Aging: a natural process that we can slow down.

Eternal changes and aging visit everyone, and this is an inevitable process. According to Gintaras Pepečkys, the founder of „GP klinika“ and a plastic surgeon, life travels in a cycle: birth-maturity-aging, which is a normal process that should be accepted naturally. If the changes that occur are bothersome, one should not just accept them. „My goal is to restore as much as possible what was. I am not in a hurry with major surgical interventions; I try to apply new, gentler methods so that the result is as natural as possible,“ says G. Pepečkys.

It is believed that cosmetic surgery can turn back time. Would you agree with this statement?

Of course, but it is worth emphasizing that cosmetic surgery rejuvenates not only on the outside. After the operation, a person feels youthful on the inside, self-confidence, happiness and energy appear. Although we often hear similar phrases: "Inside I feel like I'm twenty, although on the outside I look much older than I really am." Cosmetic surgery operations help to resolve this dualistic thinking.

There is often talk about people's eternal changes and the fight against aging. How would you describe the concept of „eternal changes“?

Aesthetic surgery can be divided into two groups: congenital defects causing discomfort and age-related changes that occur over time, which are inevitable. Each age period is characterized by certain facial and body changes. We all change; nature travels in a cycle: birth-maturity-aging. However, eternal changes should not be interpreted as old age, as certain changes are noticeable much earlier, which aesthetic surgery corrects.

When do the first eternal changes begin to appear?

It is very individual, but patients start to seek help for the first signs of aging from the age of thirty. They are not yet very obvious, but changes do occur. Looking at their photos from twenty and thirty years old, everyone would see at least minimal changes. Sometimes those changes are even beneficial; it is common for a person to become more attractive at a more mature age.

Patients seek help for the first signs of aging at thirty, but when do they visit for a consultation when they already see obvious changes leading to aging?

As I mentioned, up to the age of forty, patients come to us because of the first permanent changes, which are not very obvious. The most active age group of patients is from forty to fifty years old, when the changes are more noticeable. At forty, a turning point occurs in our appearance. I jokingly say that at this age, patients turn from girls into women.

What measures are taken to combat age-related changes?

Over time, I realized that any intervention leaves its mark, so we do not resort to aggressive and radical changes for minor permanent changes that have occurred. I advocate for a minimal, but high-quality, aesthetic and long-lasting result. Previously, trends dictated completely different measures, but I am glad that times have changed, as has the attitude towards beauty itself.

What measures were previously taken to combat eternal change?

About fifteen years ago, beauty surgeons did not shy away from performing invasive procedures on women in their forties and even thirties. Endoscopic facelifts were performed, but the demand for these procedures has clearly decreased. Although tissues can be lifted quite effectively, the overall result does not meet the criteria of naturalness. Now there is a wide selection of minimally invasive procedures, which involve minimal incisions or even no incisions at all. Undoubtedly, fillers play an important role, effectively correcting the first signs of aging.

When correcting a patient's permanent changes, is it important for the surgeon to know what the person looked like before they appeared?

Of course, this is very important, because youth is the most beautiful stage of a person's life and it is an example of what should be strived for. I often ask patients to show me photos of their youth so that we can eliminate changes that are not satisfactory and have appeared with age.

When a client comes to you to remove specific permanent changes, do you specifically adjust them or do you tend to leave room for various suggestions?

I dream that a client would come to me for advice and consultation on how to look more beautiful. It is possible to blindly follow the patient's wishes and thus take responsibility, but I always offer to listen to my opinion about the changes in a specific situation and recommendations on how they should be adjusted and what to expect. I show patients the results of my work, a great example is Hollywood, so I do not hesitate to show the great changes of celebrities. However, it is important not to forget that the final decision is made by the patient. It is not for nothing that the motto of my work is - beauty is your choice.