TOP DOC: DR. MAURIZIO VIEL

CARNA BY DARIO CECCHINI

Dubai’s latest contemporary steakhouse was conceptualised and created by the award-winning eighth-generation butcher Dario Cecchini.

How did you begin your career in butchery? My early life was difficult because my mother and father both passed away while I was studying veterinary science at university before I was even 20 years old. I did have, though, an incredible desire to become a good butcher.

Has it always been a dream of yours to open a restaurant? Opening a restaurant was always my dream and I felt that that was the best way to explain in the clearest way possible, my concept of how to use an animal well.

What is the history and background of the restaurant? What makes Carna so unique? What makes Carna unique is that we put our heart and soul into it; our passion for sustainability and using the whole animal well and helping our clients understand that an animal isn’t just made up of a T-bone and a fillet. We honor the animal that nourishes us. All of us are part of the eternal circle of being born and dying in this eternal circle of life.

What can diners expect when dining at Carna by Dario Cecchini? Each and every guest should be treated well so that hopefully they will have one of the most beautiful days of their lives. They can expect joy. Our guests can expect an experience about the many ways to enjoy meat. They can expect to see how I have created wonderful dishes that use the whole animal. They can expect flavours that many have forgotten. Carna is an understanding and close collaboration between a butcher and a chef. The most important thing is that when we have a guest in our restaurant, it’s not just about the good food, but it’s also the all-enveloping feeling of happiness that we provide. The thing that I can do is to give my guests an authentic experience . This is the story of my family and my ancestors. This is the story of my food. This is the story of my life.

What are the signature dishes at Carna? Our signature dishes include the beef heart skewers and the Bollito de Dario cart. Both are truly fantastic. Also,Bistecca Alla Fiorentina and Bollito Misto.These are a few of the dishes which I feel reflect my philosophy and thoughts. How do you source the ingredients and is it important to utilise produce that is locally sourced? We try to source ingredients of the highest quality locally whenever possible, and that quest is ongoing. Beyond that, we search for the maximum quality wherever it can be found.

How do you promote sustainability and eliminate waste within the business? We promote sustainability by using every part well, from nose to tail, following the path of my ancestors when the idea of wasting meat or any food was something literally unthinkable. Carna by Dario Cecchini is known for its speciality in its steaks. How do you produce such savoury flavours? The quality of our meat is ensured by guaranteeing the animal has a good life, an honest death, an experienced butcher and a fantastic chef.

Following the success of the first Carna dining concept in Baha Mar, what inspired you to open a second location in Dubai specifically? Carna is an amazing restaurant, inside a truly wonderful hotel in an exceptionally vibrant city. The reason I chose Dubai was curiosity, my curiosity for a new experience. I feel great ‘sympatico’ - energy in Dubai. From the very first day I felt wonderful, positive energy in Dubai. I think that Dubai is the centre of the world. It looks straight into the future, and we are in the right place at the right time.

The location of Carna is on the 74th floor of the SLS Dubai Hotel & Residences. How does the location of the steakhouse attract customers? It’s not the location that pulls clients in, even though our restaurant is incredibly beautiful, it’s what you offer your guests that brings our wonderful clients to us time and time again.

What do you believe restaurants have to do to stay relevant and ensure success during these unprecedented times for the industry? Quality, passion, heart and treating our guests in such a way that makes them feel they are having one of the best days of their lives.

Who are your culinary inspirations? My culinary inspirations were my grandparents, my parents and the traditions that I grew up surrounded by in our village of Panzano in Chianti.

What are you excited about for the future? I’m excited about what the path of life holds for us – hopefully positive things.

TOP DOC: DR. MAURIZIO VIEL

Pioneering plastic surgeon Dr. Maurizio Viel reveals exclusive beauty insights, including the most coveted celebrity looks and beauty treatments.

For more than 30 years, Dr. Maurizio has been responsible for pioneering and introducing many of the plastic surgery procedures we see available today, making him sought after not only by patients but by medical corporations, helping train surgeons and doctors globally.

You have been practicing as a plastic surgeon for over 30 years throughout London, Dubai, and Milan. Do you have any career highlights that you’re especially proud of? Every time a patient is happy and says thank you, believe it or not, it still remains a highlight after so many years. My brother and I chose a field of medicine where we wanted to make people happier. Opening offices in Dubai Healthcare City, Atlantis, and now Cornerstone Clinic has also been major milestones for us. Over the years, the highlights that my brother and I have shared include the publishing of our book which was sold out very quickly, this was indeed very satisfying. It was the first of its kind back in the day prior to social media when there was no real source of beauty information in this part of the cosmetic industry. Also, being on the board and trainers of companies such as IPSEN, who are the French producers of ‘wrinkle injections’ has been so interesting. They have sent me around the world to train colleagues, and it’s a great learning process for me all the time too. IPSEN has a product called Dysport my brother and I have used for over 10-years giving great results to our patients. Teaching other colleagues’ techniques during lectures, especially in the case in the art of VASER Liposuction and other techniques is an honour and fulfilling.

