Beyond The Looking Glass – Dr. Steven Dayan

t he aesthetic report

Beyond the looking glass Chicago-based Board Certified Facial Plastic Surgeon, Dr Steven Dayan has received numerous awards, and appeared in a wide variety of media for his revolutionary approach to aesthetic medicine. He is also renowned for presenting cutting-edge trends and techniques – as well as thoughtprovoking and controversial insights on a number of topics.

A2 interview this leading educator, researcher and surgeon on his vision and latest ventures. By Sally Harvey

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limited by narrow-thought and hat is your vision for your one-field influence, but rather business, your- look at a multiple approach in order to reach a greater vision. self and your role in the medical aesthetics arena? My goal has always How do you use the been to challenge the convenartistic side of yourself tional wisdoms of thinking when to enhance your craft? it comes to aesthetics and the way we practice. My driving force has never been financial; it is about changing the way people think, and that is why I have dedicated so much of my time to writing, researching and lecturing on topics that, in my opinion, challenge convention.

Can you describe the different roles you play as an artist, surgeon and educator - and how you feel all these aspects interrelate in order to achieve your vision? We are all a compos-

ite of our experiences. For me, this includes my time spent in the art studio, studying abstract philosophies and religion, as well as my role as a surgeon. The combination of these elements is what has allowed me to bring in different spheres of influence to impact how I perform my craft and how I think. They are all contributory and all important. We should never become

Sculpting clay in an art studio has had a positive influence on how I will go about shaping the face during surgery. It allows me to take my understanding of anatomy and one or two dimensional aspects, and combine it with a three dimensional approach – looking at the form from multiple angles and focusing on how to lighten shadows in order to best affect the appearance of the face.

You have a passion for making people feel good about themselves through your work and inspiring thought.

If you had to give advice to someone considering surgery or other aesthetic procedures, what would be the most important points to convey, both from a physical and mental approach? It is important for both the physician and the person interested

the aesthetic report

do - and ensuring their effect it has on us. in plastic surgery or cosmetic My original plan was to write patients are satisfied? treatments to understand why a textbook for the course I was they are doing it and what they Success all starts with a mission teaching, but my findings startare attempting to achieve. And, statement, which clearly defines ed to morph into something this might not always be clear, why you do what you do. It that was of far more interest to for either the provider or the needs to be real – no phony or the consumer, and, as a result, I patient. In certain cases, a pafake statements, and it needs decided to write the book. tient is going through a change to clearly convey why you come in life, such as a new job or a to work every day. You need recent divorce, and self-esteem to make sure that everyone in In the book you “eximprovements are all that is your staff is well aware of it and pose” some interesting needed. It is, however, vital for is able to communicate it in all truths about our hidthe patient to understand that aspects of their work. What will den desires as human the treatments themselves make you successful is that you beings. Can you elabomight not be the answer to all are genuine with who you are, rate on some of these their needs. For example, a new what you do and why you do it. behaviours, and how nose is not going to automatithey have the power to cally make you more beautiful, In terms of your book motivate our thought make you more money and enaand actions? There is so Subliminally Exposed, ble you to get a new A new nose is not going to boyfriend… it will most certainly make automatically make you more you feel better about beautiful, make you more money and yourself (there is enough evidence to enable you to get a new boyfriend… but it will support this) but it most certainly make you feel better about yourself ” should never be seen as the one-stop solution to a certain outcome. what inspired you to The same applies to the write this book and physicians. It is not always about what was the purpose the perfect nose or the perfect thereof? I have an immense jaw line or the perfect breasts interest in what we as human – they need to consider what beings do on a daily basis, which this person is looking for and led me to start teaching a help them achieve that goal. college course on The Science of For example, a person who has Beauty and its Impact on Culture an unsightly scar on their fore and Business. This helped me head, might be more concerned better understand my role as a about a blemish on their chin. It plastic surgeon as I wanted to is important to listen to the pabetter understand how and why tient and ask enough questions.

I was making people happy and what was the actual reason for much communication that goes beauty. So, I studied and studied, on subconsciously between If you were providtravelled the world, investigated humans, especially if we are ing advice to other beauty from ancient times to looking to mate with someone. surgeons or aesthetic practitioners regarding present day, and read hundreds Take for example, the way smell of articles outside my scope of at a subconscious level (pherorunning a successpractice – from neuropsychiatry mones or chemical messengers) ful business; what to evolutionary biology. This all completely attracts us to each inspiring advice and other – this can be incredibly motivation would you led me to recognise one profound truth – there is a deeper impactful when we are with give them in order to meaning to beauty and the someone that has a perfect gesucceed at what they

netic fit, creating a physiological response that is both satisfying and more aggressive.

Let’s take a look at how a woman’s pupils dilate when they are interested in a man, and how men can subconsciously pick up on these subtle signs. There are also certain components of a women’s body (which many women remain unaware of) that are of particular interest to a man. For example, a woman’s lips might swell ever so slightly when she is ovulating, or is interested in a male.

These are all minor signs, which we may not recognize, and it is therefore really fascinating when you start to expose these and realize that we are much

more primitive than we would like to believe.

Did you link the book to your surgery and what benefits it would have? Yes, the book talks mainly about static changes in the face that relate to attractiveness and communication. I have published on this exten-

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t he aesthetic report

Dr Dayan performing an injection live

sively where I can take a face, slightly alter it and improve the first impression the patient makes. What’s more, I can quantify that first impression – this is what is really unique about my research and what I have been able to contribute scientifically to my field.

I can prove now that aesthetic procedures, such as injecting neurotoxin between a person’s eyebrows to open up their eyes, can make them look more attractive, creating a better self-impression in addition to improving their quality of life – they actually gain self-esteem by doing these treatments. I have proven that make-up alone can have significant impact on the first impression someone creates – perceived age can drop four to five Sally Harvey years and Freelance writer and the person’s PR consultant

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Aesthetic procedures, such as injecting neurotoxin between a person’s eyebrows to open up their eyes, can make them look more attractive, creating a better self-impression, in addition to improving their quality of life ” self-perceived attractiveness is highly significant after applying make-up. I have also shown similar occurrences with certain skincare procedures.

The key here, however, is that the change is subconsciously recognised. In contrast, if you make a significant change to someone’s face and it becomes obvious, the unknowing observer can see that the changes were made and they are actually less attractive. So, too much make-up is unattractive; obvious plastic surgery is unattractive; breasts that are too large are unattractive – that phoniness is picked up by their observer and actually has a detrimental effect.

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Do these changes also influence other aspects of life, such as getting a better job and greater social acceptance?

We know that women, and men for that matter, who are very attractive get certain benefits from society just because of their looks – and yes, they make more money. However, the key here, and this is what the book leads up to, is about making someone attractive. There is a difference between beautiful and being attractive - beauty is the raw, primary components, but being attractive includes so much more – it includes not only your physical beauty but also your hairstyle, clothing, posture, expressions and, most impor-

tantly, your self-esteem.

We know that women who feel good about themselves actually make 70% more money than women who are just beautiful.

In fact, confidence is the single most impactful component of being attractive, and this is what we are naturally drawn to when someone with confidence walks into a room. So, the goal here is to improve someone’s confidence no matter how we do it - whether through their job, through exercise, how they parent or even if they have cosmetic treatments.

For more information on Dr Dayan and his work visit: www.drdayan.com www.getsubex.com