Getting to Know TAS Aesthetic Surgery Clinic: An Interview with Dr. Suleyman Tas

We asked the questions you wanted answered to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Suleyman Tas, the well-known Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery specialist behind some of the field's most significant recent innovations, and the founder of TAS Aesthetic Surgery Clinic.

Dr. Suleyman Tas is known in the field for his innovative approach and the awards he has received, along with his youth and talent. He has more than 30 techniques of his own design published in the medical literature, spanning face transplantation, arm and foot transplantation, rhinoplasty, and otoplasty. He holds several patented surgical instruments and has won 3 first-place awards at the international and national level. Having fit so much achievement and surgical experience into a young career, we brought Dr. Suleyman Tas in front of the camera to answer the questions people are curious about…

First, could you tell us about the face transplant technique you developed?

It always troubled me that people who had suffered severe burns to their whole body and face didn't want to go out in public, and were reminded of what had happened to them every time they saw their own face. With a cadaver face transplant, the body has to take lifelong medication to avoid rejecting the transplanted face, the results are often inadequate, and the outcome is far from proportionate to the risks involved — observing this pushed me to look for another way. The face clearly needed to be rebuilt from the patient's own body, but from where, and how, could we produce tissue capable of replicating an entire face? Even though the body's vascular anatomy and the thickness of the skin and fat layer vary by region, the technique I developed lets us modify the vascular anatomy so we can harvest as much tissue as needed, at whatever thinness is required, carrying as many vessels as necessary, to replicate the whole face. This technique broke with convention in tissue transfer and opened up an entirely new approach. My experience in microsurgery — arm, foot, and finger transplantation — has of course played a major role in this success.

You've also developed other techniques in different areas of aesthetic surgery that have been published in the literature — could you tell us about those?

Rhinoplasty is the leading cosmetic operation performed in our country. I have more than 10 published techniques on this subject. My most recent paper became the most-read article last month in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal, one of America's most prestigious plastic surgery journals, and took its place among the journal's landmark publications. Combining the techniques I've developed led to the operation I call the Closed and Atraumatic technique. With this technique, there's no visible scarring, recovery time is as short as possible, and swelling and bruising are kept to a minimum, resulting in a completely natural nose.

Another area is otoplasty for protruding ears, a condition that can affect the psychology of school-age children in particular. However, I was never satisfied with the complication rates of the techniques used before, and felt this area also needed an innovation. With the Flap Technique I developed, we can set the ears back as far as needed without operating on the cartilage itself and without compromising its flexibility.

What aesthetic surgery services does your clinic provide?

Drawing on our command of the full range of Plastic, Reconstructive, and Aesthetic Surgery procedures, our principle is to give our patients the full benefit of that experience. We offer a wide range of services, from non-surgical treatments like Botox and fillers to surgical procedures such as facelifts, rhinoplasty, otoplasty, breast surgery, and body contouring.

Now that summer is behind us, which treatments make the most sense to consider for the new season?

Along with the tan we pick up over the summer, our skin cells are also worn down from exposure to the sun's harmful effects. To restore the skin's balance between breakdown and renewal, treatments such as PRP, which stimulates renewal, or Mesotherapy or Salmon DNA injections, which supply the materials renewal needs, can make the skin look more vibrant even at a basic level. We also tend to squint more in sunny weather, so applying Botox before summer even begins can help prevent wrinkles between the brows, on the forehead, and around the eyes. In later years, procedures like a facelift, neck lift, fat injections to the face, and eyelid surgery can help turn back the clock.

Is there anything you'd like to add in closing?

Aesthetic surgery should always aim for a natural, pleasing result.

TAŞ Estetik Cerrahi Kliniği:

Teşvikiye Mah. Hakkı Yeten Cad. No: 11 Terrace Fulya Center 1, Daire: 97 Şişli – Istanbul, 34365

www.suleymantas.com.tr / www.tasklinik.com

0212 215 57 27-27 / 0532 056 36 93