Both you and your twin brother, Dr. Roberto Viel are plastic surgeons. What inspired you both to pursue this career path? My brother and I through our upbringing have always been raised to love the arts, whether it is music, our mother was an opera singer in Milan, or to appreciate architecture. We had much exposure to the creative world since we were young and were blessed to be raised in Italy which has a rich heritage. Our sense of aesthetics for all arts is still a passion. When we were at medical school, it was natural for my brother and me to choose a part of medicine in which we connect with the arts. Aesthetic medicine and plastic surgery are very much about the arts, it’s an artist working with a canvas, and if you give two photographers the same camera, the results can be different. It is important as plastic surgeons to have a strong sense of what aesthetically looks good, a strong sense of proportion, and a vision of what the ‘canvas’ should be. My brother and I enjoy making people more confident with how they feel and look. This should be an enhancement of themselves, not a transformation. All plastic surgery work should always look natural to the eye.

As co-authors of The Viel’s Beauty Bible, which focuses on how to look younger and feel better, with or without surgery. How do you help people make the choice between pursuing natural beauty solutions versus opting for more invasive procedures? We would always recommend the less invasive procedure. The sooner you start means you can have a great option of treatments as a preventative delaying the need for more invasive procedures. These days, we have a much better understanding of the aging process, and with an improvement in techniques and technologies, there are more options available on the market for patients to choose from. From the onset, we have always believed in natural-looking work. We always prefer to do less a little more often, rather than waiting until a much later age because the work looks more apparent. These days, we see women in their 20s and 30s who take much better care of their health, they have a better lifestyle, and will do skin treatments as a preventative such as Botox, lasers, and skin peels.

You are based at the London Centre for Aesthetic Surgery in Dubai Healthcare City. Can you tell us a bit about the facility? My brother and I opened the clinic in 2008 after many patients had invited us to open in many other cities. Having spent over 20 years in the UK at this point, we were drawn to Dubai for many reasons, including the fact that we had many patients from the Gulf region who were already our patients. They still make up for about 60% of our clientele today. We wanted the clinic not to resemble a hospital and chose ‘spa-like’ interiors. We have one operating theatre, four recovery rooms, and several treatment rooms and it’s a day case hospital. We have a team of highly qualified nurses. The patients that come require much privacy, so our setup allows us to provide this to the patients. All post-operative appointments are also held at our clinic with both my brother and I at hand to ensure that the aftercare is done correctly. We also have other colleagues in the practice that support us too.

What are the most requested procedures in your Dubai practice by both men and women? Are these different to those requested by your patients in other cities? In Dubai, our highest request would be for liposuction for both men and women, with breast augmentation for women following closely behind. In London, we see patients also for liposuction but it’s slightly different. In the UK, there is much demand to remove all fat. In Dubai, our patients just want to reshape their bodies, to enhance their shape. We try to teach patients not to lose all the fat. It’s the fat that keeps us youthful. Think marathon runners vs sumo wrestlers so we must respect that balance as surgeons too. In London, we also see a great deal of face-lifts with a much older population in the UK.

It seems more than ever, that people are opting to go under the knife to change their appearance. Is there any advice you would give to someone looking to change their body via surgery? We tell our patients not to follow trends. We ask them to respect the proportions of the body and the sense of harmony. Most of all, the patient must make the changes to their bodies for themselves and no one else. Patients should consider doctors who listen to their patients, and in return advise the patient and do what is in the patient’s interest. Finally, we also implore patients not to only look at prices – we have seen it go wrong in many cases when bargain hunting becomes the priority. Seek and find an ethical surgeon, and someone with whom you have a good doctor/patient relationship.

Dubai residents tend to live exceptionally busy lives, what are the most effective procedures that have the least downtime? That’s very true. Our patients often have to work hard to block out a week in Dubai. During 2020 and 2021, because of pandemic restrictions, we saw how many patients took advantage of the downtime that was offered to them. Patients couldn’t travel and often worked via Zoom, so it was easier to book for surgery. Now, patients are booking in for surgery weeks in advance to ensure they have a clear schedule. For non-invasive procedures with little downtime would include Botox, fillers, mesotherapy, PRP, and carbon peels. The surgical procedures with the least downtime would include VASER Liposuction and breast augmentation.

