Dr John Anastasatos: Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon

Beverly Hills is typically the first city that people think of when they think of the best plastic surgeons.  Renowned plastic surgeon Dr. John Anastasatos wanted to be in a city where excellence is the only standard so he established his plastic surgery practice in 2007 in Beverly Hills.

With family roots in Athens, a city known for its beauty and sophistication as well as its excellence in cosmetic surgeons, Dr. Anastasatos opened a second location in Greece as his practice and reputation grew.

Over the past 21 years, Dr. Anastasatos has earned global recognition for his beautiful surgical results and he treats patients from all over the world.

What are your childhood memories?

I was born in New York City. My first memories of the world were of Manhattan, New York. NYC represented to me glamour, sophistication, and greatness. This greatness inspired me at a young age about what is possible and available in life if someone dreams big and works hard. It shaped my personality and vision for myself.

In NYC, I attended an American-Greek school there until the age of eight. Then my family moved to Athens. In Athens, I attended Athens College high school. My most memorable travel experiences were created in various parts of Greece.

Upon graduation, I went back to the United States to start my undergraduate and medical education at Brown University. I have been in the US since then and in Beverly Hills for the last 17 years.

In 2022 I moved to Athens with the vision of making this city, a world-class plastic surgery destination.

Did you always dream about doing what you now find yourself practicing?

I was born to be a plastic surgeon and a healer and I have dedicated my whole life to that purpose.

Starting at the age of 15, I began spending my summers and free time after school at a public hospital in Athens. There, I began assisting in surgery and performing surgery at the age of 15.

I still remember vividly the first day I came to the operating room. I knew then, that surgery was my passion, and what I was destined to do.

What school of aging do you belong to? Ageing gracefully or facelifting procedures?

I do not know many people who can with honesty claim to love or like loose skin, wrinkles, and soft tissue deformities caused by excess fat and lipo-dystrophy.

I favour facelifting procedures and any intervention that improves the quality of life.

The real power of plastic surgery has the potential to improve the quality of a person's life.

What are the most common procedures women and men prefer?

Women:

Liposuction

Breast Augmentation

Abdominoplasty

Rhinoplasty

Facelift

Men:

Liposuction

Blepharoplasty

Facelift

Rhinoplasty

Abdominoplasty

What is the most challenging procedure you have completed?

Two procedures come to mind.

Reconstructing the face of a 15-year-old girl who had severe and life-threatening burns on 80% of her body. Her whole face and neck were also burnt.  I was asked to reconstruct her face and neck. Her operation took me 20 hours. Now, she has a normal life. She has a family, a great job and we still talk on the phone 20 years after her reconstruction!

The other one was reconstructing the face of a Los Angeles woman who was shot in the face seven times. Yes, she was the victim of a violent crime and received seven gunshots to her face.

When I met her, she was desperate because no other plastic surgeon she had seen in Los Angeles could help her. I operated on her twice successfully. She survived and has had a normal life since then. This procedure made international news in the major TV media of the United States and her success story travelled all over the world.

How has your manual dexterity helped your surgical skills?

Manual dexterity, technical ability and hand-brain co-ordination are certainly important.

It is commonly believed that plastic surgeons are artists. Do you have any artistic flair or hobbies?

Plastic surgeons are not artists. Many like to think they are, but that is usually self-grandiosity.

The most “artistic” and talented plastic surgeons became the best, due to lifelong exercise of excellence. Those of us who stand out, do so, by continuously investigating, practicing, and learning.  For example, you cannot do a great facelift if you do not understand the intricate anatomy of the face. Very few plastic surgeons in the world can do outstanding facelifts.

The true artistic-plastic surgeons are the ones who have exceptional knowledge and understanding of anatomy and physiology.

The artistic plastic surgeons also have the ability to visualize their outcomes before they actually happen.

They visualise them in three dimensions, and even a fourth one. The fourth dimension is timing.

If one patient walks into your office and insists on undergoing cosmetic surgery by overly reacting to their appearance, what would you advise them to do?

Plastic surgery is not about me. It is not about my personal beliefs, likes, and preferences. It is about what my patients want.

Every patient who walks into my office has a clear vision of how they want to look or accomplish through plastic surgery. Therefore, the successful outcome in plastic surgery is what accomplishes the vision of each and every one of my patients.

With that perspective, the successful outcome in plastic surgery is not objective but subjective.

What are some of the non-surgical procedures you offer to your patients?

I offer all the non-invasive injectable procedures such as botox, hyaluronic acid fillers, fat injections, etc.

What would you reverse…? Ageing or life experiences?

Ageing

Does the media influence people’s lives or how they look?

Yes, it does. Especially image-driven and image-centric media such as Instagram.

People have become more self-conscious about how they look on screens since they communicate more and more via screens.

Tell us your life mantra.

“Happiness is the avoidance of problems”.

That requires logic, visualisation, and pre-meditation.

I apply this mantra to my surgeries. I think, design and plan my surgeries in my mind days before I perform them. I have already visualised them in my mind before performing. I have considered all potential problems and how to best avoid them. That is why I achieve safe and successful outcomes.

I apply the same principle or mantra to life.

Visit his website: https://www.losangelesplasticsurgery.com

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