Get to know your surgeon: Meet Dr Robert Drielsma

By February 9, 2016 October 30th, 2017 Plastic Surgeons

Gallery procedure shown above:
Bilateral Breast Augmentation Mammoplasty 

Meet Bondi Plastic Surgeon, Dr Robert Drielsma. With over 25 years experience as a surgeon, we sat down with him to find out more about life as a Plastic Surgeon.

Why did you become a plastic surgeon?
I actually completed training as a general surgeon first but my love of artistry and delicate work drew me towards continuing training in plastic surgery


What are your primary plastic surgery interests and why?
Aesthetic or cosmetic surgery is my primary interest as it appeals to my artistic sensibilities.  My interests focus on facial , breast and body contouring surgeries. 


What do you love most about your job as a plastic surgeon?
Plastic surgery is a challenging and rewarding field to be involved in.  Working with patients to achieve their goals is quite fulfilling and seeing the happiness plastic surgery can bring to my patients is the best feeling.


What is the hardest part about being a plastic surgeon?
Saying no – but very important when necessary

How would your friends describe you?
Probably meticulous and obsessive – pretty common amongst plastic surgeons.

What do you do for fun?
Mainly sporting activity.  I love playing tennis and skiing and getting out on the harbor.

What advice do you have when deciding on a surgeon?
First of all checking he/she is actually a specialist surgeon (FRACS).  Then it comes down to training and experience, recommendation and how one connects at time of consultation.

What are some of your career highlights?
– My paediatric work with cleft lip and palate repair, both in Australia and on interplast trips abroad.

– Teaching and lecturing

What advice do you have for someone thinking about having plastic surgery?
Plastic surgery can offer so much when done safely and skillfully for the right reasons.  It is not however to be taken lightly as any surgery has risks and can result in complications.  It is something you only do for you, no one else and won’t change the way people think about you.  Doing it for the right reasons with the right surgeon is nothing to be afraid of.

Have you ever had to turn patients away due to unrealistic expectations?
Yes, many times.  It is difficult but very important to identify those who are unrealistic and will never be happy with surgery.

What procedures are becoming more popular?
Fat transfer is certainly becoming very popular at present.  I feel it is probably going through an exaggerated wave of enthusiasm at present (I have seen this with many newer techniques over the years).  Fat transfer definitely will play an important long term role but where it will finally settle in its usage may change over the next 10 years or so.

What is your understanding of beauty and how does this relate to your practice?
Beauty is an interesting thing.  Is it personal or universal to our humanity.  If we take individuals from many different races and get a panel to judge their beauty, similar characteristics are deemed beautiful every time.  I believe while in some cases “beauty is in the eye of the beholder”, there is a universal beauty that we as humans are programmed to recognise.  Having a strong sense of what is beautiful is I believe very important to being a plastic surgeon and does definitely affect outcomes of surgery.



 

 

 

PSF would like to thank the Dr. Robert Drielsma for his input into this blog post.

 

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