Eva Sheie (00:03):
The purpose of this podcast is simple. We want you to get to know your doctor before meeting them in person, because you're making a life-changing decision, and time is scarce. The more you can learn about who your doctor is before you meet them, the better that first meeting will be. There's no substitute for an in-person appointment, but we hope this comes close. I'm your host, Eva Sheie, and you're listening to Meet the Doctor. Hello and welcome to Meet the Doctor. My guest today is Yannis Alexandrides, who's a plastic surgeon, not in America, but in London, England. Welcome, Dr. Alexandrides. Please tell us about yourself.

Dr. Alexandrides (00:46):
Nice to be here. I am, uh, of Greek origin. I was, uh, raised in Athens. I did medical school there, and after completing medical school, I came to the States to become a plastic surgeon. I graduated from the University of Miami and I have, uh, also undergone a fellowship in microsurgery and craniofacial surgery in the University of Pittsburgh. After that, I became board certified in plastic surgery in the United States. However, I decided to return to Europe and open my clinic in London.

Eva Sheie (01:21):
And what year did you do that?

Dr. Alexandrides (01:22):
That was in year 2000. Uh, it was, uh, you know, the beginning of a new era. London did not have the same exposure to plastic surgery as Miami as one would expect back then. And I thought it was a great opportunity for me to both, uh, return to Europe, but also start something, um, that was unique for London back then. So I implemented a clinic where plastic surgery and non-surgical treatments as well as skincare all included under one place where a patient would get the best possible results for what they were looking for, and they would get the right advice and not necessarily a surgical one.

Eva Sheie (02:08):
And that didn't exist in London at that time?

Dr. Alexandrides (02:10):
It did not exist back then. Plastic surgeons in London tended to be either NHS consultants who would do part-time cosmetic surgery or they would be big, uh, clinics would employ young plastic surgeons to do surgery for them.

Eva Sheie (02:28):
Did this make waves then in London that you were doing this? Were there naysayers?

Dr. Alexandrides (02:33):
It was quite successful. And one of the reason I'm still in London is, apart from loving the city as it is, is because the practice became very successful. We had, uh, people connecting with this concept of really finding a place where they can have it all if they want it and not necessarily undergo surgery. We have developed a team with other doctors, aestheticians and aesthetic nurses, and part of my philosophy is that it's not just the treatment you do, but it's the aftercare that is so important for patients. And we focus a lot on protocols after the treatments, after surgery, how to make these patients heal faster and heal better.

Eva Sheie (03:15):
Sort of knowing the American system, when you moved to the UK to do this, did you find that you had knowledge that helped you really set this up well? You know, a new way that succeeded over there?

Dr. Alexandrides (03:30):
I have to say yes and give credit to the American system of training surgeons and plastic surgeons with the requirements that they have and the high standards. I, I had opportunities to train in other places like Brazil, for example, where plastic surgery is, has a cult following and it's, um, actually very, very popular. However, the training I got in the states, uh, created a plastic surgeon and I'm sure my colleagues would agree that it's an independent doctor who can go in any place of the world and apply the principles he has learned to safely treat patients and give good results.

Eva Sheie (04:10):
Did the UK just let you just set up shop or did you have to jump through any hoops to do that?

Dr. Alexandrides (04:16):
Well, that, that was challenging because, uh, the concept of a young plastic surgeon opening his private practice in London, especially back then did not exist. Doctors train in the NHS and then they work for the NHS and they start gradually building a private practice if they want and if they have time. And it's quite a daunting experience. Uh, however, I did have the chance of meeting a plastic surgeon who was the plastic surgeon of a patient of mine, and he introduced me to him because he thought that my aesthetic ideals were very similar to his. And he was a very well known and accomplished plastic surgeon with a hobby of being an artist as well, a sculptor. And uh, it took just one meeting after we got to know each other to agree that it would be a nice transition for him to continue his practice as he wanted to retire at that time.

Eva Sheie (05:14):
Did you have to do anything to get credentials there or did they just.

Dr. Alexandrides (05:19):
Yes. After taking the exam of the American Board of Plastic Surgeons, I took a similar exam in Europe to get, uh, credentials and to be what in, uh, UK is called the Plastic Surgery Specialist Register.

Eva Sheie (05:36):
Were there any other challenges in transitioning from here to there that you can remember?

Dr. Alexandrides (05:42):
Yes. I think what you do when you're young is you don't think about the difficulties you're going to encounter, but it was going against the, what it was an institutionalized way of starting a practice, as I said, not immediately as a private practice, all in aesthetic surgery. The old guard would, uh, frown upon that, but if you consider what you do as the most important thing, and that is aesthetic surgery, I think the only way to really, to get it to this high standard is to really focus on that and focus on your patients. And you need to be full-time on that.

Eva Sheie (06:20):
Who were the first kinds of patients that came to see you thenm back then?

