When we caught up with Dr. Renato Calabria
in his Beverly Hills office, the first thing he told
us is that he wanted to avoid the stereotype interview
of the celebrity surgeon telling everybody which movie
star he may have worked on or what he would have or
not have done on Michael Jackson nose, but we could
not help asking what he thought about Jackson's apparent
addiction to plastic surgery.
"I think that a lot of people are trying to get
free publicity at his expense. His privacy as a patient
should be respected even though it is obvious that he
took it a little bit too far. I'm not sure that we,
as plastic surgeons, should be too proud of not having
the courage to say no to repeat operations destined
to failure. It's funny to see on TV some of his detractors
that have had a few touch-ups themselves."
Walking through his Bedford Drive office, you immediately
have a feeling of an Italian flavor, maybe from the
Piranesi paintings of ancient Rome on the walls or maybe
from the antique furniture that create a warm atmosphere
around you. Then you run into him and you can not help
to notice his athletic figure impeccably dressed in
classic Kiton jacket and the sporty Panerai watch on
his wrist: definitely and unmistakably Italian.
We asked him if growing up in Europe has influenced
in any way his work?
"Aesthetic surgery has really gone high tech in
the last decade with the introduction of new technologies
like laser and endoscopic minimally invasive procedures
but also, some of us have come to realize that a personal
interpretation of the beauty concept, like a Botticelli
painting, is far more important to create a natural
result: it is truly a blend between art and science."
Give us a definition of an artist?
"An artist is one who can visualize in his mind
the final result of his work before he begins. When
I look at a face, that's what I see."
What is the secret of obtaining a natural result?
"When I talk to my patients I feel like Christopher
Columbus talking to the Flat Earth Society; very rarely
people appreciate that you have to work in the third
dimension in order to create and reposition volume in
an aging face. The vertical facelift does just that,
avoiding the flat, wind tunnel look, by repositioning
deep facial structure in a vertical, (not lateral) vector.
just opposite to gravity forces." |
Why are people scared
of facelift?
"Pulling the skin tight (like a traditional facelift)
will flatten your facial features; the vertical lift
creates volume, therefore implies a natural result.
Also patients are afraid of bad scars, stigmata of bad
surgery. Unfortunately scars are directly proportionate
to the tension we put on the skin. For this reason I
use a technique that allows me to shift the tension
on the dermis and that minimizes scars."
What has changed in the perception of aging?
"There is definitely a trend of prevention: not
only by keeping in good health but by doing "something"
before "it happens". Patients walk in my office
in late thirties, they appreciated less drastic changes
and with the minimally invasive 3D procedures like the
vertical lift that offers no visible scars, they can
obtain a more youthful look"
On the Bruce Hensel NBC Medical Report you described
a new technique to get rid of frown lines in place of
Botox.
"It's called corrugator's resection: a short
fifteen minute procedure under local anesthesia thru
a small incision in the eyebrow to cut the muscles causing
those vertical lines; the results are permanent."
What about liposuction?
"Power assisted liposuction has definitely, in
my hands, given me the ability to sculpture the body
with more definition. It also offers a shorter recovery
with less risks of complications than the traditional
tumescent technique
How would you pick a plastic surgeon?
"See his results make sure he is there when you
need him, check out not only his credentials (Board
Certification) but also his taste (of beauty) and sensibility
and then go with your feelings: do you trust the guy?" |
