The plastic surgery industry has steadily increased during the last 10-20 years, according to Natghian, and both surgical and non-surgical treatments have been blooming. The pandemic has also boosted the market since people haven’t been able to travel and spend money on entertainment venues.
What’s the biggest or most usual misconception that you’re facing in your job?
— That it’s only about beauty and vanity. That’s not correct, our typical client doesn’t want to change her or his looks, but to restore what she or he had maybe a few years ago. We see for example a lot of mothers who after pregnancy and breastfeeding want to restore what they once had, he says.
Together with Anna von Platen and Magnus Kjelsberg, he’s recently opened Estetiska Institutet in central Stockholm. It’s aiming to offer a state-of-the-art facility, the most advanced operating equipment available, and a holistic approach.
— We combine different modalities to achieve the best results — skin rejuvenation and skincare together with surgery gives the best result, and we are looking into developing our own skincare line and food supplement during the next year. A healthy diet and training together with body sculpting surgery go hand in hand, so we offer health coaches and personal trainers as part of the treatment plan.
Are there trends within plastic surgery?
— Yes, of course. They tend to come and go, for example, the fox-eyes and the ”Russian lips” have been trending for a while. But the overall trend now is moving from oversized to more natural and subtle changes. When it comes to breasts, breast augmentation is still on the rise, but we also see a lot of women who want to remove their implants or exchange them for fatty tissue from, for example, the abdomen or ”love handles”.
How does innovation drive your industry?
— Plastic surgery is a very innovation-prone field. Our specialty has been in the frontline of developing new innovative techniques, which other specialties have later adopted, for example, microsurgery and the use of 3D printing in surgery. We also use 3D simulation in our daily practice. With 3D pictures taken of our clients, we can quite accurately show how the result of for example a breast augmentation or a chin implant will be.
And can you share any recent innovations for plastic surgery?
— One of the newest machines in the field is the EMSculpt Neo. This next-generation treatment uses the same electromagnetic energy as the standard EMSculpt device. But it has added radiofrequency (RF) energy into the treatment mix to literally burn through fat stores using heat energy. With this unique blend, patients can gain more intense muscle-building and fat-reduction results, says Natghian, adding,
— Other recent innovations are injectables of different amino acids and PDO-threads to stimulate your own collagen and elastin production for rejuvenation purposes. Different skin tightening machines are always a hot topic in our field.
And when it comes to research, what’d you say is the talk of the town right now?
— A lot of research is being done in the field of plastic surgery, both within the university hospitals, the industry, and private clinics. It is, obviously, very important for all plastic surgeons to deliver safe surgery and aftercare for our clients. We are at the moment trying a new kind of skin-tightening instrument in combination with liposuction, that combines ultrasonic vibration and traditional liposuction, and we are seeing some promising results when it comes to skin tightening — this will decrease the need for ”open-surgery” and big scars.
How do you predict the future of plastic surgery?
— I think we will see a steep development of non-invasive procedures, with less downtime and more efficient results. The need for surgery in certain areas will probably be delayed and maybe even replaced by non-invasive treatments, Natghian concludes.