Dr. Alexandrides (06:24):
They were a wide variety of patients. I would say between 40 and 50% of the patients are international visitors to London. Uh, people from places like Middle East, India, Europe as well, uh, Greece, Italy, and also Russian patients. On top of that, uh, would connect with Americans who live in Europe because they would recognize that I was American trained. So a wide variety. And of course, some of the patients of my predecessor continue to come to the practice as well.

Eva Sheie (07:01):
And is that still true today that about half your patients are coming from overseas?

Dr. Alexandrides (07:06):
It is. It is more and more, and especially since Covid made me introduce, uh, the online consultations that has actually augmented this, uh, demand from patients, uh, from different parts of the world and also outside London, it makes it so much easier to connect with your doctor and to understand if you're on the same page about what you want and you save both on time and money. Instead of visiting London, you can do that first contact online before deciding to do a second step and then go to London.

Eva Sheie (07:45):
That's really helpful. You said C O V I D and I'm curious how, I know you weren't here for that, but how did plastic surgeons in the UK have to adjust and adapt when that happened?

Dr. Alexandrides (07:58):
Well, it was a big shock. It was the first time I closed my practice ever. It was the first time I didn't have to go to work because the government closed all the private practices for two months and we tried to volunteer for work in the NHS. Uh, we couldn't find a way. So instead of that, we were donating products, skincare products for people who were working overtime and they were getting this rash from the masks. But I think everybody was affected in a different way. The people who worked in the NHS were overworked and uh, unfortunately some of them either got sick and some of them died during the first wave, especially for the private practitioners. It was a financial challenge to have to close down the practices, but at the beginning at least, we still had to pay all the expenses. Uh, it was a tough time.

Eva Sheie (08:51):
And then when did they let you reopen again? What did that look like?

Dr. Alexandrides (08:55):
It was the beginning of June, so it was approximately two, two and a half months that we were completely closed. And that's when we found the opportunity to do things that we couldn't do while we were running the practice. So we modernized the records of the patients into digital form. Uh, we started implementing online consultations, something that at the beginning I thought it would be just for me to have something to do, but then it became a very big part of my practice and still is.

Eva Sheie (09:24):
At least you got something done.

Dr. Alexandrides (09:26):
Yes,

Eva Sheie (09:27):
I know. Yeah. One of the first plastic surgeons I ever met still had a typewriter, and that was in the early two thousands. She just was a holdover. She said, I'm about to retire, what do I need computers for? <laugh>.

Dr. Alexandrides (09:42):
Yeah, I think, I think it's important to take every challenge and try to make something good out of it. And uh, I think for us a lot of good things came out of this difficult time.

Eva Sheie (09:55):
Can you think of anything else that was the silver lining?

Dr. Alexandrides (09:59):
I think we looked at how we connected with patients in general, how we made this, uh, communication between doctor and patient faster and better. And for example, apart from the online consultations, we do a lot of the follow ups online. We have a platform where we receive patients pictures and we answer questions online. And so again, facilitating this communication and make it more transparent to the patients about the services we offer, about the results we can, they can have. So it's about really communication with a patient and being more effective with, uh, less overhead.

Eva Sheie (10:40):
Yeah, that would certainly carry forward. So we, if a patient's coming to see you for the first time, not on Zoom, but in person, what can they expect from that experience?

Dr. Alexandrides (10:51):
So I give, uh, the most attention during consultation and find the consultation to be the most important time with my patient because it's the time where it's a two-way interview where the patients interview you, but you interview them as well. And we do have, uh, the free questionnaires that they have to answer. So I'm already to some degree familiarized with what they want and who they are. But, uh, during the consultation I let them talk. I let them explain to me what, why they're here and what do they want, what do they want to achieve, what's the motivation and what are the aesthetic goals? And I try to lead them to making the right decision together with me.

Eva Sheie (11:39):
Is there any technology that you use in the consultation, like to show photos or to like morphing or anything like that?

Dr. Alexandrides (11:46):
Yes. We, we do use at, uh, what we call, uh, a 3D camera. It's not exactly a 3D camera, but it works in a way that we take pictures in different angles and then we can modify these pictures to try to, uh, forecast how the results can look. I do take them through that. I explain to them, this is not an exact representation, but it's just about defining the goals of what they want to achieve. And that works very well. I think, uh, visualization, it's so important and for a lot of patients, 90% is the, an aha moment is like, yes, that's what I want to, and of course you get the 10% where they feel, oh, okay, that's not what I thought, and maybe that's not the right operation for me, which is also great because you don't want to have an operation that you don't really need.

Eva Sheie (12:38):
Yeah, no, nobody wants that. How does the visualization help you kind of bridge the gap? For people who think they want something, but really that's not what they meant.

