When Dr. Balvant Arora treats a patient, his involvement in their health continues long after he completes the surgery. With liposuction and tummy tucks as some of the most popular cosmetic services requested at the Institute of Facial and Oral Surgery in Lansdowne, Dr. Arora, M.D., MBA, a board-certified plastic and reconstructive surgeon, collaborates with patients to maintain a healthy lifestyle long after their treatments.
“By and large, the majority of us want to look good and feel better, and feeling better has a big component of wellness,” Dr. Arora said. He encourages patients to eat right, exercise, and take supplements as necessary to ensure they maintain the effects they want post-surgery.
“We look at what kind of food to eat,” he said. “You are what you eat, and you are what you eat now. The E in eat means energy—which you get in food and spend in exercise and daily living. The A is for air, how we breathe, and T can mean thought, where meditation comes into play, having a positive outlook and optimism. This needs to be done continuously to be able to handle stress well. All aspects end up making the individual feel well. We incorporate this from the first time a patient comes in, to set into motion healthier practices, and patients continue to get support after surgery.”
Not all interventions at the Institute of Facial and Oral Surgery come in the form of surgery, although a fully equipped operating room on site keeps treatments cost-effective and convenient. Dr. Arora also offers a wide variety of noninvasive solutions, from supplements to bioidentical hormones and other procedures. In fact, the constant evolution of cosmetic treatments is one of the reasons he went into the field.
“It treats the patient from head to toe and everything in between, and there are a lot of innovations that continue to come into the field,” he said, naming the advent of lasers and various devices and the development of endoscopic surgery with small incisions.
“Lifespan has increased, and people’s attitudes have changed,” he said. “How they look and feel matters more to them than age as a number.”
Dr. Arora was certified as a surgeon in India before moving to the United States, where he re-certified. When he meets a patient, he said, his first consideration is whether the surgery they’re requesting is indicated and whether they have realistic expectations. They also must be healthy to undergo the procedures.
Surgically, liposuction brings him the most patients. But the main trend he sees is for noninvasive procedures, such as botox, fillers, chemical peel, laser resurfacing, and use of devices that build muscle and dissolve fat.
He discusses a procedure in detail with a patient, indicating to them how it will look at various stages after surgery.
“When I take their history, I ask about [their feelings and emotions surrounding the procedure] and make sure that they will handle the transformation very well,” he said.
For those who do undergo surgery, he said, their lives are often transformed. “I’ve had individuals whose lives have changed due to reconstructive or cosmetic surgery,” he said. “Their personality and outlook changed, and they feel more productive across the spectrum.”
One patient who had skin and fat removed from the abdomen was able to increase activity levels and lose even more weight. “They were able to get into better shape and move forward in life with a healthier outlook,” he said.
He gives patients an opportunity to jumpstart their wellness journey and incorporate it into their daily lives to stay healthy and rejuvenated for ever-increasing lifespans.
The Institute of Facial and Oral Surgery in Lansdowne was founded 17 years ago by Drs. David Moose, M.D., D.D.S., and Suketu Patel, M.D., D.M.D. Dr. Moose and Dr. Patel are board-certified oral and maxillofacial, cosmetic and reconstructive surgeons, with Dr. Patel specializing in orthognathic surgery (a surgical procedure that corrects irregularities of the jaw bones, realigning the jaws and teeth to improve the way they work). They also offer a medical spa, where Master Aesthetician Gaynor Kelly offers laser treatments, pro-fractional laser, SkinTyte, Ultherapy, laser hair removal, and microdermabrasion.
To see whether the Institute of Facial and Oral Surgery can help you meet your wellness goals for the new year, go to facial-oralsurgeryva.com or call (703) 729-0077.
“The majority of us want to look good and feel better, and feeling better has a big component of wellness."