Hope in White

"My experience with foreign specialist is that they are mostly nice people who don't need to show their "importance". They behave here as doctors willing to learn from their Czech colleagues." says Dr. Jiri Kucera, member of the French association of esthetic surgery with years of experience in Paris. He now works at Riva clinic, Hlinky 122, Brno.


1. Describe your journey towards medicine. Was it an easy decision?
Deciding about my professional future was absolutely voluntary and unforced. I come from medical family, where my father and grandfather and great-grandfather were pharmacist. My great-grandfather, who was also famous city surgeon, was in 1869 honored by Austro-Hungarian imperial decoration "Golden Cross" for the quality of work and also self-sacrifice and fearlessness in the time of cholera in 1866. So this profession somehow belongs to the family.

2. Why did you choose plastic surgery?
As a student I started to pay attention to a brand new technique - microsurgery. It focused, apart from other, on limb replantation and reconstruction of affected parts of body by transfer of tissue and its connecting onto new restorative vessel under a microscope. As a student I was nominated for a honorable award of CSAV. After studies I stayed on the path and I follow it till today as a head of reconstructional microsurgery of KPRCH FN Bohunice.

3. What do you consider to be your greatest medical accomplishment?
I think that would be my work stay in France. I succeeded in an international audition for a position of the resident in the world known clinic of professor Tubiany in Paris. Later, with professor Ohany, the president of the Association of Esthetic Surgery at the clinic of esthetic surgery near Champs-Elysées. I used my skills and got from the assistance position onto the position underappreciated member of the team with my own operating room. This stay was very helpful and I found life friends there. I visit them regularly at least once a year. I always feel thrilled when I feel I'm still one of them.

4. How would do our specialist in comparison with foreign?
I think, and I am being serious that our specialist have no reason to feel ashamed. The lever of our medicine is at least equal. In some cases they are even better. Few years ago we missed mainly regular personal contact with the best in their fields of plastic surgery. But that is history now. What's more, My experience with foreign specialist is that they are mostly nice people who don't need to show their "importance". They behave here as doctors willing to learn from their Czech colleagues. That's why I consider my friends people as professor Gilbert, Masquelet or Le Quang.



5. Do you have a professional goal?
The motto of the French Association of Esthetic surgery is: Only a good surgeon can be a good esthetic surgeon. So I try to be a good surgeon.

6. What is the most common surgery and in which are you most experienced?
I must say liposuction, face lifting and breasts modeling. All these operations I performed in Paris and had a chance to learn modern methods, which are safe, dependable and satisfy French women. That's why I often tell my clients that I do operations the French way. During meeting with my teacher we always exchange experience and operation details over good dinner or a glass of wine in some nice Paris restaurant.

7. How do you split your time among medical practice, family, sport and hobbies?
It is often very hard physically and mainly psychologically. Therefore I try to do a lot of sport to compensate it. I do soccer. Very often I play tennis. As often as I can I spend my time with my daughter Barunka and raise a nice, active person who doesn't ruin any fun.



8. What would you wish to readers of this article?
The success in these hectic times is based on the fact that only strong, rich and beautiful win. In case this doesn't fit your profile I wish you strength to do something about it. Today there is a lot of possibilities how to change or harmonize a person and find again the drive for happy life.

Michal Šmoldas & Jef Kratochvíl
Translation: Petr Zalmanek