'HEALTH' COVER EDITION - JUNE 24 ISSUE
Photos: Mauricio Leandro / @leboarding
Text @juliafagundes_
Production @juliafagundes_ and @coradigital
Studio @studioluah
Design Director Cover: @mathlopes
Editor-In-Chief: @directorhooks
Specializing in body contouring and breast reconstruction surgeries, plastic surgeon Dr. Marco Polo Rios is a leading expert in Mommy Makeover procedures, which restore the breasts and abdomen after pregnancy. Dr. Marco Polo graduated in medicine from Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF) and became a specialist in high-definition liposuction, breast surgeries, and facial rejuvenation after completing medical residencies in General Surgery at Hospital do Servidor Público Municipal de São Paulo (HSPM) and in Plastic Surgery at the Faculdade de Medicina da USP (HCFMUSP).
At 42 years old, Dr. Marco Polo has performed approximately 9,000 surgeries.
"Although no one in my family worked in healthcare, I always enjoyed and followed medical programs and had a great interest in the profession. Plastic surgery entered my life as a vocation to care for people and heal wounds deeper than many imagine."
Professional Development
"When you are young and move to a different country, you lose contact with your family and friends, which is already a huge challenge. But in Boston, at Harvard University, I had a very rewarding experience. There, I was able to understand the routine of each professional and each specialty, as well as the functioning of hospitals outside Brazil. This immersion helped me to have a much broader idea of how important plastic surgery is, not only here but around the world, with different approaches."
A Reference in Plastic Surgery
"Brazil is a country of excellence in plastic surgery, our training is extremely differentiated, and we end up becoming major references for patients from abroad as well. I receive many messages on social media from people wanting to undergo surgery. First, because the quality of results here is very high, and second, because the costs are attractive. It's becoming increasingly common to operate on women from the United States and Europe. Just this week, I operated on a patient from China who came for liposculpture with breast volume enhancement through fat grafting."
Mommy Makeover and Boosting Self-Esteem
"When I receive patients who have undergone body changes due to pregnancy, we often see a significant fragility in their self-esteem and personal and interpersonal relationships. We notice that this type of surgery not only restores the body to its pre-pregnancy state but also boosts self-esteem, sometimes to levels the patient never had before. So, seeing this result, not just physically but emotionally and affectively, is very gratifying."
How to Choose the Ideal Doctor
"I am very focused on enhancing and improving the quality of relationships with my patients. When they choose me, they trust me as a professional, handing over their bodies for us to transform. As professionals, we naturally aim to achieve the best possible result. It is very common for friendships to form during this process, which is great because it creates a close relationship. My idea is to be involved in the entire surgical process of the patient, so the motto 'the doctor operates, the doctor discharges' is a guiding principle in my life."
Family
"I joke with my wife that I live in a pink world because I treat many women, work with women, and live in a house full of women. This is a good thing because it has allowed me to develop a greater sensitivity to understanding the emotions and perceptions of the female world. It is a pleasure and a privilege."
A Dream
"In the long term, my dream is to create a space where patients can feel as welcomed as possible. In this place, we aim not only to transform their aesthetics but also to improve their quality of life, enhance relationships, and positively impact how they present themselves to the world."
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