What would you say are the most requested male and female celebrity body ideals? If we talk about female patients in Dubai, Kim Kardashian is probably still sought after. Patients also like Bella Hadid and Kylie Jenner. In the case of Kim, some of our patients would like to have curves in the right proportions like her, so we harvest fat from the stomach to enhance the bottom area which remains popular. Our male patients, on the other hand, just would like to look good and are often not influenced by

social media. They do it for their confidence levels, and in many cases, if their wife/girlfriend looks young, they are also inspired to look good. In the UK, it is a much wider variety whom they mention. People have requested from Kylie Jenner’s lips to Naomi Campbell’s cheekbones to Heidi Klum’s body. The celebrity request, however, is not as common as is perceived both in Dubai and London. Patients these days are well-read and educated on the subject.

How should a patient prepare before coming to see you? It depends on the treatment. We do suggest having a list of questions as that often helps give a focus and patients should have some idea of what they are looking to achieve. Do listen to the surgeon whilst asking questions until you are satisfied. In our clinic, we always offer patients second consultations if they have further questions to ensure that the patient has understood the procedure or surgery.

Can you tell us one new treatment or procedure that you are most excited about and why? We are most excited to offer a new range of regenerative medicines to work alongside the aesthetic treatments. Whilst Ozone therapy is not new, we are amongst the first to combine with other treatment with a series of diagnostic treatments to show the effects of pumping oxygen into the body. We have an antioxidant stress test to indicate the number of free radicals in the body, and through a variety of treatments, bring those levels down. Free radicals cause ageing due to the oxidative process, so we need to work from the inside out to maintain our youthfulness by controlling those levels.

You were among the first surgeons to introduce into the UK and UAE market the in-demand VASER liposuction procedure. How does this differ from similar procedures available in the market? VASER Liposuction is one of the most gentle and precise technologies out there. It uses ultrasound waves working at a frequency to target only fat cells. When the ultrasound waves, emitted from the probe, hit the fat cells, they burst on impact but leaving all the surrounding tissue, veins, and vessels largely unharmed. The precise nature of the US technology can be seen from its initial work in brain tumours, which requires the utmost accuracy. As a result, our patients over decades lose less blood during surgery, have less downtime, have better results, less bruising; with the VASER, the results are smoother, and the skin shrinks to a large extent better due to the natural heat of the probe. However, like with all technology, it is crucial that the surgeon has much experience. It is still a surgical instrument and requires more knowledge on how to get the best results otherwise will carry the most risks. Has the way you think about beauty changed during the pandemic? How so? We were so surprised when we re-opened our doors after the initial lockdown in Dubai in 2020, we were fully booked for months and months in advance. We also had brand new patients to the industry. I think people started to weigh up their priorities, and finally took the plunge of doing things that mattered to them. In addition, the usage of Zoom also skyrocketed new patients into the industry who stared at themselves over video conferences and decided they wanted to look better.

Fed up with looking tired and wrinkled, they made choices to feel better from home. Dubai also is a hub for businesses that require much travel, and the travel downtime during those years meant there was most opportunity and time pockets to finally do the surgery they have been wanting to do so for years.

How do you think social media has impacted people’s interest in and knowledge of skincare, for better or worse? I think it has been a double-edged sword. On the one hand, patient’s knowledge and acceptance of plastic surgery has increased. They are more aware of what they are looking for. They want to look better, and they have great techniques for make-up and skincare products. However, sometimes, there are unrealistic expectations. Social media has also warped and changed the notion of beauty. In the past, each country had their own ideas of beauty but now it’s a technological change of what is most seen on social media – some good, some less so.

What’s the most frustrating or pervasive misconception that you see on social media about skincare? I think there is an unrealistic expectation about how much skincare can achieve from cheap creams to expensive creams. Eventually, most patients will find a happy medium when they try aesthetic treatments such as Botox and skin peels whilst using a good moisturizer from a good skincare line. It is best to have these treatments in combination. There is no single cream out there on the market that can treat deep wrinkles – maybe fine lines but that is it. It also depends on how people want to age. Some patients are happy to keep their lines and wrinkles, whilst others want them removed. It’s important to respect the patient’s choices.

Where would you like to see the beauty industry go from here? We hope to see more technological advances with treatments and surgery that will have less downtime with longer-lasting effect. My brother and I also work with stem cells, and this will be the future to slow down the ageing process. There will be much greater advances in technology in this sector when we can use our own bodies to heal itself like with PRP, stem cells and to have bespoke beauty treatments instead of store-bought creams.