English Version | Sculptor of modern beauty

31 Oct 2023
By Mariana Silva

Arts Issue

The face is a blank canvas and there are those who make it their mission to sculpt it in order to create a true work of art. Based on scientific knowledge, aesthetic medicine is not exempt from a creative eye, as Augusto Guerreiro tells Vogue Portugal in an interview. At his Clínica LHR, medicine and art are not rivals, but rather allies in the construction of human beauty.

Gone are the days when beauty was measured by canons, when Michelangelo's David represented the pinnacle of masculinity and women were distinguished by the symmetry of their hourglass figure. Instead, modern beauty strives for authenticity. Imperfections are corrected, but first they are accepted. Uniformity gives way to acceptance of the unique traits that make up the individuality of each human being. As beauty stereotypes have evolved, so has aesthetic medicine. Once focused on achieving perfection, it now favors naturality, but without losing the connection it has had with art since its beginnings. In an interview with Vogue Portugal, Augusto Guerreiro, clinical director of Clínica LHR, talks about how aesthetic medicine has adapted to contemporary demands, recalling that at the heart of his work is an artist looking to achieve his masterpiece.

In your presentation on the Clínica LHR website, you write that "medicine and art should always go hand in hand." In what characteristics of your work do you see a relationship between these two areas? Not exactly in all of medicine, but in this particular field of aesthetic medicine, art is very important. Obviously you have to have scientific knowledge, nobody questions that. But I think beauty is something subjective, although we can say that beauty is also scientific, (...) there are canons. However, not everyone has the ability to understand what beauty is, symmetry, and I think the artistic eye ends up being very important in this area.

How did you come to be LHR’s clinical director? Did you always want to work in aesthetic medicine? Before I chose medicine, I really liked artistic areas: architecture, design. I was always undecided between these courses. But I ended up deciding on medicine and, within medicine, I always liked dermatology. That field ended up making the connection to aesthetic medicine.

Of all the treatments offered by Clínica LHR, hair treatments stand out. How important is hair for aesthetic harmony? Hair is essential for the composure of one's face. It's fundamental, perhaps culturally speaking, for women, but it's also becoming increasingly important for men. Young men in their 20s and 30s come in [to Clínica LHR], for whom starting to go bald is devastating, and can have consequences not only on a psychological level, but even on a professional level. This is where Clínica LHR comes in, to try to help these patients how we know best.

Clínica LHR’s portfolio is vast. Can you summarize some of the most requested treatments? There are two types [of treatments] that the clinic specializes in: dermoaesthetic treatments and hair treatments, particularly transplants. I ended up being much more associated with hair transplants, although I did aesthetic medicine long before that. Within dermoaesthetics, people are now very much looking for biostimulation. The big problem is always saggy skin. And there's another major concern: naturalness. This also applies to hair transplants: people want natural frontal lines.

If a patient is interested in having one of these treatments, what can they expect from Clínica LHR? Speaking first of hair transplants, there are players in the market who are very strong in marketing and end up democratizing the idea that anyone can undergo a hair transplant. That's not true for me and Clínica LHR in general. There are patients who have no criteria for having a hair transplant. Above all, there needs to be a positive balance between the donor area and the implanted area - in other words, the patient must have enough hair in the donor area to cover the bald area. If that's not possible, it’s a waste of time. When it comes to dermoaesthetics, in general, any patient can undergo most treatments. There are dozens of options and there are treatments that are not suitable for some, but are suitable for others. [That's why] the medical assessment is very important. We have to be realistic with patients. There's one thing that's very important [in aesthetic medicine]: managing expectations, in other words, not disappointing the patient, because that can also backfire. I think we have to set realistic expectations so that the patient is aware of what can be achieved.

Clínica LHR recently moved to Avenida da Liberdade. When you were creating the new space, were you inspired by the relationship between medicine and art? It was very important that we came here. [Avenida da Liberdade] goes hand in hand with that. We found a space on a well-known avenue in Lisbon and Europe. It wasn't random, it was chosen with the aim of positioning ourselves in a prestigious market. Clínica LHR is a clinic whose aim is to excel in quality, to have a highly specialized clinical staff and to provide quality treatments to its patients - demanding patients who know that they haven't come to just another place, they've come to Clínica LHR.

*Originally translated from the Arts Issue, published November 2023. Full credits and stories in the print issue.

Mariana Silva By Mariana Silva
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