Clinic profile: NassifMD Medical Spa UK

Rhinoplasty-revision expert and TV surgeon Dr Paul Nassif has opened a clinic in Manchester – a far cry from his Beverly Hills home. Georgia Seago finds out what bought him to UK shores.

Dr Paul Nassif is arguably one of the most famous facial plastic surgeons in the world, owing to the huge exposure of US reality TV series Botched, which sees the Lebanese-American surgeon and his colleague and friend Dr Terry Dubrow correct extreme cases of surgeries gone wrong. Now in its sixth season, the popularity of Botched can’t be denied.

Far from making light of cosmetic surgery or seeking to humiliate the patients who appear on the series, it’s clear that Nassif and Dubrow take their incredibly skilled revision work very seriously, with their genuine care and compassion for patients at the heart of the series. With all this exposure and fame, not to mention a busy clinic in Beverly Hills, California frequented by celebrity clients, what was Dr Nassif doing opening a clinic in Manchester at the end of October last year?

“I’ve been practicing facial plastic and reconstructive surgery for 30 years and I’m fortunate to have a large patient base in the UK,” says Dr Nassif. “Botched is aired in 160 countries and the UK is the second largest viewing audience after the USA. It was a natural progression for the UK to be the location for our second MedSpa.”

Pastures new

UK-based managing partner Amanda Richardson, who heads up the operation of NassifMD Medical Spa UK, was also a driving force in establishing a UK location. A former patient of Dr Nassif herself, she decided to change her entire career to work in the aesthetics industry after her surgery experience. “If I’m going to put my name to something, I have to make sure I trust the person managing it who’s going to run it,” says Dr Nassif. “I’ve known Amanda for a long time, and we’ve talked about this for years.”

As is often the case with practitioners from the US, Dr Nassif was shocked at the current lack of regulation in the UK aesthetics market; a stark difference from the US’s stringent licencing and legislation. Being that Dr Nassif specialises in correcting surgeries gone wrong – in particular, rhinoplasties – he says it was important to him to have a base in the UK to try to help raise standards here and offer a safe and trusted environment for aesthetic treatments.

He says: “My team and I see and continuously correct botched results. I see too many patients who, unless already knowledgeable or have extensively researched, are vulnerable to the consequences of inexperienced practitioners or cheap deals.” The population of the North West of England could well be more at risk of bad results or dangerous treatments, according to a recent survey that showed demand for non-surgical procedures to be higher in that part of the country compared to London, which Dr Nassif references.

The clinic is based in Manchester’s MediaCityUK complex, just across the canal from the city centre. “We earmarked MediaCity as our first UK base because it is centrally located and easily accessible as we have patients from all across the country visit us,” says Dr Nassif. However, a London location is next on the list.

“My intention was always to translate our long-standing Beverly Hills luxury, standard of care and service to my UK MedSpa,” says Dr Nassif. “We have a customer service protocol to ensure that everyone who visits the MedSpa receives the same high standards of experience. The main thing for me is that as I can’t always be at the UK MedSpa, my team’s skill sets have to be as advanced as my own, and the patient experience must also be as high as my standards and my reputation.”

Transporting luxury

In terms of the offer, UK patients have access to the same non-surgical treatments as at the US clinic – including injectables, laser treatments, signature MedSpa facials, body contouring with Cynosure’s SculpSure WarmSculpting, IV therapy, Aqualyx fat dissolving injections and options for hand rejuvenation, to name a few. One difference is that laser hair removal is offered in the UK clinic, owing to the popularity of the treatment with UK consumers. In the US, Dr Nassif explains, quality laser-hair removal treatments are readily available in lots of clinics at inexpensive prices.

There is also a dedicated scar clinic, offering bespoke treatment plans for each patient and scar, following a consultation with an expert. Treatment options include fractional laser remodelling, injectables, resurfacing technologies and topical treatments. For skincare, the clinic works with ZO Skin Health and Obagi in-clinic peels, but mainly offers and exclusively stocks Dr Nassif’s own NassifMD Dermaceuticals range. Vegan, cruelty and gluten-free, the range’s concept is active, balanced ingredient complexes to help remedy causes of premature and advanced ageing on the face and body. It was originally created by Dr Nassif so he could prep patients’ skin before surgery.

Even the interior design of the Manchester clinics replicates the Beverly Hills flagship – “It is almost identical to the Beverly Hills MedSpa,” says Dr Nassif. “From design, to the same lighting and artwork shipped over from LA, to having the reception furniture made bespoke to match the Beverly Hills office. It’s important that my patients here receive the same VIP experience as my LA patients; ultimate discretion yet warm and welcoming.”

Less is more

When it came to choosing the medical team and wider staff for the clinic, Dr Nassif was intent on verifying, interviewing and approving each member of staff himself. “Selecting a team to represent my exacting standards in the UK was paramount. We only work with doctors and aestheticians who are experienced specialists in their fields so that anyone wishing to embark on any treatment with us knows that they are in a trusted and safe environment,” he says, adding: “What makes a brilliant practitioner is not only a wealth of experience but someone who puts patient care first.”

On this note, Dr Nassif defines his philosophy as “refreshed, not different”. “‘Less is more’ is truly at the heart of our practice. We will never over-treat any patient, and often turn patients away if we feel they are not candidates for treatment,” he says. This is reflected in his attitude towards both surgical and non-surgical trends that create results that are extreme or won’t age well.

“My team and I will not perform some of the extreme surgical trends that are popular across both continents. I see too many patients who have suffered from over-work or short-term trends. In my opinion, the goal of aesthetics and plastic surgery should not be for everyone to look the same, as with the trend for ‘pixie’ noses where too much cartilage is removed and patients cannot breathe properly, or worse, their nose collapses. The same goes for the ‘Russian lips’ craze or extreme cheekbones. Patient wellbeing and care always comes first, and we are proud that our doctors and aestheticians use a skilled, conservative approach.”

A-team assembly

Although the original plan was to offer surgery in the UK owing to the amount of British patients who travel to the US for surgical procedures with Dr Nassif, he explains that while this is still the eventual goal, “Until my schedule eases up the logistics of balancing my surgical commitments in the US, filming and operating for Botched and flying to the UK to be at the MedSpa, plus adding surgery in the UK to the list, just wouldn’t be possible to juggle.”

In the meantime, there is a bespoke surgical concierge package for UK or European patients wishing to travel to Beverly Hills for surgery. Every element, from initial consultation and pre and post-surgical care to flights and accommodation is taken care of by the concierge team in order to make the surgery journey as stress-free as possible for patients.

Dr Nassif has been part of a surgical fellowship programme to train other surgeons in the US for years and something similar is underway for the UK. He says he would also think about bringing certain UK doctors on board to operate under the NassifMD brand if they had training with him. “One thing I would rather do once things are calmed down, I have probably four or five excellent doctors who I’ve trained – my fellows – who are now in private practice. If we were to set up something with surgical credentials and a facility to operate from, I would be able to get those doctors I’ve trained personally to operate here in the UK and provide our surgical offering too,” he says.

Botched has not only elevated Dr Nassif’s reputation; it has also given him the ability to help people with critical and complex revision cases who otherwise never would have be able to see him, be it for financial or other reasons. He also believes that the series is a great and important cautionary tale for everyone watching in what not to do when it comes to changing your face or body, and hopefully plays a part in raising both surgical and non-surgical standards across the globe. “We’re now doing some of the hardest cases in the world, and doing that, your skill set gets stronger and stronger,” he says. Ultimately, it’s all about performing the safest, most skilled procedures, and that’s definitely something that can unite us with our colleagues across the pond.