The beauty doctor

Madonna once sang that we live in a material world. That may have been true in the ’80s, but in this new millennium we seem to have added living beautifully in our material world – physically beautiful that is. If we can improve what has naturally been given to us, then why not? Cosmetic surgery is no exception. The headways being made by doctors in this field have more and more women (and men) of every age running to their favorite surgeon.

Facelifts are still one of the most popular procedures, especially for those who are aging. Done correctly, the results can be wonderful. It will take years off your face and last you around eight years if you take good care of your skin. The downside to this procedure is that it is invasive. The skin must be cut and separated from the face so that it is possible to literally lift it. Plus the entire operation takes about three hours. It will also take you two to three weeks to recuperate. Problems that can arise are bleeding, infection and scars.

Medical evolution made suture suspension technology possible. The concept behind this is not entirely new – it has been around for the past 20 to 30 years and has been used extensively in the last four to five years in Europe. This procedure does not cut your skin so radically like the classic facelift; it only needs a small one cm. cut above the ear and/or on the head where the hair can hide whatever scar might ensue. The idea of a suture suspension is much like how the suspension cables on the Golden Gate in San Francisco holds up the bridge. Also, the procedure is done under local anesthesia and on an outpatient basis. There is little or no "down" time. In the span of a weekend or less, you can be up and about again.

In the Philippines, only one surgeon does the Suture Suspension Technique, and that is Dr. Manuel Fernandez Jr. He has been doing this technique locally for over a year now with fantastic results. The term Suture Suspension Technique is a term coined by Dr. Fernandez to explain what the procedure is all about. Stitches from this operation can be removed as little as five to 10 days and the results are subtle and not too drastic. This is the perfect procedure for those with aging skin with a degree of sagging.

"The patient has to understand though," says Dr. Fernandez, "that the procedure cannot achieve the same results of a well-done facelift surgery since, as the term implies, minimally invasive translates to minimal or better than minimal results for ideal patients. This means, it should only be used in patients with mild to moderate laxity of the skin."

The other technique, which is gaining popularity, is the Aptos thread, but the procedure is much more invasive, not to mention expensive. The thread used looks much like a barbed wire under the microscope and suspends tissues for a given amount of time. This is only good for the mildest of cases. Because the Aptos thread is unanchored and basically floats between your skin, heavy or thick skinned women will not benefit from this treatment.

Dr. Fernandez is very choosy about his patients. He makes sure that a patient’s reasons for having the surgery done are well-thought out. He has no qualms about rejecting patients, especially if they do not need the procedure.

"It’s sometimes like being a pseudo-psychologist," Dr. Fernandez says with a laugh. "I would like to be sure that this is what the patient needs and wants."

"Noonie" to his friends is the son of the renowned dermatologist Dr. Manuel Fernandez Sr., one of the original group that put up the Makati Medical Center. Dr. Fernandez specializes in cosmetic plastic surgery and dermatology and has been a practicing cosmetic surgeon for over 25 years. His clinic is at the Makati Med. He graduated from the UP College of Medicine and did postgraduate training at Temple University Skin and Cancer Hospital in Philadelphia. Dr. Fernandez is also a consultant for the Makati Medical Center, associate professor at the UP-PGH Medical Center, chairman of the Philippine Board of Cosmetic and Plastic Surgery, a fellow at the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery, the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and the American Society of Liposuction Surgery, to name a few. Dr. Fernandez also introduced liposuction in the Philippines. He studied with the fathers of liposuction, the French doctors Fournier and Ilouz in the 1980s in Paris and brought the technique to the Philippines.

An artist at heart, Dr. Fernandez says that he has a love for beautiful things, and thus, creating beauty as well. For him, each patient is unique because everyone has his own specific body type and physical architecture. He is picky about clients, especially those who come to him after having a job botched by someone else. "I turn them down because you are treading on dangerous ground. You might very well end up making matters worse than better."

Dr. Fernandez is also strict about his policies. Being a doctor is his profession and chosen trade. You get what you pay for when you go to Dr. Fernandez, so don’t expect large discounts or buy one take one deals from his office. You can try pleading your cash case with his sister, socialite Vicki Zubiri, but it’s doubtful that even she can get you a discount. Rumor has it that you should try his birthday month if you want a discount – if you know when his birthday is!

To give back to his community, Dr. Fernandez teaches at PGH and does weekly charity cases at either PGH or the Makati Medical, mostly for cancer and burn victims. As for those who wish to consult Dr. Fernandez for a better body, be warned, the doctor will make you lose pounds first until you reach your ideal body weight before he even thinks of doing liposuction on you.

"If I cannot improve (it) or my patients will not be happy, then I’d rather not do anything," says Dr. Fernandez. For him, the question of whether or not to do a certain procedure all boils down to one simple question: "Would I do this to my wife or daughter?"

In the end, what Dr. Fernandez cares about is that the procedure has been done safely and his patients are satisfied.