Dr. Alexandrides (12:51):
I think pictures talk louder than words and as much training as we have as plastic surgeons, when we talk to a patient who doesn't have the same, uh, education, they need to see a picture to understand what it means. For example, let's say it was a rhinoplasty. I want to change my, uh, nose and I want it to look, uh, smaller, or I want it to look more, uh, defined, but what does that mean? How does it change the rest of my face? Maybe I need to see different examples. Maybe I, I need to understand how it will, uh, change me and the way I see myself.

Eva Sheie (13:28):
That's a good point. This is like the word natural. What does natural mean means something different to everyone.

Dr. Alexandrides (13:34):
Exactly. I think natural is what the majority of people are looking these days. However, the term means different things for them. And on top of that, we have the confusion from being bombarded every day with social media pictures and, uh, sometimes unrealistic expectations. So that is a fine time for me to blatantly tell them, this is realistic, this is not realistic, or this is a good aesthetics, this is bad aesthetics.

Eva Sheie (14:03):
Is there anything you wish patients knew before they came to see you?

Dr. Alexandrides (14:08):
Most patients these days come very educated about the procedures they want, and sometimes they will ask for specific techniques, which is all right. I, I like overall having a patient who's educated rather than someone who has no idea what they're getting themselves in. However, sometimes this can make, uh, decisions more complicated because people do have a bias about some procedures that might not be the best for them, and that again, is due to their exposure on social media and things they have seen on internet that they think would be good for them just because they were good for somebody else. But that's not necessarily true.

Eva Sheie (14:47):
What is your favorite part of being a plastic surgeon?

Dr. Alexandrides (14:51):
Uh, by far seeing my patients postop and seeing them happy and, uh, content with the results and sharing stories sometimes of what, uh, difference it made to their life.

Eva Sheie (15:03):
If your staff was here and, and I asked them to describe you, what would they say?

Dr. Alexandrides (15:08):
My staff, Ooh, that's <laugh>. I hope my staff is not listening. That <laugh>. Uh, I think they do like the practice a lot. The people we have are a great team and I value them a lot because as I say to all my patients, it's not just me. It's not just what I do is what my staff will, uh, help you do after and before the surgery. So they're there to explain the recovery process, how to get themselves better prepared for surgery and to maximize the results. Well, I think the team will say that I can be very strict sometimes and very demanding, but they understand that this is for the best of the patients and they all work towards that goal. So

Eva Sheie (15:58):
Would your kids describe you that way too?

Dr. Alexandrides (16:02):
My kids are at an age that they're just starting to realize what I do. And, uh, I think my kids have an I idea of, uh, the father being a plastic surgeon, which is of course very idealized in their mind, and they have come to the practice and they have seen aspects of my daily life. I think, uh, they're still in an age where, as I said, they idolize me <laugh>, so I don't think they see things objectively yet in that manner.

Eva Sheie (16:32):
Has either one of them said they want to be a doctor someday?

Dr. Alexandrides (16:36):
Yeah, my older son is 17 years old and he's playing with the idea he likes biology and he likes, uh, in general the trend. I have explained to him what it means to be a doctor apart from, uh, seeing where I am now, how to get there, and, uh, the sacrifices, but also the lifestyle and the education that you need to go through. And I think he's taken a measured approach now about making this decision.

Eva Sheie (17:04):
Yeah, it takes a long time to get there, especially if you change countries.

Dr. Alexandrides (17:09):
Yes. <laugh>.

Eva Sheie (17:11):
What do you like to do outside of work?

Dr. Alexandrides (17:14):
Uh, I like to be active. I like sports. Uh, anything from swimming to ski, anything that, uh, includes a physical activity is fun. And uh, we, we like to do that as a family a lot. Uh, in the summer I like to go back to Greece and spend time around the islands. I love sailing, scuba diving, <laugh>, anything that takes me outside a closed space. It would be great.

Eva Sheie (17:40):
If someone's listening today and they wanna find out more about you, where should they look?

Dr. Alexandrides (17:44):
They should look at our website, which is 111 Harley Street.com. But also Dr. Yannis official on Instagram has a lot of, uh, good examples of the work I do.

Eva Sheie (17:57):
And I'll make sure we put that in the show notes.

Dr. Alexandrides (17:59):
Great.

Eva Sheie (18:00):
Thank you for joining us today.

Dr. Alexandrides (18:02):
Thank you so much.

Eva Sheie (18:02):
It's so nice to, to get to know you and we appreciate your time.

Dr. Alexandrides (18:06):
Likewise. Thank you.

Eva Sheie (18:14):
If you are considering making an appointment or are on your way to meet this doctor, be sure to let them know you heard them on the Meet the Doctor podcast. Check the show notes for links including the doctor's website and Instagram to learn more. Are you a doctor or do you know a doctor who'd like to be on the Meet the Doctor podcast? Book your free recording session at Meet the Doctor podcast.com. Meet the Doctor is Made with Love in Austin, Texas and is a production of The Axis, t h e a x i s.io.