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Visit to the clinic of Oculoplastic Surgeon Dr. Chedly Bouzouaya in Tunisia

I recently visited the clinic of Dr Chedly Bouzouaya in Tunisia (http://www.chedlybouzouaya.com/en/) , to personally undergo blepharoplasty surgery for correction of heavy eyelids.

As Medical Dean of the Australasian College of Cosmetic Surgery (https://www.accs.org.au/) and I am passionate about innovative aesthetic surgical techniques and the training of future Australian cosmetic doctors.

One may ask why did I travel all the way from Australia to Tunisia for his aesthetic eyelid surgery? Well Dr Bouzouaya is not only a highly respected ophthalmologist & ophthalmic surgeon but is also internationally renowned for his plastic & cosmetic eye/eyelid (oculoplastic) surgery.  A steady stream of patients from Europe and the UK travel to Tunis to have their blepharoplasty surgery performed by this master surgeon.

I wanted my eyelid surgery performed by the person whom I identified as one of the best in field. I see many outcomes of this type of eyelid (blepharoplasty) surgery and to be candid, far too many of these surgical outcomes are rather unnatural and disappointing.

There are many facets to achieving excellence in aesthetic eyelid and facial surgery.

First there is the aesthetic assessment.

The surgeon should possess that rather elusive and special attribute of the “aesthetic eye”. If not so, the surgical outcome may be technically adequate, but prove aesthetically underwhelming. Fundamentally to achieve excellence, the surgical result must be in harmony with the patient’s general facial aesthetic. This is poorly understood and therefore neglected by many surgeons.

Second is the technical intricacy of the surgery.

Often surgery is overly zealous resulting in the stigma of an “operated-on” look.

Dr. Bouzouaya’s surgery has evolved and refined over many years. He is a renowned surgical innovator and has also invented many highly effective surgical instruments which he has combined in the operating room to achieve superb outcomes.

For his patients this means not only natural and beautiful aesthetics but also relatively speedy and painless recoveries.

I first met Dr. Bouzouaya met in 2007 at a European aesthetic congress (http://www.drserdev.com/varna2007/) where we were both delivering clinical papers. We quickly recognised a mutual spirit, with many shared aesthetic philosophies in our professional work. We regularly co-operate on professional development, mutually advancing each other’s cosmetic facial surgery skills and sharing innovations. There is certainly a special camaraderie and energy generated between us.

Dr Bouzouaya & I have already co-authored a chapter featured in a medical reference book on minimally invasive suture lifting (https://www.intechopen.com/books/miniinvasive-face-and-body-lifts-closed-suture-lifts-or-barbed-thread-lifts/suture-lifting-and-liposculpture-integration-in-the-creation-of-facial-esthetic-harmony).

We are currently co-authoring a chapter on Botulinum Toxin in a soon to be published medical book on this subject.

How do I feel about my own blepharoplasty surgery experience?

Well I knew the results would be excellent and because the recovery was rapid, Dr Bouzouaya and I had professional time to examine and review cases in his Tunis clinic. We have continued to innovate and exercise that special energy between us over the years we have been cooperating.

Dr Bouzouaya introduced me blepharoplasty surgery in Tunis over 10 years ago. He is my special mentor in this surgical discipline and it is a great privilege to learn from this master.

Afterward our collaborations in Tunis I am able to return to my own clinic in Australia, incorporating some new technical pearls into my own surgical cases.