In a one-on-one interview with Merav Cohen, health reporter for Walla, Prof. Eyal Winkler, a specialist in plastic surgery and cosmetic surgery, and founder and director of the Winkler Clinic, discussed the future of cosmetic surgery and aesthetic treatments.
Winkler explained that plastic surgery originated at the end of the Korean War in the 1950s and was used to save the lives of soldiers who had experienced damage to the soft tissue of their bodies. The word “plastikos” in Greek, said Winkler, means the shell.
“Our shell, or skin, provides form, content and meaning,” he said.
Winkler said plastic surgeons save lives and perform many types of reconstructive surgeries.
“We travel to third world countries, where we operate on children with cleft lips. We also utilize our knowledge and surgical ability for cosmetic and restorative-aesthetic surgeries, using sophisticated tools.”
Commenting on the future of the profession, Winkler said that two factors are at play. The current young generation, he suggested, will live longer lives, perhaps until age 100, and will want to prevent the body from aging.
“In another 10-20 years, we will need to deal with the stopping of the aging process.”
The second factor, he said, is gene manipulation, which is an ethical issue. Winkler added, about the future of plastic surgery, that it is important to note that there is an increase in minor and nonsurgical technologies performed in plastic surgery clinics, especially using laser for various aesthetic purposes.
When asked when he would refuse to perform plastic surgery, he responded, “If it is not professionally correct in my opinion, I will not do it. The great wisdom that comes with experience in plastic surgery is the gap between the expectations of what you can give and the patient’s feeling if he will not be satisfied with what he has received.”
Winkler predicted that genetic manipulation would eventually become a reality in plastic surgery technology.
Written in cooperation with the Winkler Clinic.