While we're all unique and beautiful, there are times we find ourselves wondering what we would look like if we were able to change something about ourselves.
These could range from having a consistent skincare and nutrition routine to keep ourselves looking young, to consistently heading to the gym to keep ourselves fit. Yet some things out there require experts' help, and Dr. David Shokrian is one of the best in the industry.
He operates one of the premier plastic surgery offices located in New York, known as Millennial Plastic Surgery. What makes it one of the best is the combination of the experiences of Dr. Shokrian himself, his excellently trained staff, and the attention to detail they take with the clinic.
One of the major areas they are meticulous with is when it comes to sterility and quality control. Everything is double and triple-checked and cleaned to ensure you're in the best care possible whenever you're ready for your next procedure.
Dr. Shokrian has built a stellar reputation on his own and is known for doing 'awake surgeries' with his patients. This means he doesn't use general anesthesia and only uses local anesthesia in the targeted area, whether you're looking at a facelift or another procedure. It helps to calm the patients down and helps with the recovery process since the patients don't need to recover from a complete regime of general anesthesia.
His procedures range from using fillers and tighteners such as Botox to different types of lifts all over the body to enhancements of the body from the breasts to the butt. The office itself encompasses around 10,000 square feet with a full complement of staff.
How pop culture and social media affect his practice and the industry
While some plastic surgeons out there use social media to promote plastic surgery or review celebrities and their work, Dr. Shokrian doesn't believe this is the correct route with these types of channels. In fact, he takes a more transparent approach to social media and uses it as a medium to educate and provide factual information to potential clients.
He believes that social media may overpromote a certain type of culture or look. However, even the most popular celebrities don't end up looking like they do on social media as they do in real life. Those images online tend to often be filtered and taken to highlight certain features overall.
That's why he keeps it as realistic as possible and will even perform some procedures on social media (both Instagram and YouTube and, of course, with the patient's consent). This will help to let others know what to expect if they are considering the procedure and get an honest look into it.
There’s never a hard sell, and saying no is ok
Dr. Shokrian doesn't immediately say yes to any and every procedure with someone who walks in. In fact, he tends to constantly undersell the results so that they are aware of any risks or issues, but he tends to be much more satisfied with the results in the end.
He has also been known to advise against certain procedures. Sometimes, patients are looking for something that may not be completely doable, not only in a safe manner but even with the latest techniques out there. Dr. Shokrian is always ready to have to say no when possible and watch out for any potential red flags. However, he always keeps it real with expectations and potential outcomes.
Yet he often recounts his favorite success stories with one of his clients. It was regarding a makeup artist working at Sephora at the time who wasn't satisfied with her appearance. It was such an issue that she had to turn to therapy and receive it two times a week. Not to mention, taking antidepressants too and both weren't helping her overall situation.
This client wanted a Brazilian butt lift to help with her appearance, which seemed to be the major cause of her suffering from depression and using therapy.
With no major issues or red flags assessed or expectations that seemed impossible, Dr. Shokrian continued with the procedure. A few months later, the therapist rang Dr. Shokrian and explained how therapy and taking those anti-depressants became unnecessary, and she stopped them. The patient was finally satisfied with her appearance, which eliminated the depression.
Advice for those who don't feel ready to go with an invasive procedure
There are plenty of ways to begin the journey of plastic surgery that doesn't involve any actual surgery as is often assumed. Instead, you can go for noninvasive treatments that produce positive results quickly.
You can consider options such as using Botox to tighten or fill out spots and eliminate wrinkles and micro-needling. There's also the possibility of weight loss medication through a prescription that can get you to a target weight before surgery.
It's also important to note that men are more than welcome to come for a procedure as well, as many often believe that female clients dominate plastic surgery. Around a third of Dr. Shokrian's clients are male and come in for everything from liposuction and fat grafting to six-pack surgery. Dr. Shokrian's services are open to everyone and they are welcome to come in and see what options are available and suitable for them. This is inclusive of both males and females and the transgender community.
What are procedures to avoid because they can be mishandled?
There are two areas to address here. The first is how to find the right plastic surgeon for you. To cover this, you can enter our venue, see how we handle our day-to-day operations, and review all the training and certifications between Dr. Shokrian and the rest of the staff. Ensure you know and recognize the difference between cosmetic and plastic surgeons before you make any decisions.
The reason is that any procedure can be done incorrectly or 'botched,' as the community says. Based on the experience of Dr. Shokrian, the majority of these poorly done procedures are done outside of the United States.
The other area is making sure you have the right kind of certified person to handle the whole process. Anyone unqualified to perform certain functions needs to be avoided. That's why it's imperative to do that research ahead of time and ensure you're going to go to someone fully qualified. This will give you peace of mind entering into it and ensure you have the optimum results.
Why he does it
The motivation behind Dr. Shokrian is the relationships he ends up building with patients. The conversations that occur post-surgery and the loyalty he receives from patients as they return for their next procedure. He feels that it's positively building a community, and it also helps the business out. In fact, even though a lot of marketing is being done, most of the business still comes through referrals from previous clients.
He also believes that since he takes a direct and honest approach, his patients feel a lot more comfortable with him and handling the procedures with his 'awake surgeries.' He always does his best to build a calm environment free of any judgments and always full of respect.
For more information, please visit: millennialplasticsurgery.com.
Photography by: Courtesy of Dr. David ShokrianÂ
