Delhi-based board-certified plastic surgeon and founder of RG Aesthetics, Dr Rajat Gupta joins The Sunday Guardian for a chat about his exclusive cosmetic surgery practice.
When the way a person looks decides how they are perceived, the business of making people look good has high stakes. However, only the best in the business can guarantee good results. Delhi-based board-certified plastic surgeon Dr. Rajat Gupta and founder of RG Aesthetics, certainly fits this bill. He joins Sunday Guardian for a chat about his exclusive cosmetic surgery practice. Excerpts from an edited interview:
Q. Why did you enter this field?
A. I began my practice in 2014. I had always wanted to become a plastic surgeon since I was in school. I opted for biology to become a plastic surgeon and being one today feels like living a dream. I was always fascinated by how one can improve what god has already created. Being a plastic surgeon helped me put this in practice. Cosmetic surgery is a fine balance of science and art, technique, and aesthetics, and this has always fascinated me.
I was also driven by my passion to transform lives by giving my patients the most natural, elegant-looking results with the shortest possible recovery time. I pride myself on having introduced state-of-the-art technology to India, which allows me to tailor my techniques to specific desires while adhering to international standards of patient care. I completed my training from Maulana Azad Medical College and then did a few fellowships in Spain and Paris in the field of aesthetic surgery. I am currently working as the National Director at the prestigious CK Birla and Rosewalk Hospital. I am also the National Secretary for the Indian Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (IAAPS) and the first Indian Surgeon to be appointed on the advisory board of Realself.
I am proud to say that my clientele includes members of the Indian film industry, top government officials and cabinet ministers as well as international patients who visit me from over 50 different countries to get their cosmetic procedures done.
Q. What would you say is your USP?
A. I believe it is the finesse I deliver to my clients, with an attention to detail and focus on aesthetics. I’m actually quite paranoid about the minutest of details, which ensures good results.
For example, for breast reduction surgeries, I don’t simply reduce the size of the breast but pay close attention to ensure that the patient gets a designer cleavage and upper pole fullness. When I do liposuction surgery, I ensure that females are contoured differently from males – the former are given an hourglass shape and the latter an athletic V shape.
I believe that small changes can have a large impact and this attention to detail is highlighted in all my results. I encourage people to see these results on my Instagram handle @rajatguptadr.
I use the best-in-class body contouring technologies like MicroAire, VASER, and Bodytite to deliver top-notch results. In fact, I am the only master trainer in India teaching these technologies to other practicing cosmetic surgeons in the country.
Q. What have been the challenges you have faced in your business?
A. God has been kind to me, so I haven’t faced many challenges so far. I am happy that I have had a steady flow of business over the years. The biggest challenge perhaps, which I’ve also taken as an opportunity, has been to educate people about the results of plastic surgery. It is sometimes difficult to make them believe that they can achieve extraordinary yet natural looking results in India, without travelling abroad.
After the pandemic, I have seen a 200 per cent increase in the number of patients, as people finally got time from their busy lives to be at home and do the things they always wanted to do. Many of my patients were operated on and healed while working from home during lockdowns. I am happy to see that many people are now open to the idea of being better versions of themselves and taking steps towards investing in themselves for their own happiness and mental well-being.
Q. What are the most rewarding moments of your entrepreneurial journey?
A. I feel that every day is rewarding! I perform a minimum of 3-4 surgeries on a daily basis and helping people achieve what they desire makes me happy and fulfilled. The smile I receive from my patients when they see their dream body is truly rewarding. Also, with the passage of time, there has been a steady expansion of my team, and I am proud to have a team that believes in my ethics of delivering the best results and providing maximum value and care to patients.
Q. What do men and women look for particularly in plastic surgery?
A. Whether men or women, everyone wants body contouring, liposuction, and the removal of stubborn pockets of fat around the abdominal area. Many men suffer from Gynecomastia, so they desire the removal of their breast tissue.
Many women don’t have the breasts they desire – they are too big, too small, or saggy. So, they look for breast reshaping. Mommy makeovers are a very common procedure that people come to me for. These include working on breasts beginning to sag due to age or pregnancy, or the removal of resistant fat and loose skin in the lower abdomen. I do body contouring and 360 liposuctions along with breast reshaping for such patients. Other popular procedures include rhinoplasty and buttock augmentation.
Q. What are your proprietary methods?
A. I have conceptualized a method called PURE contouring. As its name implies, PURE contouring is the most precise and safest form of body contouring. It is especially desirable because of the high-quality technology that significantly reduces recovery time. Every procedure is minimally traumatic. Combining ultrasound and radiofrequency technology also offers a high amount of control to the surgeon. This is essential for the best results. PURE contouring stands for:
P – Power-assisted technology like micro air and WiBro sat are powerful tools to remove fat with less trauma and result in faster recovery.
U – Ultrasound-assisted technology. The next aspect of PURE contouring is ultrasound-assisted technology or ultrasound-assisted Liposuction (UAL). This technology includes machines like VASER to emulsify the fat. It also helps in some amount of skin tightening.
RE – Radiofrequency-enhanced technology from equipment called Bodytite tightens the skin to a much larger extent than VASER does. I combine all these technologies to get superlative results with PURE contouring.
Through my proprietary methods, I can ensure natural looking results. My USP has always been to provide high-definition results which are natural looking. Earlier when patients went in for abdominoplasty, surgeons gave them flat tummies by removing fat and skin, but I don’t do that. I ensure that my results are natural looking by performing high-definition tummy tucks. These are done by creating central depressions, which are called champagne grooves. Here, the lateral edges of the muscles are defined, which looks aesthetic and athletic yet natural. You need an eye for detail, a sense of aesthetics and a thorough understanding of the human form and anatomy to do these procedures.
Noor Anand Chawla pens lifestyle articles for various publications and her blog www.nooranandchawla.com. She can be reached on nooranand@gmail.com.