İçerik
“Aging is an inevitable destination, but we promise elegant aging with aesthetic procedures.”
We had a conversation on the procedures performed by Specialist Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeon Dr. Vasfi Çelik in his own clinic, who completed his specialty training on Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery at Mersin University Faculty of Medicine and made quite a name for himself both at home and abroad by attending a great number of national and international seminars and performing hundreds of surgical operations successfully.
“Aging is unfortunately an inevitable destination, but we promise elegant aging with aesthetic procedures,” said Vasfi Çelik, and told MERSI readers about the services he provides in his clinic and the latest developments in plastic surgery.
Can we know about your career in the medical world first?
My university education started at Abant İzzet Baysal University Faculty of Medicine. Then, I completed my specialty training on Plastic Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery at Mersin University Faculty of Medicine in 2014. After working at Aksaray State Hospital for about a year, I worked at Mersin State Hospital in 2016 and Mersin City Hospital a year later. In August 2017, I left my job at Mersin City Hospital and established my own clinic, where I’ve been working for about two years.
“In 2019, the interest in non-surgical aesthetic procedures as well as the demand for such procedures is on the increase. Filler and botox procedures are the most common ones among these. In fact, I see these as the procedures that give great happiness with slight touches.”
What are the services provided in your clinic and for which procedures do people consult you more often?
I perform the surgeries on the basis of medical articles as well as the medical reports which have constituted the subject of many academic articles, and most of which have been presented in international congresses, using advanced techniques such as the Spider web Technique, Fat Transfer, Prominent Ear Aesthetics with threads, Prominent Ear Aesthetics with the Flap Technique, Genital Rejuvenation, Botox Injection, Fillers, Gynecomastia, PRP and Mixed Rhinoplasty, Let Down Rhinoplasty, Revision Rhinoplasty with Rib Grafts, Transconjunctival Blepheroplasty, Mammoplasty, Abdominoplasty (Tummy Tuck), Laser-Vaser, and Liposuction.
Rhinoplasty is the most preferred aesthetic procedure in Turkey. Most of our patients who apply to our clinic are actually in this group. The most important causes of this can be listed as the facts that our nose structures are larger and bonier, and nasal tip ptosis, wide nasal wings and nasal asymmetries are more common in our society compared to western societies.
Located in the center of the face, the nose is an organ that has a very important role in facial appearance. Therefore, even slight changes in the nose can affect the facial appearance.
Do a considerable number of patients come from cities other than Mersin?
I think one of the benefits of the modern world is the fact that the concept of ‘distant’ is no longer valid. Thanks to the ease of transportation both by road and airline, I have had many patients from Turkey and abroad.
Particularly in the last 15 years, the demand for plastic surgeries has increased to a considerable extent.
For example, patients aged 18 to 25 years mostly apply to our clinic with nasal complaints, those aged 25 to 45 years with the complaints of sagging breasts and abdomen, and those aged 40 to 50 years with facial complaints. In the last year, there has been a considerable increase in the number of my patients from foreign countries. I think the reason why patients prefer us is the fact that they with us achieve the results they dream from plastic surgeries and that they get along with us more easily.
The operation process should be planned in great detail because patients coming from outside the city including those who come from abroad cannot stay in Mersin for a long time. Therefore, patients who want to come here must first contact us via e-mail or phone to explain their problems and requests.
In addition, they must then send me their photos via e-mail or smart phone. In this way, I aim at planning all the procedures in advance and ensure them to be completed as soon as possible. In line with the information given by our patients, I evaluate their requests and provide detailed information specific to them.
When the decision for surgery is taken, it is adequate for them to come to the hospital 1 or 2 days before the operation date. This is the time required for face-to-face interview with the patient and for the preoperative preparations. In case of a request for accommodation, my team and I offer hotel options to the patient. We welcome our patients at the airport and transfer them to the hospital and their hotels.
“After the surgical or non-surgical procedures, they look in the mirror and say it’s beautiful. The real happiness is being able to see that shine in the eyes of the person in front of you. It’s of great importance to me. The result of my work should definitely be natural. My style has always been like this. Small details make the person unique and therefore beautiful.”
