Dr Tran Anh Tan, FV Lifestyle Clinic, explains that he enjoys performing cosmetic surgery to enhance his patient’s natural beauty and confidence, while treating burns fulfils his responsibility as a physician to help patients in need.
“Burn patients are very unfortunate. It’s a gift for me to help them to heal and recover their body’s functions and aesthetics.”
Upon entering the medical field following his family’s wishes, Dr Tran Anh Tan chose to specialise in burn treatment and reconstructive surgery after graduating from the University of Medicine and Pharmacy Ho Chi Minh City in 2005.
When Dr Anh Tan was a young doctor, burn treatment was a mandatory specialty for all doctors keen to become plastic surgeons. He never expected that it would become his personal passion and that he would dedicate his career to always thinking about how he could do more to help people and make a difference in their lives.
Dr Tan treats a child for burns at FV Hospital
During his early working days in Burn and Reconstructive Surgery at Cho Ray Hospital, Dr Anh Tan participated in charitable burn treatment surgeries alongside American and Australian surgeons to address the sequelae of these terrible accidents. This work had a profound impact on his perspective of a burn specialist’s role.
“The patients that I cared for at that time were deeply distressed. Many came from difficult circumstances, and the scars from burns are not something that could be operated on just once—they need multiple surgeries to correct. I saw some cases of severe burns where the patient no longer had any healthy skin to use as grafting material,” recalls Dr Tan.
Dr Tan shared an unforgettable incident when he examined with an impoverished child in the Mekong Delta who had suffered from severe burns and was at a high risk of death. Doctors believed that it was unlikely they could save the child, but they were willing to do everything they could. The child’s parents decided to sell their house in the countryside to extend their child’s life as long as possible. Seeing the child’s mother sitting in the corridor, eating only bread and figuring out every way she could save money for her son, knowing he was unlikely to survive, the young doctor’s heart was in pain. He recognised that his responsibility was to find ways to reduce such tragic situations in society.
A report published by the Vietnam Burns Association in 2017 showed that Vietnam records around 800,000 to one million burn victims each year, of which 18,000-20,000 are hospitalised. Although the mortality rate and the rate of patients becoming disabled due to burn sequelae have decreased in recent years, the aftermath of severe burns is still a haunting problem. Scar contractions not only affect motor function, and cause irritation and pain every time the weather changes, but also make patients feel self-conscious and insecure about their appearance.
Dr Tan never stops learning, researching, and improving his expertise in burn and reconstructive surgery. He received his specialty in Plastic Surgery from Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine in 2014 and subsequently pursued a second specialty in Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgery, also at Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine.
He has completed several advanced training courses: Reconstructive Burn Surgery, Cho Ray Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, 2006; Clinical Training and Micro Surgery, Orthopaedics Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, 2010; Plastic Surgery and Cosmetics, University of Medicine, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, 2012; Plastic Surgery and Cosmetics, Shimmian Rhinoplasty Clinic, Korea Cosmetic Medicine Institute, Seoul, Korea, 2017; Plastic Surgery and Cosmetics, The East Avenue Medical Centre, East Avenue, Diliman, Quezon, Philippines, 2018.
Over the past two decades, Dr Tan cannot recall how many burn and reconstructive surgery cases he has participated in to correct the sequelae of burns. For him, elective cosmetic surgery is a way he can enhance his patient’s natural beauty and confidence, while treating burns is how he fulfils his social responsibility, helping patients who are very much in need.
“The patients with burn scars are very grateful to the doctor who treats them. When many people from the countryside return to FV for their follow-up exam, they bring me gifts such as chickens and bananas to express their gratitude. Those gifts carry a lot of emotional value. It makes me extremely happy to be able to help my patients and make a real difference to their lives,” says Dr Tan.
Cosmetic surgery: doctors have to learn how to say “no”
Dedicated to the belief that safety and respect for natural beauty must come first in aesthetics, Dr Tran Anh Tan always provides appropriate cosmetic advice and solutions for each client. Interestingly, when mentioning Dr Tan, many people in the beauty industry jokingly refer to him as “the doctor who doesn’t need money.”
“Money is necessary for everyone, I also need money. But what I need must align with my profession,” Dr Tan says in response, with a smile.
The reason stems from the booming demand for cosmetic surgery in Vietnam in recent years. Many cosmetic clinics, even spas without proper qualifications, provide cosmetic services. When they have customers, these facilities then seek out plastic surgeons. Therefore, plastic surgeons are highly sought after and can command high salaries in the private sector.
Dr Tran Anh Tan is an experienced cosmetic surgeon
As a doctor with extensive skill and many years of experience in beauty clinics, Dr Tan often receives invitations to provide cosmetic services. However, he is willing to refuse to cooperate with facilities that do not ensure safety for patients and doctors, even if the remuneration may be very high.
“Learning a surgical technique may take two to three years but learning the technique of politely rejecting clients can take a lifetime. For young doctors in this field, my advice is to not turn customers into patients. You have to be skilled and follow the right indications to minimise the occurrence of unnecessary complications. When complications occur, clients quickly become patients,” shares Dr Tan.
The waiting area at FV Lifestyle Clinic
On November 2022, Dr Tran Anh Tan joined FV Lifestyle Clinic as a senior physician. Dr Tran Anh Tan has over 17 years of experience in the field of aesthetic plastic surgery, including procedures such as eye and nose surgery, facelifts, breast and abdominal augmentation, body contouring through liposuction, and treatment of various types of scars, especially burn scars and scars from accidents. In all cases, Dr Tan pays careful attention to biometric measurements while ensuring medical standards and maintaining the body’s golden ratio. At FV Hospital, he also specialises in clinical fields such as burn treatment, wound care, and microsurgery.
FV’s safe and modern operating rooms are the ideal environment for doctors to perform complex surgeries.
Sharing more about the new turning point in his career, Dr Tan said that he joined FV because it’s a multi-disciplinary hospital with modern medical equipment, international-standard operating rooms, and standardised examination procedures. His evaluation was that this is a safe environment to practice his profession and he has the option to pursue the fields he desires, such as burn treatment and wound care, not just cosmetic surgery.
“Treating burns and wound care are areas that FV Hospital is currently developing, and it’s also my expertise. I hope to have a long-term attachment with FV to bring benefits to the hospital and the community,” shares Dr Tan.
To make an appointment with Dr Tran Anh Tan, FV Lifestyle Clinic, please contact: (028) 54 11 33 33, extension 7000.