Plastic surgery used to be a taboo subject not too long ago, but today it’s more popular than ever. While the interest in getting your body altered is at an all-time high, misinformation and negligence still surrounds the industry and its patients.
Body satisfaction is truly personal, but everyone deserves a plastic surgeon who understands your intentions and also puts your welfare first. Ensuring safety throughout your plastic surgery journey is just as imperative as the procedure you want and the desired result.
To address this concern, Cocoona Centre of Aesthetic Transformation has taken an incredible step of being the first in the industry to offer patients Safety Assurance, an insurance-like cover (up to a limit of Dh50,000) for post-operative complications.
“We take into consideration all the implementations and policies to protect patients as far as confidentiality, health and the safety of the surgery is concerned,” explains Dr Sanjay Parashar, CEO of Cocoona Centre of Aesthetic Transformation. “We had set up this protocol almost seven to eight years back. We are following it and doing our regular clinical audit every year to see where we stand. We are assuring them of safety in terms of a policy that offers benefits in case of any risk that can happen after the surgery.”
We are building infrastructure to take it to a new level where we can provide more services. We want this place to be the next Beverly Hills of the Middle East. We want to expand to other regions in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Ajman. We are continuing our expansion in India. We have a centre in Delhi and Ludhiana and are now setting up one in Mumbai.
The Safety Assurance is a contract between the patient and Cocoona Centre for Aesthetic Transformation and Cocoona Day Surgical Centre that all patients that undergo surgery will be given the opportunity to sign up for. It will treat complications covered under the scope of this assurance and is valid for up to ten days from the original discharge date.
Handing the risk factors: Cosmetic surgery, like any type of surgery, is not without risks. Plastic surgery procedures can result in complications ranging from an unattractive or unnatural final result to scarring or even something fatal. From mole removal, body contouring, liposuction, breast surgeries, tummy tuck, or even hand or foot surgeries — all these surgeries carry some amount of risk.
“Sometimes surgeries come with risks such as bleeding, infection, wound healing problem, or any other general risks to the health,” explains Dr Parashar. “This can happen in the first few days of the surgery and we cover all that. In normal circumstances, patients with complications would have to pay for any other further treatment that they may require, either through their medical insurance or on their own. Here we take care of it for them. We do give assurance for non-invasive surgeries too, but those incidents are extremely low and very easy to handle.”
There are also standard protocols to be followed, almost like a triage for the patient. “We look at how medically fit they are, their age group, psychological status, if they are on any medications, besides running a battery of tests to ascertain that there are no complications. All this eliminates the high risk individuals who may have more problems.”
The main challenges: In some ways, cosmetic surgery can be more challenging than more standard surgeries, especially if the patient doesn’t tolerate it well. While licensed facilities are required to comply with safety standards, some centres try to gain a competitive edge by offering cheaper cosmetic surgeries.
“It’s easy to open a clinic but running it is a challenge because of the rising costs of technology, manpower, and running operations,” says Dr Parashar. “The competition is another task because now a lot of non-medical professionals have begun to find this lucrative. To keep up with the race there are some centres that not only drop prices but also use cheap equipment and cut costs on getting quality medical staff. Saving money is not worth it for the patient, if they don’t make the right and safe choice.”
Technological advancements: The past 15 to 20 years have seen a lot of changes and advancements in the cosmetic surgery industry and these have come through various factors. “The knowledge that we have acquired from years of practice, and experience from understanding the nature of the problems or of the surgeries that we do, has helped make things easier,” says Dr Parashar.
Technological advancements, such the use of lasers, ultrasonic devices, use of robots for hair transplants, 3D imaging and computer simulations, have also aided surgeons in performing better surgeries. “We get better results and these to some extent help us predict the outcome too,” says Dr Parashar.
Future plans: The Cocoona Centre of Aesthetic Transformation Centre has grown from single room unit to three blocks now. It has also set up more centres in the UAE and India. “We want to keep growing,” says Dr Parashar. “We are building infrastructure to take it to a new level where we can provide more services. We want this place to be the next Beverly Hills of the Middle East. We want to expand to other regions in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Ajman. We are continuing our expansion in India. We have a centre in Delhi and Ludhiana and are now setting up one in Mumbai.”
— For more information, call 800 362636
