Before heading DoctorPlastic in 2010, Julia Karlsson spent four years developing one of the largest European clinics for aesthetic, reconstructive and plastic surgery Akademkliniken in Stockholm, the principles of which formed the basis of DoctorPlastic's work. Julia Karlsson told Marie Claire about the peculiarities of breast augmentation, correction of age-related changes in the face, as well as what procedures she tried on herself.
MS: When a woman decides to have an operation, what do you recommend to her? In what cases do you discourage the operation?
Julia Karlsson: We discourage the operation when we see that the patient does not need this procedure at all. For example, when girls weighing 50 kg come to us and ask for liposuction. Of course, the surgeon, who also acts as a psychologist, explains why the operation is contraindicated for the patient. Here we often talk about psychological disorders of the perception of one's own body, in English it is called BBD - body dysmorphic disorder. It happens that the doctor discourages breast augmentation surgery if he sees that the patient does not objectively need it. In the process of preparing the operation, we always explain all the possible risks, therefore correct information is the key to a successful operation: it is important that a woman has realistic expectations so that she understands what is objectively within the power of a plastic surgeon and what is not.
MS: In general, what risks associated with plastic surgery should you be aware of?
Yu. K.: I must say that the risks are decreasing every year. As far as mammoplasty is concerned, there is an extremely low risk of bleeding, but this corrects rather quickly. In 1% of cases, the implant causes the formation of a thin film around it - capsular contracture, which, however, only in some cases requires a new surgical intervention and removal.
MS: What procedures are most in demand in your clinic to correct age-related changes in the face?
Yu. K.: Today plastic surgery has stepped far forward, and if fifteen or twenty years ago we only had a scalpel, now there are many minimally invasive procedures that allow you to correct the oval of the face, restore the lost volume, and raise the zygomatic zone with the help of all kinds of cosmetic threads and spies. We carry out this kind of manipulation in large numbers. We have an excellent technique in our clinic that we brought from Europe six years ago - soft lifting, which is a series of injections of botulinum toxin and hyaluronic acid. If conventional contour plastics pointwise corrects certain age-related changes, for example, nasolabial facial wrinkles, then soft lifting involves an integrated approach that allows you to remodel the face.
MS: Are these manipulations related to plastic surgery or cosmetology?
Yu. K.: This is cosmetology. You can go to face plastic surgery for a long time, maintaining its condition for a long time with hardware procedures and with the help of threads and fillers, which I have already mentioned. When at a certain moment the client decides that more effective measures are needed, she turns to a surgeon who recommends one or another type of plastic surgery. It can be eyelid blepharoplasty, a forehead or eyebrow lift, or check-lifting, that is, a lift of the middle part of the face, or a combination of several procedures - it all depends on the specific case.
MS: In your opinion, where is the line that should not be crossed when you start to change your own body artificially?
Yu. K.: I think a person should always maintain his individuality, I absolutely do not support it when a woman tries to change herself beyond recognition and at some point begins to resemble a cartoon character. Each face is unique and the beauty is in the details.
MS: Can I afford the question - did you yourself resort to the services of a plastic surgeon?
Yu. K.: Yes. I am a mother of three children - naturally, after giving birth and breastfeeding, the shape of the breast changed, and I made a correction to return to its former shape. In addition, I constantly, if possible, once every one or two years, use our soft-lifting procedure and inject Botox.
MS: Since we are talking about children, tell us about your family
Julia Karlsson: We have an interesting family. The eldest sons are 24 and 23, the youngest are 13. The husband is a Swede, is engaged in show business. It so happened that we live in two countries. We gather with the whole family every weekend or every second weekend in Stockholm or Moscow. And I completely devote this time to the family: children receive a mother, a spouse - a wife for 24 hours a day. There is a seasonality in plastic surgery, and in the summer, when there is less work, I can spend more time in Stockholm with my family.
MS: How did it happen that you began to live in two countries? After all, before that you were a family together in Sweden
Yu. K.: Six years ago I was invited to work by the founder of DoctorPlastic clinic Ilya Vyacheslavovich Sergeev. Initially, we agreed for a year, and then realized that we were doing well and decided to continue cooperation. For me and my family, this is a fairly comfortable situation, especially since my husband's business involves a lot of travel, he is often not at home. In general, I know a lot of families who live this way, this is a feature of the time. For myself, I set aside a few more years of existence in this mode, but I have not made any plans yet.
MS: What family traditions do you have?
Yu. K.: We love going to the cinema together, we watch all the premieres. I still love cartoons, so I never miss an opportunity to take the younger one to something new and interesting. We always have family brunch on Sunday. Recently, the guys almost always cook something themselves, which I really like. We can say that cooking in our family is now on men.
MS: What Swedish national traditions have you adopted?
J. K.: I really like the traditional Swedish fredagsmys - "sweet Friday", when the whole family gets together at home, and the children are allowed to eat something that is usually not very welcome, such as chips. And on Saturday, children are given pocket money for candy, and for them this is a real holiday, which they have been waiting for a whole week.
MS: What are your favorite places in Sweden?
J. K.: I love Gothenburg, Malmo and the north of Sweden, where it is especially good in summer.
MS: And besides Sweden, where do you like to visit and relax?
Yu. K.: I am always limited in time, so I usually choose places that can be quickly reached. We visit Greece quite often as a family - we like the climate, the food, the general atmosphere. My husband and children love Crimea incredibly. Although, it would seem, where? I remember a year after we met, he asked me to take him to Crimea, which had been his dream for many years. We then visited many places and now we return there once every two or three years.
MS: What style of clothing do you prefer?
Yu. K.: My own elegant and conservative style, I prefer dresses and skirts. I always look at new trends for a long time and with caution. I love jeans on flights, I probably have three dozen of them, and my favorite pairs are four. Well, sneakers - I'm still a Democrat.
MS: And finally - what does a woman need to be and feel beautiful, regardless of age?
Yu. K.: Never forget that a woman is beautiful! Pampering yourself, including procedures and care, it gives a result - and a good result is a real pleasure. Well, and sometimes give yourself a weakness: allow yourself, for example, a piece of something sweet. And be sure to rest - this is the key to our great health and mood!
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