Dr Manoj Khanna has been a cosmetic surgeon for 20 years, known especially for his hair transplants. On February 12, he spoke at length at The Saturday Club about myths and more that make up his profession.

• Cosmetic surgery is actually psychiatric surgery. We bring happiness and boost self-esteem. That said, diet and exercise and a change in lifestyle is the first step to looking and feeling better. Only when that doesn’t work can you think of surgical procedure.
 

• Cosmetic surgery has no side effects, else it would not have stood the test of time.
 

• The most common cosmetic surgeries are hair transplant (90 per cent men), liposuction (70 per cent women) and breast surgery (both sexes). Breast enlargement in women is followed by breast reduction in men. Boys as young as 14 have come to me for this surgery. It really affects their confidence.
 

• Breast surgery will not make you susceptible to breast cancer nor will it interfere with breastfeeding.
 

• People gain 10 per cent of the weight they have lost a year after they go off an extreme diet. Losing weight through pills and starving are not permanent solutions. If that were true, everyone would be thin.
 

• Liposuction is the permanent reduction of the number of fat cells in a particular area. 
 

• People mostly lose hair towards the front and centre because of a genetic predisposition. The hair at the back, however, is permanent. Hair transplant surgeries involve this hair being planted on the bald patches, ensuring that they never fall. 
 

• Oil plays no role in hair growth, just makes it look glossy.
 

• If you damage your nose in an accident, don’t get stitches on your nose, go to a cosmetic surgeon to avoid a crooked nose.
 

• Social media is a huge factor that has escalated the rate of cosmetic surgeries.

Text: Ramona Sen
Picture: Sayantan Ghosh