Power
MASTERS TO WATCH: FARID KAZEM
Farid Kazem, plastic surgeon and founder of Kazem Aesthetica, MASTERS tells how he ended up in his profession and he wants the name Kazem to become a quality brand.Online editor: Natasha Hendriks | Text: Bart-Jan Brouwer
Image: John van Helvert
Youngest plastic surgeon
“I did general surgery with the idea of becoming a thoracic surgeon. During an internship I discovered that I didn't want that after all. I really liked the technical aspect, but missed the contact with the patient. Then I started working in a burn center in Rotterdam. There I came into contact with a plastic surgeon who reconstructed burns there. I thought what he did was so beautiful! I wanted to go in that direction. Plastic surgery is creating and not just destroying. If someone has cancer and you take everything away, you say 'congratulations, you've got rid of the cancer'. But that patient is maimed for life. I couldn't reconcile that. I specialized and then did a fellowship in America. When I was 32e When I received my paper, I was the youngest plastic surgeon in the Netherlands.”
Kazem 2.0
“Last summer I moved my practice to Schiphol-Rijk. It is the most beautiful clinic in the country! You could expect something like that in Paris or Dubai. I have now been in the profession for 28 years and have entered a phase of my life, Kazem 2.0, in which I want to attract young colleagues, the gems, to coach them. Previously, the name Kazem was inextricably linked to me, now I want Kazem to become a quality brand. Without all actions being done by myself, but by people who have been guided by me and who I believe understand my philosophy - a holistic approach, the focus on total well-being – can spread further. When someone comes to me, I first want to know who I am dealing with. If that person is not feeling well because of deep-lying issues, then I can do what I want on the outside, but that will not solve it. Those are not the people I would quickly pull my knife on. I refer this to someone from my network. I look at each person's weaknesses and strengths. I find it best to accentuate the strong points, making the weaknesses less noticeable. Then it remains natural.”
Instagram dolls
“Young people who feel insecure because of social media become prey of organizations that act purely out of commerce. Such companies create clones. Just look at all those Instagram dolls, they look like chipmunks. But a certain group likes that. If you take the Kardashians as a standard, you don't understand what aesthetics are. I think it's amazing what they're doing, how they've become so influential. Because in my view they are people with a disability, a discrepancy between upper and lower body. They have made a virtue of their disability and marketed it in such a way that the whole world thinks 'we must become like that too'. I don't participate in that. My motivation is not to make a lot of money. I would be lying if I said that Kazem Aesthetica is not a commercial company. But it is not the case that my goal is to attract as many customers as possible and make money from it. People come here because they know they will receive honest advice from me. I'm going for the long term.”
