Touted one of Auckland's best facelift surgeons, Dr Tristan de Chalain takes a cautious approach to each procedure her performs. A self-effacing, yet brilliant surgeon, he values professionalism and privacy for patients that seek his services, with one realistic goal, to restore the youthfulness and enhance the natural beauty of every patient. Over the next few months, Dr. de Chalain is going to share how to erase the look of ageing, what you can expect, will the surgery meet your budget, and how much downtime will you need? Join us on learning more about plastic surgery for any age, says editor Trudi Brewer.
Very few doctors possess the keen eye and deep understanding of facial anatomy like Dr de Chalain. Essential to natural-looking results, he is on the cutting edge of appearance medicine trends to ensure his procedures last for many years to come.
“This is where creativity comes into play. I tailor a palette of procedures for each patient, both nonsurgical and surgical, to get the best result.”
Dr Tristan de Chalain
Q&A
Why did you become a plastic surgeon?
It's a very gratifying, creative career. I was always interested in medicine and had a biology degree; then, I decided on plastic surgery. To improve a person's beauty involves a detailed analysis of the aesthetics of the face, it's that creativity that I enjoy most about this profession.
What procedure do you enjoy performing most?
The surgeries I preform with Operation Restore Hope New Zealand. I get to work with kids and preform life-changing surgery to children with cleft lip and palate conditions. I've been involved for the past 20 years, and have travelled to countries such as the Philippines, Bangladesh, and Vietnam to help kids, and it's enormously rewarding.
What are you best known for when it comes to age reversal?
Facelift surgery. No one facelift is the same; genetics and the physiology of each face, is unique, and some of those surgeries can take several hours, which is where creativity comes into play. I tailor a palette of procedures for each patient, both nonsurgical and surgical, to get the best result. I often ask my patients to bring in a photo of themselves in their youth, which helps me to get an idea of how their face has changed and to plan what I can do to make a difference.
Eyelift surgery, namely (Blepharoplasty) ideal for removing the excess skin from the upper and lower (eyebags) eyelid. Designed to help reduce that sad, tired look that no eye cream can correct, often due to stress and ageing. Expect to pay from $6000 under local anaesthetic and $8500 under general anaesthetic.
How do you provide the safest environment for your patients?
New Zealand is one of the few countries in the world that has a very high code of ethics. I only work in facilities that meet those codes. I work with a fully qualified staff such as nurses, anaesthetists, and medical personal. To compare the cost of surgery in places like Thailand is a fraction of the cost involved here in New Zealand. Every month myself, or one of my colleagues, deals with the fall out of surgical procedures performed offshore in places like Vietnam and India, I don't think people consider the risk.
What about managing expectations?
I spend a lot of my time managing expectations. On our consent form, we say the surgeon makes the incision, and the patient makes the scar, this is because each patient heals and deals with surgery differently.
What surgical advancements are you most excited by?
With the rise and rise of patient fat and cell transfer procedures, this type of surgery is getting better and better, thanks to research. We are in the century of biology, where researching cell biology, stem cell growth, and platelet growth (from blood), is allowing us to harvest, and then to reuse the patient's cells to treat facial form and scarring. There are also advancements in skin harvesting for burn patients. We now have spray-on skin, that we can grow in the lab to help with the growth and colour match of new skin after burns. Today we don't need to use something artificial; we can harvest the patient's tissues and blood.
Mid-face lifts with temple tightening before and a year on, the face has a lifted look, highlighting youthful cheek contours. Dr de Chalain often combines surgical and nonsurgical techniques with his couture facelift technique to maximize results. This may include wrinkle fillers or a neurotoxin (like Botox) and or using your own harvested fat to inject back into the face. Expect to pay from, $15000 under anaesthetic.
What's your most memorable patient reaction?
There have been many for many different reasons, but one that stands out was about 15 years ago when a young girl came to me with very prominent ears. She had hair hanging over her face, and a sad expression, with very low self-esteem. I corrected her ears, and on her three-month follow-up visit, she bounced into the practice with a modern short haircut and a huge smile. That gave me enormous satisfaction that the procedure had given her great happiness, but more importantly, a giant boost to her self esteem.
Why should patients choose you as their doctor?
I am honest and tell each patient what I can do and what I can't achieve. Yes, I can help, but I won't bend the truth to get that case on the operating table. I always try to underpromise and overdeliver.
What's the biggest misconception associated with appearance medicine?
That cosmetic surgery is a minor thing; it's not. Set aside some time to rest and recuperate, you won't be at work the next day. The downtime varies from patient to patient, and you need to be realistic in your recovery.
Neck lift surgery before and three months after. Weight loss, ageing, and genetics can create sagging skin on the neck. With this surgery, you can see dramatic results in your appearance. That smooth, contoured neck can be created with virtually no visible scar lines. Expect to pay $12000 under general anaesthetic.