markedly overweight, we encourage weight loss before the procedure.

How can you be contacted. Location, website, email, Facebook, twitter, Instagram.

Location: No 5 Tom Inko Tariah Avenue, Rumumogba Estate Port Harcourt, Rivers state.

Website: http://www.regalplasticsurgerycentre.com/

Instagram: Regalplasticsurgerycentre

Phone number : 08103050166

Facebook: Regal Plastic Surgery Centre

E-mail: regalplasticsurgery@gmail.com

Thank you so very much Dr Opara for granting this interview. I’m certain my readers will enjoy it and have all their doubts and misconceptions about Cosmetic surgery sorted out,and they would certainly know the various aspects of Plastic surgery and when, where and how to seek for a Plastic Surgeon. Friends, if you’re in need of a plastic Surgeon and you’re within Port Harcourt and it’s environs, you definitely know what to do. You’re in safe hands. Please do well to visit and follow him on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and also visit the website

https://www.instagram.com/regalplasticsurgerycentre/