FOR Greek-born, US-trained and now London-based surgeon, Dr Costas Papageorgiou, facial aesthetics is almost an art form, “It’s all about the light reflection,” he tells Glass. “I am a visual aesthete. The field of aesthetic medicine allows me to express my creativity, my passion for art, space, architecture, proportions and symmetry. To some extent, I see my profession as architecture of the face.”
An oculofacial plastic surgeon (he specialises in treating the eyes and their surrounding structures), Dr Papageorgiou, has already aced a lot in his career: from his training in the University of California, a brilliant eye for the aesthetics of facial structure paired with a deeply principled approach, he is now the award-winning medical director of the New York Dermatology Group in Harrods, London.
Dr Papageorgiou is highly regarded by his patients as he truly an expert in surgical and non-surgical treatment – his aesthetic work is not a side-gig, as is the case with some doctors.
The Wellness Clinic at Harrods
What treatments are you best-known for? What do you offer that other aesthetic doctors don’t?
I use the latest 3D-imaging technology on my patients to assess the signs of facial ageing. After I take a quick series of photographs, the imaging software builds three versions of your face: one as you are; one of the right side; and one of the left. This way, you can see what you would look like if your face was symmetrical. The 3D-technology is so accurate that Madame Tussauds’ artists use it to create the waxwork models. This is the starting point for the individual treatment plan I create for each of my patients. Everything I do is aimed at helping the patient.
With my trained eye, I can see everything, but this technology lets you see yourself objectively so we can have an open discussion about treatment options.
However, it’s not all black and white, like with the same pair of scissors, you can get two different haircuts: one can be wonderful, the other disastrous. You can’t blame the scissors, it’s about how you use them. Patients often come to me with a specific concern and an idea of how to fix it, but they don’t see the bigger picture or know which changes can optimise their facial features.
In your opinion, when is the best time to start “tweakments” or more extensive work?
It’s never too late to start to delay the ageing process, as regular sessions of energy-based treatments, such as ultrasound or infrared treatments, will improve skin laxity and tone the muscle beneath the skin. My favourites are Ultherapy (a powerful ultrasound wave lift), Titan and Laser-Genesis. The Titan platform uses a range of infrared waves that target the dermis and boost neocollagenesis. It is ideal for regular sessions of maintenance; has zero downtime and I usually integrate it in a selective range of enhanced facials.
They have no side effects as the energy levels are tailored to each individual’s skin while results are achieved in a cumulative approach over a series of treatments. This allows patients to return to their daily activities or immediately after the treatment. Another trick to keep a youthful appearance is volumising agents – filler such as Allergan. In the right hands an aesthetician will have the expertise to achieve the “unnoticeable change”.
Dr Costas Papageorgiou. Photograph: Yiorgos Kaplanidis
Have you noticed an increase in men seeking non-surgical treatments? What treatments do they request?
Over the last decade, I have witnessed an increased demand from men requesting non- invasive facial aesthetic procedures. Mainly, they are looking for procedures that can enhance their facial features with no signs of intervention and minimal downtime. I would say eyelid rejuvenation (reversal of hollowness and dark circles) is one of the most common requests from men, as it is a delicate yet transformative procedure that refreshes a tired appearance, conveying more youth and light reflection in the most expressive part of the face.
Men, rather than women, often want work on the jaw line for a more defined “super hero” look which is very fashionable right now, as it not only structures the lower third of the face but also counteracts laxity on the neck by lifting sagging skin. To achieve this, I tend to prefer energy-based devices and volumising agents which offer us the ability to delay the need for surgery and replace surgery with non-invasive interventions.
For example, instead of surgical liposuction, we can use cryolipolysis or laser-assisted lipolysis. We can re-contour the nose with hyaluronic acid gel fillers, or reverse jowling with Ultherapy which is the closest you can get to a non-surgical facelift.
In my experience, men feel far more comfortable with staged – yet non-invasive – tweaks that have minimal to zero downtime that allows them to return back to their daily activities with no signs of intervention. Social media has certainly played a role in facilitating men’s psychology to embrace these interventions and feel more comfortable with enhancing their looks.
Dr Costas Papageorgiou. Photograph: Yiorgos Kaplanidis
How do you predict tweakments or procedures for men will innovate or develop in the future?
I think early interventions to slow down the ageing cascade (volume loss and fat atrophy, bone atrophy, loss of volume in the lower eyelid or fat bag prolapse, deflated or droopy eyebrows Loss of definition of the jaw line with jowling, the nose appearing bigger in relation to the face as the background of the face loses volume and skeletonises, and submental skin laxity) in conjunction with lifestyle, nutrition, fitness and skincare.
Used together, this will delay biological ageing. I believe energy-based devices will be key in delaying the signs of ageing in the face and body.
What are the most effective aesthetic treatments for men?
I believe that effectiveness relies mostly on how you implement the existing tools and technologies in order to optimise facial features without signs of intervention.
Dr Costas Papageorgiou. Photograph: Yiorgos Kaplanidis
What has been a high point of your career?
That would be my fellowships in Oculofacial Plastic Surgery and Facial Aesthetics at the University of California Los Angeles. Here, I had the opportunity to advance my skills with some leaders in the field allowing me to bring this philosophy to Europe and London.
What challenges have you faced professionally?
The main challenge I face is practicing aesthetic medicine while maintaining academic standards and an ethical approach in a field that is rather unregulated.
What effect has the Covid-19 pandemic had on you professionally and personally?
It is certainly a challenging time for everyone and my thoughts go to all those people who have been seriously affected by the impact of the pandemic. At a personal level, it was an opportunity to leave London and reconnect with Greece as I have been living abroad for 20-plus years. I also have several interests beyond medicine and I saw this pause as an opportunity to advance some interesting projects that I hope to launch in the next two years.
What are your future plans?
I would like to expand my professional horizons within the field of wellness as well as launch a science-based skincare line that can be affordable but also easily incorporated into our daily lifestyle.
Photographer: YIORGOS KAPLANIDIS
by Caroline Simpson
A high-tech consultation with Dr Costas Papageorgiou, New York Dermatology Group in Harrods Wellness Clinic starts from £195