Hassan Sulaiman, consultant cosmetic surgeon with Advanced Cosmetic Surgery, outlines his day of consultations, operations and reviews.
I have a cup of coffee before I walk to work, buying a bottle of water and a newspaper on the way. I start work at 8 a.m. and, depending on the day, finish at 5 p.m. or 6 p.m., some days it could be longer.
On a typical working day I consult with my patients, listen to their concerns and plan what can be achieved if they are suitable candidates for cosmetic surgery. I also review previous patients and it's nice to get the feed back. I then perform operations accordingly.
Different cosmetic surgery treatments can be performed including breast augmentation and reduction, tummy tucks, face-lifts, liposculpture and thigh lifts, among other non-surgical procedures. Breast augmentation or enlargement and liposculpture are the most common and frequent surgeries I perform.
It varies from day to day, but typically I would carry out five to eight operations in one day. Breast enlargement is pretty straightforward and it can be done as a day case. The surgery takes up to 45 minutes to perform. I place the implant behind the pectoral muscle - sub-muscular; some surgeons place it in front of the muscle. Different surgeons do different things.
With sub-muscular placement you delay the effects of gravity and abolish rippling which is when the outline of the implant can be seen through the breast. It's also safer for a woman to breast feed with the implant in this position and a mammogram can be taken.
Silicone is the most popular type of implant used here in Ireland and in most European countries.
The quality nowadays is fantastic, we don't see leakages, except in cases of severe trauma where the patient is involved in a car crash or something.
One of the complications with breast surgery is that the patient's body can reject the implant six months to a year after surgery. This causes hardening or capsular contracture and it has to be removed.
Liposculpture is usually performed on the tummy, thighs, chin and hips. It's not a treatment for weight loss or obesity. It's more for definition of a specific area of the body. I consult with many patients who are a size 14 to 16 and they want to look like skinny supermodels. I can't work miracles and so I have to be realistic with them.
It's a team effort and the patient has to exercise and lose weight along with the liposculpture.
There are quite a lot of patients who I can't take on board because they have unrealistic expectations. That's the worst part of the job, but the best is seeing a smiling face on a happy patient.