Dream ticket

TWENTY years ago, if you asked someone what they knew about plastic surgery you would probably have got an embarrassed silence.

But, thanks to reality television shows about this fast-growing branch of surgery, most people have some idea of the amazing things that can be done these days.

Paul Baguley, an experienced plastic surgeon who treats about 600 patients a year, acknowledges that the general level of knowledge about his craft has improved.

But Mr Baguley, who has consulting rooms in Yarm and operates at the private Woodlands Hospital, in Darlington, says changing the way people feel about themselves is just as important as the actual surgery.

One of the first things he does when he sees a new client is make them feel more confident about their appearance before he suggests any surgery.

“What I try to do is to change their perception of how they look and feel,” says Mr Baguley.

“When they come in they might not feel very good about themselves, but what I do is tell them about the positives first – that they have nice eyes, or their smile is great.”

He says the worst thing he can do is to point out their eye bags, loose skin or saggy breasts.

“When a lady comes to tell me that she wants to have some tummy tucks, even though she might be carrying a little weight, I tend to emphasise the positive side.”

And, as far as what is possible with plastic surgery these days, Mr Baguley simply says: “We can do anything, from top to toe.”

Apart from procedures such as tummy tucks, liposuction, breast reduction or breast augmentation, the face and head is an area where quite subtle changes can produce a big, positive change.

Mr Baguley says: “What I am talking about is reducing eye bags, pinning back the ears, reshaping the nose, a facelift or a necklift.”

He can also perform hair transplants, which can have a remarkable effect on someone’s appearance.

But he says patients also have to be realistic about what can be achieved.

“I sometimes tell patients that plastic surgery is a lot like tailoring. You can lift up the skin and pull it to the place you want it to go, to a certain extent, and then sew it all back together, but there is little I can do about sundamaged skin. You can only pull wrinkled skin so far.”

It is also possible to make changes to the bones which shape the face and body. “You can shave bone away, you can even fracture bones and move them around… although I don’t do that any more,” Mr Baguley says.

Plastic surgeons can also realign patient’s teeth. Another popular treatment, particularly for women, is removing the loose skin from under the arms, called “bingo wings”.

Mr Baguley has been working as a plastic surgeon for more than 20 years, but this is the first time he has faced the kind of challenge posed by the Dream Image initiative.

Launched in early November, 18 North-East businesses, including Paul’s, clubbed together to challenge the people of the North-East to nominate someone who deserves a fresh start in life.

The idea is that the Dream Image alliance of professionals, which includes an awardwinning cosmetic dentist, a hairstylist and a beauty therapist, will offer the right person a dream makeover worth thousands of pounds.

The underlying idea is that there are businesses in the North-East that are just as good as any in London offering similar services.

Mr Baguley is looking forward to the challenge – although there is no guarantee that the winner, who will be chosen by the North-East public, will actually need plastic surgery.

And he warns: “Plastic surgery is surgery. It shouldn’t be entered into lightly. You have to be aware that you probably don’t really need this operation in the first place.”

The closing date for nominations for the Dream Image makeover is January 14. To finish the makeover, the winner will be kitted out with evening wear and jewellery when their new image is unveiled at an event at a five-star North-East hotel in the new year.

Linda Heads, spokeswoman for the Dream Image team, says: “We are looking for someone who, for whatever reason, would like to change the appearance of their mouth, smile, face or body.”

She says the winner “must be a deserving person, whose life would be changed by this experience”.

For Mr Baguley, the best possible advertisement for his work is when family and friends of his patients know that something has changed for the better but can’t put their finger on what it is.

“Surgery has got to be subtle but, hopefully, it has got to change someone, dramatically, for the better,” he says.

Recently, he carried out a breast reduction on a 19-year-old.

“She was really distressed about the way she looked. Six weeks after I operated on her she flounced in to my consulting room a totally changed girl. She had gained so much selfconfidence, it was remarkable,” he says.

■ You can nominate yourself or someone you feel is deserving for the Dream Image makeover. Nominees must be 21. Go to dreamimagenortheast.co.uk or pick up an application form from the offices of The Northern Echo.