May 19, 2005

Plastic surgeon, Dr Mabroor Bhatty is a walking talking advertisement of his profession, as at the age of 47 he looks young and fit enough to pass for a 37-year-old.

One doesn’t know if he has used any of his procedures on himself, but he definitely inspires confidence, a feeling that is reinforced when you speak to him about his practice.

Born in Karachi in 1958, Bhatty studied in Cantonment Public School before joining Sindh Medical College to do his MBBS. He did his house-job in 1984 at Liaquat National College and then left for the UK. After taking extensive training and courses in plastic surgery, he became a plastic surgeon in 1990 and ran his own private practice in the UK.

Recalls Dr Bhatty, “I returned to Pakistan in 1998 to see if I could practice here. My parents were getting old, and although they never pressured me to come back, especially as my wife is British, I knew that’s what they wanted. I thought I’d give myself two years and if I couldn’t settle down, then we’d go back.”

Dr Bhatty admits that those two years proved to be difficult times, for people were generally going abroad for the same procedures and surgeries that he, a doctor trained in the UK, was offering locally. He often wondered at the wisdom of his decision, but nevertheless stuck it out, convinced that one day things would change.

Since his return Dr Bhatty has been working as a consultant at the Liaquat National Hospital as well as running his own private practice. For the first year, he continued to attend to clients in the UK as well, by going back and forth every month, until in 2000 he more or less wound up his work in England.

Now, he goes twice a year to treat his old clients, as well as to work for short periods as a consultant in a hospital in order to ensure that he keeps pace with the advancement in the West.

He says with unmistakable pride, “It makes me feel very confident for there are not too many doctors fortunate enough to be working as consultants here as well as in the UK. Working there twice a year also helps to keep me on the right track, for it is easy to pick up bad habits here as there are no checks and balances.”

Dr Bhatty feels that in the last five years the plastic surgery market has increased tremendously. Plastic surgery includes both reconstructive surgery (which makes abnormal looks normal) and cosmetic — invasive and non-invasive — procedures (which enhances looks).

Dr Bhatty does reconstructive surgery at both Liaquat and Masoomeen hospitals, while his private sector work is mostly cosmetic, both surgical and non-surgical. Often, he decides which of the two the client needs, and if he feels the client is not psychologically ready for either, but is getting pressurized into a procedure, he does not offer treatment at all.

The most popular cosmetic surgery that people come to him for is apparently liposuction, followed by nose reshaping. A number of clients come for ear corrections and eye lid surgery, while augmentation is also popular.

He says, “Those who come for liposuction are 35 years old and more, while the clients who come for nose jobs could be in their teens. Surprisingly, while there are many clients who come for breast augmentation, there are hardly any who come for reductions, although its results are the most satisfying. You get rid off back aches, shoulder aches and movement becomes easier.”

According to the doctor, only 10 per cent of his clients are willing to admit that they have undergone any treatment, unless it is something as obvious as a nose job. He feels that people are not embarrassed about admitting to surgeries on noses, because there is no stigma attached to it, but they don’t like to admit that they’ve got fillers or botox done.

Liposuction, he feels, has become immensely popular partly due to the fact it is now such a convenient procedure that the client can get it done in the afternoon and go back home at night, without anyone being the wiser for it. Its result is not obvious overnight and take a month to manifest itself.

Hence, he opines that quick procedures are more popular than the ones which involve a long recovery period, for in the case of the latter, clients often have to take time off to get the treatments done without being discovered.

Dr Bhatty claims that the permanence of procedures like liposuction is dependent on the client’s ability to control their diet and monitor their lifestyle. He adds, “Once your fat cells are removed, they do not multiply and become the same number if you have a faulty diet. Then the same fat cells can become bigger, so you need to keep yourself in check to maintain your shape.”

As for procedures such as botox and fillers, the doctor feels these are only for people who have no monetary constraints, for their effect lasts between four to six months only.

