In between the interview on re-operations and foreign clients, he played the traditional Czech folk instrument “fanfrnoch” and talked about folklore. Senior surgeon Vlastimil Bursa M.D. is one of the prominent Czech aesthetic surgeons.
I see two reasons. Before 1989 cosmetic surgery was a Cinderella and aesthetic procedures were only minimally performed. The boom came after the revolution. Financial conditions have changed; more people can afford aesthetic surgery. I also think that women start to observe themselves too early. I am often conservative and I won’t recommend an operation because the person is too young and the woman must realize that some operations don’t have a permanent effect and the ageing process brings other changes which subsequently means she’ll have to undergo another operation.
You stated that clients are often not well informed about the risks of the procedure they want to undergo, what is the reason?
I think that the media and magazines present everything as marvelous, speak about how it helps but don’t mention the risks and possible complications of aesthetic procedures.
How, in your opinion, do the patients most often choose the clinic to perform the procedure? What is more important – references or price?
I think that most women look for references. But there are also women with less money and those choose according to price. I had several patients who told me they had to save up for the operation or wanted to pay in installments. Generally I think the effort to find references on a surgeon prevails. It also depends on the regional availability.
Do you think there is a difference between Czech and foreign clients as for the discipline in the post-operative regime?
Usually I don’t have any problems with patients following post-operative recommendations. They are thoroughly instructed and I think they mostly obey. The situation is worse with men; they want to start working immediately while women take the recommended rest.
What, in your opinion, are the most frequent reasons for re-operations?
It may be a failure in post-operative aftercare as well as the surgeon’s fault; but above all I think it is a complication which can occur. The surgeon and the patient have the same goal: to be satisfied. However, complications may occur although all criteria are met. And everyone should realize that.
Is the number of re-operations higher in reference to an increasing number of performed operations?
As far as our clinic, the rate of re-operations towards the number of performed procedures is still the same. I have no information about other clinics.
If you are contacted by a patient with poor results from an operation and it is the surgeon who is to blame, do you inform him?
I always phone him to let him know what is happening. I think that the client should be seen by the same person who operated on her. Sometimes it happens that the client is not satisfied but never tells the surgeon. It is a basic mistake because every complication can be solved. I tell my patients that if any complication occurs it does not mean the end of everything, that nothing can be done. We will always try to find some solution for both to be satisfied.
Do you come across requests for re-operation repeatedly from one surgeon? If yes, how do you react?
This situation has not happened to me so far. If it happened it would be, of course, alarming and it should be first discussed with the surgeon. And if it was not settled the board of Aesthetic Surgery Society should intervene.
Do you require a time gap between the consultation and operation?
In my opinion, there must be a gap between the consultation and operation, at least two weeks. I don’t like the consultation one day and the operation the other. The patient should have enough time to think it over….