Dr Mazen from Aesthetic Skin Care Centre took time out from his busy schedule to speak to Abu Dhabi Week about his two passions in life: cosmetic surgery and art
What are the most common procedures that you carry out?
Botox and filler injections. I also have clients undergoing facelifts, blepharoplasty (eye-lid surgery), nose jobs and body-contouring procedures such as liposuction, fat injections and tummy tuck.
Do you also treat people suffering from medical problems?
Yes, from time to time because I’m a reconstructive surgeon too. I treat patients with congenital anomalies such as cleft palate, burns, contractures and hand problems.
Burns victims are generally young children who have spilled hot coffee or boiling water on themselves, or adults who have been burned by fireworks. Firstly I treat the burn and save the persons life, after that I deal with the scar.
I treat hand problems such as tumours, fractures, knife injuries and work-related injuries. I had a patient who cut their fingers off with a saw and I successfully reattached them using microscopic surgery.
What age do you recommend people begin to have cosmetic surgery – if they need it of course.
The average age of my patients is between twenty and fifty. There are no age limitations really, however the client must have gone through puberty.
Young girls may need their lips to look more plumped and attractive, or their breasts may be too small causing them a lot of embarrassment.
Middle-aged men and women look for Botox, fillers and chemical peels, older patients look for lift procedures.
How did you become involved in this line of work?
I’m an artist and there is a high correlation between plastic surgery and art. I started sketching and using charcoal when I was fifteen. I progressed to use oil-on-canvas and around that time I began the study of medicine in the University of Baghdad.
After I completed my PhD I continued my studies in the United States in Michigan and California.
Do you enjoy your job?
I like my job for many reasons. I like being able to improve the self-esteem of clients and raising their confidence levels, also plastic surgery is a hot subject with new innovations and inventions being developed on a daily basis.
6:30am: I wake up and get dressed, and then my wife and I go for a cycle. After we return, we exercise in our home for half
an hour.
7:30am: We listen to music and have breakfast together.
9am: I greet my first patient of the day and discuss the procedure. Depending on the nature of the procedure, I will have one big surgery or two smaller ones.
Smaller surgeries such as silicon breast augmentation are carried out for about one hour and a half. Longer surgeries could last up to six hours.
Since I personally prefer to combine more than one procedure in one operation, which will save time and money for the patient with less healing time, I usually do multiple body contouring procedures such as liposuction of the abdomen, flanks, back, tummy tuck and fat injections to the buttocks.
2pm: I go home and have lunch with my wife and little boy.
3:30pm: My eldest son and daughter arrive home from school. I sit with my family, we chat, play and have fun. I entertain the family by playing the guitar for them.
6pm: I start my second shift of the day. During this time I have consultations with new clients. It’s also a time to follow up with patients that I have operated on or injected with Botox or fillers.
If a client wants to have their wrinkles treated I usually find out their history, I ask the person if they smoke, sunbathe and their age.
Then I look at the client’s lines closely to examine the depth and location of the lines, as this will determine the type of procedure that they should undergo.
Often I use Botox, as this is the easiest method. If the client is over 35 they may suffer from carved lines. Botox alone will not remove these lines, so we discuss alternatives such as using a filler after the Botox or else doing a TCA chemical peel using tricholoracetic acid to remove the outer layer of skin.
If the patient needs plastic surgery I will discuss with them all their options, safety, advantages and disadvantages and the expectations of each option. Some procedures like upper-blepharoplasty, face-lift with threads, liposuction and laser tightening of the neck, can all be done in the clinic and under local anaesthesia. Other surgical procedures are done in the hospital.
11pm: I go to my studio and start painting. My paintings are mounted on several walls of the treatment room and I like chatting to my clients about fine art and the symbolic meaning of my paintings.
12:20am: It’s time for bed.
Final thought: My focus is on each patient’s comfort and satisfaction. The key to achieving great cosmetic surgery is a result that looks natural and not over done. I strongly believe that there is beauty to be found in every human face and body.
Catriona Doherty
