INTERVIEW
Dr. Susheel Cleatus is a surgeon trained and qualified in ENT, Head & Neck surgery and Plastic & Reconstructive surgery. A Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons, UK and a Diplomat of the Conjoint Board in Otolaryngology, UK, he has been a Senior Registrar in Otolaryngology and Head & Neck surgery at the Northern Region Hospitals, Newcastle and The London Hospital and Medical School, White Chapel, London. He also served as Senior Registrar in Plastic and Reconstructive surgery at St. Georges Hospital & Medical School; Royal Marsden National Cancer Hospital; Queen Mary Roehampton Hospital; estminster Hospital and Medical School; and Harley Street Clinic, London. He was a Fellow in plastic surgery at the Institute of Plastic Surgery, Lausanne, Switzerland, Center Hospitalier, Nancy, France, Bellevue Hospital, New York and in the Medical Schools at Hannover, Hamburg & Munich, Germany.
Dr.Cleatus received super specialty training in Cosmetic Surgery and Craniofacial Surgery from the UK, USA, Switzerland, Germany and France. He has published a number of original research articles in international journals including the Journal of The Royal Society of Medicine. He was Consultant and Honorary Professor of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the Southern Command Teaching Hospital, Bangalore, Consultant and Chief of Otolaryngology and Maxillofacial Surgery at St. Marthas Hospital and Manipal Hospital in Bangalore. He has also been Consultant in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the CSI Hospital and Apollo Hospital, Bangalore for many years and is currently Consultant Plastic Surgeon at The Wockhardt Hospital and St.Philomena’s Hospital, Bangalore.
Dr.Susheel Cleatus, M.D., is a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons. He is also a Fellow of the International College of Surgeons, a Member of Association of Surgeons of India and a Member of the Indian Association of Plastic Surgeons. His areas of Surgical Expertise are in Cosmetic and Craniofacial surgery.
In an interview to Sreeni K.R, Dr.Susheel Cleatus gives a glimpse of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and how effectively it is used to improve the quality of life.
How do you feel when you help people to improve their appearance? What does it feel like when the patients get their smile back after treatment?
Putting the smile back in peoples faces is the most difficult job today. It is good to be able to help people to achieve their desired self image. It is one step in improving the quality of life.
What exactly is plastic surgery?
Plastic Surgery is a surgical discipline which deals with restoration and improvement of human form and function. Function is given the priority, though aesthetics is equally important.
Which is your dual area of specialization? What is the difference between Otolaryngology and Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery?
I have completed training in both Otolaryngology and General Plastic Surgery. I have had super specialty training in Head & neck Surgery, Craniofacial Surgery and Cosmetic Surgery. Otolaryngology or Ear, Nose & Throat surgery is a regional speciality which includes a variety of surgical skills needed for complex work in the head and neck region. A great deal of the most demanding of Cosmetic and Reconstructive work involves this area.
How long have you been serving as Director of the Institute for Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and Cosmetic Surgery at Cochin? At which other hospitals do you render your service?
Plastic Surgery PLC has been functioning for two years mainly as a Day care and Consultative & Resource Center currently. We have surgical privileges in many leading hospitals in Cochin & Bangalore and links with many leading national and international NGOs.The main concentration of work is done in Wochkhardt Hospital, St. Philomena’s Hospital and Apollo Hospital in Bangalore.
How do you evaluate the goals of surgery to help your patient be realistic with their expectations?
It is important to give the patients the confidence to air their wishes without embarrassment. It is necessary then to make them understand the limitations where they exist and to adopt a realistic approach towards their aspirations. Results, especially those of cosmetic surgery are judged by both the surgeon and the patient and perhaps even the bystanders, i.e. the public. While the public may be outside the equation, it is crucial that the surgeon and the patient are on the same wavelength. While there is no universal rule, the mind of a surgeon with a natural aptitude for aesthetics is the key for general acceptance and appreciation.
What are the psychological factors to be considered?
It is the surgeon’s duty to make sure that the patient clearly understands what is possible and what is not. He must also see that the patient is able to take responsible decisions, understanding the limitations of the surgical procedure.
How do you keep a youthful appearance without surgery? Are there recommendations for maintaining a youthful appearance for middle aged people without going in for surgery?
Care of diet, regular exercise and a healthy life style are the best recommendations to preserve a youthful look at all ages.
Will you describe the latest trends in plastic surgery?
In Cosmetic Surgery the latest trends are technical. Minimally invasive techniques such as endoscopic face lifts, thread lifts & cranial suspensions and rejuvenations with surface techniques like lasers, chemical peels & fillers –these are the latest trends.In reconstructive surgery, advances in tissue harvesting and culture are raising hopes of full face transfers and organ transplantation.
What exactly is Botox? We have heard a few accounts of people losing their expression as the muscles are paralyzed. How long does that last if the effects are too drastic?
Botox is a neurotoxin from bacterial sources…broadly from a type of bacteria responsible for life threatening food poisoning. It creates temporary muscle paralysis of about four months duration. This can vary between individuals. It has been in therapeutic usage in conditions of involuntary body movement disorders and spastic muscle disorders for many years. Lately its use has been extended to cosmetic surgery to induce selective weakness in treatment of facial wrinkles resulting from muscle activity. Hope is for the intended effects to last ninety days or more. Repeat injections are done when the effects diminish. Loss of facial expression is due to inappropriate application of botox. Any thing due to natural diffusion of the drug should be temporary.
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