Dr Heiko Atna, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon at Kotka Private Hospital’s Plastic Surgery Center, states that a prerequisite for a successful plastic operation is the patient’s awareness and the competent surgeon’s honesty and trustworthiness. Dr Atna, who has worked and furthered his education abroad in addition to Estonia, values both the knowledgeable colleagues and the modern facilities and conveniences offered to patients at Kotka Private Hospital’s Plastic Surgery Center.
How did your journey to becoming a surgeon unfold, and what have you specialized in?
I graduated from the University of Tartu’s Faculty of Medicine and furthered my education in Finland and Germany. After graduating from the Faculty of Medicine, I worked as an emergency medicine doctor in Finland, and seeing various traumas
led to the decision to enter plastic and reconstructive surgery residency.
Plastic surgery is a specialty that deals with the restoration, improvement, and correction of deformities and malformations of visible parts of the human body. I have worked at the North Estonia Medical Centre since
2014, and this work mainly involves correcting soft tissue deformities caused by injuries. The nature of work at Kotka Private Hospital differs from that at the regional hospital, as operations performed at Kotka Private Hospital typically have aesthetic rather than medical indications.
What aesthetic operations do you perform at Kotka Private Hospital? Who are your patients?
I most frequently perform breast surgeries, which are categorized into breast augmentation, reduction, and lift.
Next is eyelid surgery, which involves correcting upper and lower eyelids. Thirdly comes abdominoplasty.
There are also many men for whom breasts cause problems due to diet, medication, weight loss, lifestyle, or genetics.
This is called gynecomastia, and unfortunately, it is largely a taboo subject that men try to hide with clothing. In such cases, various surgical treatment methods can be offered to correct the problem.
What exactly does your consultation entail?
The most important thing is to determine the reason for visiting the clinic and whether the patient actually needs the desired surgery or procedure. An operation is usually indicated if the patient is dissatisfied with their appearance and has carefully considered their wishes. It should not be a spur-of-the-moment decision, and expectations for the results should be realistic.
Are Estonians’ wishes realistic or not?
The doctor must definitely ascertain this before the operation, but Estonians’ expectations are rather realistic. If photos are shown from a phone of how the patient wishes to look after the operation, and if I cannot guarantee such a final result, I will also state that. Sometimes some pictures are so heavily edited that they no longer have much to do with real life, and therefore such a result cannot be achieved.
During the consultation, I show various before and after operation photos, and certainly not all pictures are ones where everything went well. I also definitely talk about various complications and their likelihood. The patient must be aware that things may not always go as desired.
What else do patients value in a surgeon besides general professionalism?
There are patients who, before coming for a consultation, had not considered that cosmetic surgeries can also have complications. Discussing these has made some wonder if the given operation is truly for them after all.
it is necessary. If one knows about possible complications before the operation, it is easier to deal with them later.
What do you consider to be the strength of Kotka Private Hospital? Why is it good for you to work there and what does it offer patients in a broader sense?
I feel safe working at Kotka Private Hospital because we are all specialists in plastic and reconstructive surgery by education. The clinic has extensive experience in the form of its staff, and there is always the opportunity to consult with colleagues on more complex medical cases.
The relationships between colleagues are very good, and they support each other, which definitely translates into their attitude towards our patients.
I would also like to point out that all pre-operative examinations take place in one location. To undergo breast examinations or blood tests before surgery, there is no need to visit different medical institutions.
How do you see the future of aesthetic surgery in Estonia?
In the future, I see that only specialists in plastic and reconstructive surgery who have received the appropriate education to practice in this field will operate in this area. Over time, operations have become increasingly affordable and less invasive, and this trend will certainly continue in the future.
The article was published in Anne&Stiil magazine