What are the latest trends of 2019 in plastic surgery?
In 2019, the interest in non-surgical aesthetic procedures as well as the demand for such procedures is on the increase. Filler and botox procedures are the most common ones among these. In fact, I see these as the procedures that give great happiness with slight touches. Filler and botox injections have been the most commonly performed non-surgical aesthetic procedures for about 5-6 years.
Regarding 2019, I predict that the fillers produced with more advanced technology will add more attractiveness to the face when applied without disturbing the natural beauty of the face. Botox applications, which similarly support naturalness, will be the most desired and demanded-procedure in preserving natural beauty when softening the muscles, reducing the muscle activities and consequently the facial expression lines in particular.
Micro needling is the second most common non-surgical procedure. Regarding surgical procedures, we can say that rhinoplasty will be the most commonly performed plastic surgery procedure again, considering the nose structure and ethnic characteristics in our country. Rhinoplasty operations will continue to be among the most demanded procedures by both men and women.
Fat grafting is another procedure that started to be performed last year, and its reflections continue to increase. Especially, taking fat from the trunk, abdomen, legs or waist regions with liposuction, and then giving it back to the body after processing with special techniques will be one of the most commonly performed procedures.
This is because it both eliminates the need for using implants, i.e. foreign materials, and allows you to achieve results with your own fat that is totally natural. It provides more youthful appearance when applied to the face, and provides a fuller and attractive appearance when applied to the lips. Especially in the recent period, butt lift and butt enhancement, known as Brazilian butt lift, will be the most commonly performed procedure among such fat grafting procedures.
Fox eye lift (canthoplasty), which has been popular among young people recently, seems to be one of the procedures that will be in great demand this year. This surgical procedure is performed by changing the positions of the ligaments, which connect the eyelids from their junction points on both sides to the bone, provides an advantage in terms of being performed under local anesthesia and enabling the patient to return to normal life in a short time.
Bichectomy, also known as Hollywood cheek, is another procedure that has become very popular recently, with the effect of social media in particular. Although it is preferred especially by people with a round-shaped face and chubby cheeks, it has also started to be demanded by individuals with normal facial structure because of its popularity. The walnut-sized fat pad located in the lower middle part of both cheeks, is actually a very valuable structure for us. Since these fat pads sag with the effect of gravity, we hang them up in the facial rejuvenation procedures.
However, since this procedure is currently very popular, these fat pads can also be removed from young people. This procedure is performed under local anesthesia, through an incision made on the inside of the mouth, just above the teeth.
“Erich Fromm had a saying that I like very much: Having something is not important but being worthy of it. I hope we will see brighter days without disasters and wars, when children can play freely in the streets.”
How was 2018 for you? What are your expectations and goals for 2019?
I can say that 2018 was a very busy year for me. Hundreds of surgical operations, meetings, congresses, training courses, etc… I think the best part of our profession is to meet and help people from different nationalities, even if we have no common area with them.
A healthy person comes to you and demands something. You, on the other side, try to make that person better without harming him or her, who is already well and healthy. He/she needs one last step to achieve the appearance he/she dreams of, and you are that step. This is something very difficult and you take an incredibly big responsibility both towards the person in front of you and towards your profession. We shouldn’t impair anything, but we have to make everything better.
Unfortunately, aging is an inevitable destination but we promise elegant aging with aesthetic procedures. After the surgical or non-surgical procedures, they look in the mirror and say it’s beautiful.
The real happiness is being able to see that shine in the eyes of the person in front of you. It’s of great importance to me. The result of my work should definitely be natural. My style has always been like this. Small details make the person unique and therefore beautiful. We have a very difficult job and there is a great knowledge behind it. What we want to achieve at the end is actually very simple. We look for the shine in the eyes of the person in front of us. We want to be able to say “I did and he/she is happy”.
I have so many expectations for 2019 that I can’t list all of them. Reading more, learning new things, traveling more, helping more people, and doing whatever I can to make the world a more livable place… Erich Fromm had a saying that I like very much: Having something is not important but being worthy of it. I hope we will see brighter days without disasters and wars, when children can play freely in the streets.