InHealth: Parts Vs. The Whole

A Global Approach to Acquiring Beauty in the Age of Social Media

By Sumeet Bhanot, M.D., F.A.C.S

What is plump enough, tight enough, how much do you lift? Where do you focus your dollars? Consumers are wondering how to get the most bang for their buck. Is a satisfying result gained by walking into a surgeon’s office and asking, “Hey doc, what can you do for $500?” Do patients want honest results or a deal? These are the things that I ponder. I am a purist. My goal is to do what is right for the patient, not what works for my gain. Beauty is a composition of ordinary parts that together become extraordinary. There is too much general social opinion that creates artificial credibility. What we need is true expert opinion. 

Using a paintbrush does not make one an artist, as is true with wielding a needle.  The answer is balancing perspective and proportions. Knowledge of complex anatomy, symmetry of the facial composition, how much to use, when to stop. Art takes vision, perspective, judgment, creativity, thought, knowledge and execution. My approach is comprehensive, individual and measured.

Patients often present with a pressured mindset to achieve their goal with minimal cost. As with “retail therapy,” they are hoping that addressing one feature will make them feel better. Simply fixing puffy eyes may not give them the total look they are seeking. Art isn’t divisible, it cannot be cut up and sold in pieces; the same is true for the face. We all know beauty when we see it yet it seems so elusive when we try to create it in pieces. 

Encountering what I call the fallacy of equivalent options: people feel that the results of surgical and nonsurgical approaches are the same and that all providers are created equal. Sometimes chasing small budget items ends up costing more than doing it right the first time and it doesn’t last. We consider smooth skin, plump cheeks and lips and tight neck lines victories individually, but we lose the war collectively. As in the children’s book The Emperor’s New Clothes, we all know in our hearts that it doesn’t look right, just like everyone knew the Emperor was naked, but no one wanted to say it. We all recognize natural beauty yet when we look around we see so many unnatural results. All providers are not created equal, perspective and vision play a large part in outcome. 

Ultimately, it comes down to a collaborative partnership between the patient and the surgeon. The patient commissions the work while the surgeon’s artistic vision creates the result. My approach to aging faces is to restore harmony to the face by recreating the youthful proportions of volume. I see past the wrinkles, hollows and bags and address the true concern of falling volume with the deep plane facelift. The answer is to address the problem and not the symptoms; it is truly that simple. Changes are dramatic yet the result is very subtle. People look 20 years younger and no one recognizes they have had a facelift. The results are beautiful and natural. Have respect for beauty and know that, as in life, anything that is worthwhile is never quick and easy. 

Sumeet Bhanot, M.D., F.A.C.S
Bhanot Facial Plastic Surgery
2038 Bee Ridge Rd 
Sarasota, FL 34239
941.966.3223