Safety needs to come first, says top European plastic surgeon

Lena Andersson, Consultant Plastic Surgeon with the prestigious Anelca clinic on London's Harley Street provides her services to hospitals in Sweden and the UAE and joins a line-up of leading medical professionals at Simply Health, an international health conference held within Simply Woman, a first-of-its-kind in the Middle East women-only event.

Held on 29-30 November at the Dubai International Exhibition Centre, Simply Woman aims to become a top forum for women of all nationalities, ages and walks of life in the region. Visitors can expect a one-stop-shop of information and services through an exhibition, conference, seminars, workshops, live demonstrations and entertainment.

'While women in this region are well aware of the positive results that aesthetic plastic surgery can produce, few know enough about the safety implications of incorrect plastic surgery procedures,' said Andersson, a participant in the field for 15 years.

'Simply Woman will give me a chance to teach women how to make educated choices about plastic surgery procedures with minimum risk to their health,' she said. 'It is disturbing that I have treated patients from the UAE and Lebanon suffering complications after treatment by unqualified practitioners in the region,' Andersson added.

According to Andersson, patients often become easy prey to unqualified physicians because of having unrealistic expectations about what aesthetic surgery can achieve. Few know, for example, that doctors who recommend liposuction as a way of weight management are putting their patients at risk. A safe liposuction procedure involves the removal of no more than 2.5 kilograms of fat.

Andersson recommends that patients follow a simple check list to make sure the surgeon they select can deliver the desired results. Patients should not feel embarrassed to ask their surgeon about their professional qualification.

'As far as I know, there are no training programmes in aesthetic surgery in this region, while there are good training programmes offered in North America, Western Europe, Japan and South Africa,' Andersson said.

Andersson advised that women never make decisions on the spot about whether to go ahead with a procedure. Instead, they should have several consultations and even seek a second opinion. It is not uncommon for plastic surgeons in Europe to arrange meetings between patients they have already treated and potential patients. Andersson said that clients have every right to bring up the subject if they need additional information about the procedure they are considering.

According to Andersson, a full health check-up is a must before plastic surgery in order to avoid post-operative complications. Patients with diabetes, for example might need longer time to recover from surgery and might experience healing difficulties if not treated properly.

While health will be a major focus at Simply Woman with topics such as anti-ageing, infertility, osteoporosis, heart disease and weight management on the agenda, the event aims to inspire women in other areas of life. One of the fashion highlights of the event will be an appearance by UAE designer, Reem El Mutwalli who will showcase her latest collection of gowns, while a seminar focusing on business women's achievements will cater to visitors looking for advice on how to climb the career ladder. Social issues will also be covered and Rajaa Khuzai, an ex-member of the Iraqi Governing Council, will introduce visitors to the plight of Iraqi women and their efforts to help create a safe and stable Iraq.

In line with the event's commitment to empower women, Streamline Marketing has also announced that 100% of all ticket revenue will be donated to women-related charities in the region. A single day pass will give women access to both Simply Woman and Simply Health, while the event will be open from 10am to 10pm daily.