A peek in the life of... a plastic surgeon.

Byline: SADIE NICHOLAS

DALIA NIELD, 57, is a plastic surgeon and lives in London, with her husband Michael, 64, a barrister. They have two children aged 22 and 27.

PLASTIC surgery is easy to criticise as a quick fix, but you have to judge each case on its merits. I actually believe it's a thing of beauty, both technically and aesthetically. Certainly my patients don't enter into surgery lightly -- they know it involves anaesthesia, pain and recovery.

I've been a consultant since 1991, first in public healthcare. Now I do only private work at The London Clinic. It's a mixture of cosmetic nip-tuck and reconstructive surgery for cancer patients, for example. Whether a patient wants cosmetic breast implants or reconstructive skin grafts, they have the same thing in common -- most just want to look normal.

I operate on Mondays and Wednesdays, hold consultations on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and on Friday mornings I do minor surgery such as mole removal which costs about [pounds sterling]170.

I take photos of patients before and after their surgery, so they can see the difference. But, also, patients look so different when they're lying down on an operating table that I take photos of them standing up and refer to the pictures in theatre.

In a typical week, I'll do at least one blepharoplasty -- eye bag removal. It costs around [pounds sterling]3,500 and is a popular and simple way to look younger and fresher faced. I've had the procedure myself because I had bags and sagging skin from ageing on my lids.

One of the most common operations I perform is gynaecomastia -- the removal of man boobs! But only a third are on men who've got fat. Most are in their late teens and have developed permanent breasts due to changes in hormones during puberty.

I use surgery to remove the ducts below the breasts and liposculpture to break down and remove the fat. They leave here very happy. That's my business, improving people's quality of life. I love all my work, but especially liposculpture. Technically it's a beautiful procedure that enables me to shape people's bodies the way they want them. Next week I'm performing a total body liposculpture on a lady, removing fat from her saddlebags, flanks, love handles, knees and tummy at a cost of around [pounds sterling]9,000. Now lipo is much safer and more gentle than the old methods with less recovery time, patients can have multiple areas treated at once.

I have an all-female team secretary, nurse and a couple of anaesthetists. Many women prefer a female surgeon for social or religious reasons or simply because they're shy and don't like the idea of revealing their body to a man.

Like all working mothers, I had to perform a major juggling act when my children were growing up, but luckily I have a wonderful husband who was always happy to help at home, so I could pursue my career.

People often ask if there are any more procedures I might have done myself. Maybe one day I would like a facelift, although I'm not in any rush and will only do so if I really need it. That's the ethos I use with my patients -- there are some I turn away because they don't need surgery and others who are unrealistic about what they want.

www.dalianieldplasticsurgeon.com

SADIE NICHOLAS

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Aesthetics: Dalia Nield