Looking for a tutorial on perfect curves? Try body contouring

The phenomenon of body contouring is attracting more and more attention not only among celebrities, but also among ordinary women who are looking for effective ways to improve their appearance and increase their self-confidence. Is this trend for you? And what can you expect from him? And what does it all entail?

Body contouring is a sought-after solution for those who want to improve their appearance, achieve the desired more defined silhouette or get rid of localized fat deposits that are difficult to remove with diet and exercise. However, it is important to have realistic expectations.

What does the term mean body contouring and what it entails, we asked specialist MUDr. Marek Kubík, plastic surgeon at the Esthé clinic.

What should we imagine under the term body contouring?

The name is taken as a designation for body shaping, i.e. adjusting the proportions and shape of the figure. It involves the removal of excess skin tissue or fat from the subcutaneous tissue, most often the abdomen, hips and thighs. People sometimes mistakenly associate these procedures with obesity therapy, but they should not be performed on obese people because they do not primarily serve as “slimming tool”.

So who is body contouring suitable for?

If you have had a significant weight loss that has left visible marks on your body, or you cannot get rid of fat in some areas despite honest exercise, then body contouring can help you solve these problems. Women, in particular, often come because of an overhang of the abdomen and adjustment of the abdominal wall, or with a gap in the abdominal muscles after pregnancy or a drastic diet.

What is the hottest new trend in body contouring right now?

Interest in so-called high definition liposuction, which is one of my main specialties, is growing significantly. It means that through liposuction and the transfer of our own fat, we can not only change the overall contour of the figure, but also help define the muscles. The biggest demand is for abdominal and pectoral muscles, both from women and men. The ideal candidate for this procedure is a person who is not too overweight and takes care of his body. It is therefore true that no surgery is a substitute for a proper lifestyle.

Do you ever turn away a patient because they have unrealistic or downright unhealthy requirements?

Every surgeon has personal boundaries that they won’t cross, and so do I, of course. I respect the personal preferences of all patients, but that doesn’t mean I silently nod to every wish. When a woman asks for visibly full lips, I can’t accommodate her, we don’t do such things at the clinic. For me, the ideal of plastic surgery is naturalness. In the same way, I don’t want to put 800 or 900 milliliter implants into anyone’s breasts, where it is no longer just about an unnatural appearance, but also about health risks. The most common include bleeding, infectious complications or complicated healing, but also others, stemming from the choice of more extreme changes.

You have a job that many people envy. However, plastic surgery is sometimes also the target of criticism as part of the so-called fight against the cult of beauty. What is your opinion?

Sometimes it makes me feel cold that part of the public, but sometimes even medical professionals, look at plastic surgery with a certain contempt, they see it as a field where nothing fundamental to health is addressed, only here people spend a lot of money to enlarge their breasts or lips. Such a view neglects many essential interventions, such as the treatment of burns, injuries especially of the hand, the treatment of tumors of the skin, muscles, bones, defects in general and their reconstruction. But even purely aesthetic surgery is of fundamental importance for many patients, it helps to increase their self-confidence and solves problems resulting from people’s long-term dissatisfaction with their bodies. From a certain point of view, mental health can be as important as physical health, but it is a complex issue that includes the subjective view of each of us.

What brought you to Esthé and what are your long-term goals?

My route led through the Bulovka Faculty Hospital. There I met Ondřej Měšťák, the current head of the Esthé clinic, whom I can already call my friend. We understood each other not only from the human side, but especially from the point of view of what aesthetic medicine should look like. It’s not about making more beautiful bodies, the most important thing is to bring people happiness and satisfaction with themselves. And happiness is a purely subjective phenomenon, everyone perceives it in their own way.

MD Marek Kubík graduated from the Faculty of Medicine of the Masaryk University in Brno in the field of General Medicine. Already during his studies, he completed foreign internships in Iceland and Taiwan, and later specialized medical courses in Italy and Sweden. In the Czech Republic, he gained experience at the surgical department of Znojmo Hospital and Boskovice Hospital. He now operates at the Clinic of Plastic Surgery at the Bulovka University Hospital and is part of the team of doctors at the Esthé Clinic.