Sassoon makes plastic surgeries affordable

Over the last three years, the plastic surgery unit of Sassoon has evolved as a prominent centre in western Maharashtra with patients coming here not just from the Kolhapur belt but from other states as well. Since 2009, the unit has carried out about 1,300 reconstructive and cosmetic procedures.

Reconstructive surgeries include correcting burn deformities and birth anomalies while breast augmentation, creating dimples and liposuction fall in the cosmetic surgery category.

"We cover the entire spectrum of plastic and cosmetic surgery and try to provide international quality care to our patients at Sassoon Hospital," said plastic and cosmetic surgeon Parag Sahasrabudhe, who is an associate professor at Sassoon.

"People come not just from Satara, Sangli, Kolhapur and Solapur but also from Vidarbha and Konkan regions. Some come from neighbouring states of Karnataka, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. Most of them need reconstructive surgeries to cover up a defacement or correct a birth defect," Sahasrabudhe said.

Disfigurement of the face or dysfunction of any body part can lead to severe psychological repercussions such as lowered self-esteem and altered social image. Depression, state of anxiety and phobias or panic conditions may creep in. Such conditions may lead an affected individual to withdraw from the society. There are many who need such surgeries but cannot afford the cost in private hospitals. For example, a girl with absent breast development or excess breast development faces difficulties and societal pressure at the time of marriage.

"A lot of young girls want to go for breast augmentation or breast reduction surgery. Besides, there are people who have nose deformities. They are treated here for a very reasonable price," said plastic surgeon Nikhil Panse, assistant professor in plastic surgery at Sassoon.

The unit at Sassoon primarily treats congenital anomalies, hand injury reconstruction, maxillofacial reconstruction, post-burn and post-trauma reconstruction, post- malignancy reconstruction, post-leprosy reconstruction and cosmetic surgeries. "Most accident victims needing plastic surgeries are usually poor and are from the unorganized sector. We perform all types of complex reconstructive procedures. In addition, have started doing cosmetic procedures like breast implant, body contouring, dimple creation etc," Sahasrabuddhe said.

"Though the surgery cost is bare minimum, we do not provide the implant. Like private hospitals, we ask the patients to buy the implant from outside on the doctor's advise," he said.

The plastic surgery unit has state-of-the-art operation theaters and equipment that could be compared to any private set-up in the country. "We have two operation theaters with central air conditioner and laminar flow needed for infection control and LED lights for operation table. The camera is integrated inside the OT lights in such a way that the details of surgeries can be watched by grooming doctors on a wall mounted LCD television set," Sahasrabudhe said.

"The department has all the clinical paraphernalia needed which includes expensive surgical instruments," Sahasrabudhe said. Besides the central library of BJMC, there is a separate library of the plastic surgery department wherein textbooks, national and international medical journals are available for trainees.