Estonia’s most sought-after plastic surgeon, Siim Simmo: “You can tell a lot about a woman just by looking at her”

Siim Simmo, one of Estonia’s most sought-after plastic surgeons, does not agree that beauty will save the world. “It is exactly the opposite – beauty can consume a person. Beauty has no value in itself; what matters is knowledge, character, skills and self-confidence. But if beauty helps someone achieve these things, then it can have value too,” Simmo says with a smile. Some women come to Dr Simmo’s consultations without being entirely sure what they want to change or how to proceed. They ask what he would do in their position. “My answer is always: nothing. If you can live without the surgery, do not have it. It is not necessary. Surgery always carries risks – for both the surgeon and the patient.” He does not like the term “cosmetic surgery”. “I did not train as a cosmetic surgeon, but first as a general surgeon and later as a plastic surgeon. Cosmetic surgery is one branch of plastic surgery. What I value about plastic surgery is its multidisciplinary nature, drawing on several specialities. A plastic surgeon needs knowledge of facial and bone surgery, a thorough understanding of soft tissue and, to some extent, even neurosurgery, for example when operating on skull malformations.”