Review by A2 Magazine with Dr Gabriel Doucas, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeon (not for sensitive viewers)

0

At the age of 18 a cyst developed on my left earlobe. It never stopped me from wearing my hair up, but it was rather unsightly and even though I “lived my life” I was to a degree self-conscious about it.

Aside from having the cyst removed for aesthetic value, it was a hard ball in my earlobe that felt uncomfortable and overall shouldn’t have been there in the first place. I sought out a plastic surgeon to have said cyst removed.

Below is an account of my experience along with pictures and a video. The images and video are GRAPHIC! If you’re overly sensitive to blood, cutting and scalpels do not watch :) I’m very squeamish and even posting these were difficult. Oh the things we do for our readers…

What did I review?

A cyst removal from my earlobe.

Where was it?

With Dr Gabriel Doucas, plastic and reconstructive surgeon situated with Pure Aesthetics Clinic in Linksfield Netcare Clinic, Johannesburg.

What was my experience?

I was nervous, but my excitement to have the cyst removed overpowered that. After arriving for my appointment, Dr Doucas and I sat down in his office to discuss the procedure, what he’ll be doing, and forewarned me of any scarring etc. We ticked all the boxes and proceeded to his in-office theatre where he does small procedures such as this, anti-wrinkle injectables, fillers and pretty much anything that’s not invasive (all of his major surgeries are performed in the hospital theatres of course).

My favourite thing about Dr Doucas is that he his a perfectionist and clean/neat freak which translates into superb results for his patients including myself. I also found his bedside manner incredibly comforting and calming.

See how my procedure unfolded in the pictures below and be sure to read the captions…

From top left: Feeling nervous, holding hands with Dr’s helper (omg I’m such a sissy), Dr cleaning the area, Dr injecting local anaesthetic (it stings, hence the face!)

Purple line around the cyst for Dr to cut around

Brave face

Even though Dr Doucas was only working on my ear, he always wants to work in a complete sterile environment which is why I’m covered in sterile blue sheets

Cutting and scraping out the cyst

Omg this is what was cut out. You can see the layer of my skin around it *faints*. For reference, this is about the size of a very big peanut

Cauterising the area to stop any further bleeding. This also helps to keep the area clean for stitching

The hole left after removing the cyst. It’s so hard not to pass out right now.

Watch a 40 second video of Dr Doucas stitching up my ear. I added relaxing piano music to the video because it made me feel better while editing:

The cyst being sent off for histology. Any time something is removed from your body it is sent for testing to ensure there are no cancerous issues. Thankfully mine came back clear.

And the final results – from left: after one day, after one week, after stitches removed (10 days) and after one month

Final before and after photo – one month of healing

What are my final thoughts?

I am completely and utterly beyond ecstatic with the final outcome of this procedure. After the initial procedure I had two follow up appointments, one to remove the stitches and the second as a final check up. From start to finish I felt incredibly comfortable and well looked after by Dr Doucas and his team. Regarding scarring, I thought there’d be some remnant of a scar, but the stitching job was so clean that I’ve healed with no noticeable markings.

Anything else you should know?

Yes,

  • Dr Doucas is well-known for being the doctor women go to when they need to have their ‘botched’ breast surgeries fixed
  • His other cosmetic interests include:
    • Breast aesthetics
    • Facial rejuvenation (anti-wrinkle injectables, dermal fillers etc.)
    • Body contouring
    • Non-surgical rejuvenation
  • His reconstructive interests include:
    • Removal of skin cancers and lesions
    • Head and neck reconstruction
    • Microsurgery
    • Hand and lower limb deformities
    • Breast reconstruction
  • Dr Doucas shares clinic space with Pure Aesthetics (read my Pure Aesthetics Review here), a clinic offering skin and laser treatments.

Dr Gabriel Doucas (top left) and the incredible team at Pure Aesthetics

More about Dr Doucas

Dr Doucas believes that a good surgeon knows when not to operate. He is both passionate and meticulous about ensuring that his patients fully understand any procedure they may be considering. He ensures that this is the case by explaining complex medical procedures and their consequences, using easy-to-understand, non-medical terminology.

Dr Doucas firmly believes that patients should be empowered to make informed decisions about prospective surgery and he therefore provides them with the requisite tools to do so. This is followed-up by comprehensive post-surgical care and consultation.

Dr Gabriel Doucas graduated from the University of the Free State with a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery. He then went on to specialise as a Fellow of the College of Plastic Surgeons of South Africa, through the University of the Witwatersrand.

In addition to running a successful private practice from the Netcare Linksfield Hospital, he is also a founding member of Pure Aesthetics, a non-surgical aesthetic centre, which is also based in the Linksfield hospital.

Get in Touch With Dr Doucas:

Website: www.drdoucas.co.za

Email:

Phone: +27 11 485 2080

Address: Suite 405A, Netcare Linksfield Hospital, 24 12th Avenue, Linksfield West, 2192

Practice Number: 0305618

HPCSA: MP 0510165

Share.

About Author

Rochelle is co-owner of A2 Aesthetic & Anti-Ageing Magazine - she looks after A2's Blog and the Sales & Marketing for the A2 Print Magazine. Follow her on twitter by clicking the birdy on the top right of this block.

Comments are closed.