According to him the majority of his clients who opt for non-surgical procedures are from affluent backgrounds and are either housewives or run their own private businesses. Those who go for surgical procedures though, are from diverse backgrounds and even hail from the lower middle class, depending on the gravity of the procedure sought.

Regarding whether there are any side effects to popular non-surgical treatments, such as laser for hair removal, the surgeon says, “In the last couple of years they have come up with machines meant for Asian skin. Till then, the laser being practiced here was not meant for brown skin. I was doing laser treatment in the UK but was refusing Asians from the door because we were not equipped for them.

“I wasn’t surprised when people who were getting laser treatments done here five years ago were suffering from complications, such as burning, scarring and pigmentation, because the treatment was meant for white skin.

“As for other treatments such as augmentation, there has been fear in the past that it causes breast cancer, but there is no conclusive proof of it despite extensive research on the subject. But, there is always a potential danger in such procedures and the trick lies in being abreast of the facts and taking the right precautions. Even treatments like liposuction, if not in the right hands, could result in complications such as irregularity of body.”

Interestingly, Dr Bhatty finds that there are a growing number of men who are taking interest in procedures like liposuction, hair transplant, peels, botox and fillers. In fact, 15 to 20 per cent of his clients are males, and the number is rapidly increasing, that is why he has opened up another clinic, so that men, too, can avail the treatments without inhibition.

The doctor claims his patients come not only from all over Karachi but also from Lahore and Islamabad. He opines that hair transplant, particularly, is one of the most fantastic breakthroughs in plastic surgery.

Dr Bhatty says, “We do state-of the-art, single follicle hair transplant, which virtually means that we take out a follicle at a time and place it in the bald area. The results are amazing and completely transform the person, while appearing natural at the same time.

“And the best part is that it is practically painless and can be done in one sitting.” As for liposuction, he feels that the results are better in men than in women because their bodies have not gone through childbirth and tissue break-down.

According to Dr Bhatty, no female patient is turned away from his clinic on account of not being able to afford an essential treatment. He feels that it takes a woman a lot of courage to come for treatments like hair transplant, and they should be assisted as much as possible.

Why, one wonders, if there are foreign qualified plastic surgeons available in the country, do we constantly invite doctors from abroad to do pro bono reconstructive surgery on burnt children? Bhatty speaks vehemently on the subject, “We have taken up this issue very seriously. We did 40 cleft patients over a weekend free of cost without any fanfare, so we need to see when doctors are being flown in from Korea and the like and they are received at the Governor House, how much is being done for projection, and how much for charity.



‘It makes me feel very confident for there are not too many doctors fortunate enough to be working as consultants here as well as in the UK. Working there twice a year also helps to keep me on the right track, for it is easy to pick up bad habits here as there are no checks and balances’

“It is not as if our doctors don’t work for free or are not qualified enough. The very first day I arrived here I went to offer my services at Masoomeen Hospital in Kharadar, which offers absolutely free treatment. I also go once a week to the Leprosy Hospital.

“And I’m not the only doctor to be doing pro bono work. If local doctors cannot be trusted, at least doctors with 15 years of experience and working abroad, should be. The fact is that local doctors don’t make news.”

Dr Bhatty feels that the only time it would be worthwhile for plastic surgeons to be called from abroad would be when they would offer expertise that is not available here. He cites an example, “For instance, it would be worthwhile to call them for people with skull deformities, who cannot be treated by us as we are not trained for it. It would, in fact, be far more appreciated if our doctors could be taken and trained by specialists in such fields.”

Having said that, Dr Bhatty does admit there are a number of so-called cosmetic surgeons operating in the country who are actually not qualified in the field at all. He says, “Some of them have other medical backgrounds, but they have been getting away with their practice because we don’t have an effective regulating authority.

“The only way clients can safeguard themselves from such people is by doing their homework properly on the surgeon they go to. A sure way of checking the authenticity of the doctor’s qualifications is by finding out if they are affiliated to any reputed hospital as well, for chances are that they would have been thoroughly screened before being offered employment there.”

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window)