Rebirth with plastic surgery !!!!!

By Shaheen Gani
Scalpel and scissors, shining I see;
All ready to beautify me.
And the cliché runs — “Beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder.” And the phrase also justifies itself as worthy of being trustworthy.
Since we are always in the company of others, it is through their eyes that we are best viewed and judged. But we need to remember that the most critical beholders for most individuals are themselves.
Standing in front of a mirror, one is face to face with an image that defines the external personality of one's own individuality. The question that arises then is whether each one is satisfied and happy with what they see. Since how an individual sees oneself is also the image portrayed onto others. It is also becoming rather essential now to look upon oneself as a person who is visually appealing to others as well.
But the truth is, not everyone is perfect. Mother Nature made us the way it saw to be fit, without any questions as to whether its creations are happy or otherwise with the handiwork.
However, luckily for humans, science created the artistic domain of plastic surgery. And today, no matter what features one is born with, attaining perfection is only a few surgeries away.
City Post caught up with Dr Ishwar Lohani who has been practicing plastic surgery in Kathmandu since 1998. He specializes in both reconstructive and cosmetic surgery and proclaims that he is the first person in Nepal ever to obtain a degree in this expertise.
A busy and dedicated professional, Lohani spends his afternoons at the TU Teaching Hospital at Maharajgunj, tending to the needs of patients with severe conditions and those who are in need of quick assistance. In the evenings, he is found in his clinic at Kamaladi.
“I balance my works by dividing it,” he says.
His work involves a large turnout of correctional and reconstructive surgery, ranging from cleft lips and palette surgery to burn contractures and post-traumatic defects.
“The need for plastic surgery in Nepal pertains mostly to the area of reconstructive surgery,” says the doctor.
Lohani is also the only plastic surgeon who has successfully been able to perform re-plantation, a procedure that involves the joining of severed limbs within six hours of any such mishap.
And while most of his patients come to him due to unavoidable circumstances, there are those that are at his clinic due to a sheer need for perfection.
“Some of the people who come to me seem rather dissatisfied with the way they look and this leads them to having a low self-esteem,” says Lohani.
This is where his skills with cosmetic surgery come into play as he transforms ordinary features to suit and please his patients.
“Sometimes, however, if there's not much change that can be attained with surgery, then I try to dissuade them from having it,” he adds.
Of the various procedures, the more popular ones are rhinoplasty (surgery to improve the appearance of the nose), abdominoplasty (tummy tuck), blepharoplasty (removal of excess skin on the lower and upper eyelids), and mammaplasty (breast reduction). The surgery may cost anywhere between Rs 15,000 to Rs 30,000, depending upon the patients' individual needs.
Lohani confirms that his surgeries are sought-after by both men and women. And while more men come in for rhinoplasty, the procedure of blepharoplasty is more popular amongst women.
Mammaplasty works best for women who have various physical problems due to abnormally large breasts.
“When the weight is too much, there is a strain on the neck and shoulders,” says Lohani.
But the role of a plastic surgeon, as he puts it, is limitless. And while he recognizes that the needs of plastic surgery here are different from the needs in the western countries where there is more emphasis on cosmetic rather than reconstructive surgery, Lohani hopes to be able to attract more Nepalis to the range of possibilities with cosmetic surgery.
He justifies his aims and objectives by saying, “There's no margin for error. And once you perform a fine surgery, patients are pleased with your work, and this is very satisfying.”
He adds, “Personal perfection is achieved, and this is what satisfies me.” And as an artist creates aesthetics on canvases, a plastic surgeon recreates perfection upon the human form. The scalpel becomes a magic wand, and the surgeon a magician. With flawlessness as the only goal, the cuts soon heal to reveal beauty that may have once only been a dream.