We recently connected with Dr. Clive Persaud and have shared our conversation below.

Dr. Persaud, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Was there a moment in your career that meaningfully altered your trajectory? If so, we’d love to hear the backstory.

“Dr. Persaud, we’re ready for you!” A phrase every surgeon can’t wait to hear with their name for the first time. After many years of education, training and exams, hearing that phrase means it’s your time to shine. The operating room has been prepared, the patient is positioned appropriately on the OR table, and the only thing left is for the surgeon to enter and create their masterpiece. As a Cosmetic Surgeon, patients put their trust in me on a daily basis to shape, sculpt, and define features they have never had before or want to restore. This is a trust that I will never take lightly with an obligation to provide the best care that I can. The roots of that trust stem from a strong education, training, and upbringing. Hearing that phrase for the first time gave me a sense of pride, accomplishment, and served as a launching pad for my professional career. Every time I hear it now, I am humbled and thankful knowing what it took to get to this point and beyond excited to see what the future has in store.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I am a Double Board Certified, Fellowship-trained, Cosmetic Surgeon practicing in Tampa, FL performing cosmetic surgery and aesthetic injectable procedures. I specialize in surgical procedures of the breast, body, and face. I believe in an all-encompassing approach to patient care in which I personally see each patient for consultation, perform all operations, and evaluate every patient multiple times in the post-operative period. Each patient is given 24-hour access to me for any questions or concerns during their recovery. If a patient is from outside of the Tampa area, I offer virtual consults to decrease their travel burden. My goal is to help each patient achieve the look they desire while providing optimal medical care. A big part of this field is marketing/advertising; the current landscape with social media allows the public greater access to education and interaction with their surgeon than ever before. Such communication is truly a blessing as an informed patient is a prepared patient.

Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?

My ability to practice Cosmetic Surgery on a daily basis is predicated on earning and retaining my patients’ trust. Trust from a patient allows me to perform an evaluation and any surgical or injectable procedure. I consider success the retention of that trust after each encounter. My education and training has prepared me to interact with patients and provide them with the best care possible. Without each and every patient putting their trust in me, I would not have the privilege of practicing medicine and surgery.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

Simply put, no portion of my professional development thus far has been easy. I have never been able to read the textbook once and be competent. For years on end, I would read the book, then reread, then annotate, then recite, then read again, in order to have a chance against the litany of exams a professional education requires. Even after such effort, there would still be many failures. I found ways to not allow each failure to bring me down and kept pushing forward. The time such effort required came with life sacrifices, however, I always made it a point to exercise every day and eat a balanced diet to maintain personal health. While enduring hardships, I kept my goals in mind which was the motivation that allowed me to persevere.

Residency training presented different challenges. For five years, I arrived to the hospital well before sunrise and would not leave until after sunset, or even after sunrise the next day, while also working most weekends. Rounding on patients, operating all day, then studying all night is the plight of every surgery resident. Finding a work-life balance was difficult but essential to remaining healthy both physically and mentally. I am truly grateful for my mentors for teaching me the surgical craft and the art of patient care.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.doctorplasticsurgery.com/dr-persaud/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drclivepersaud/
• Other: https://www.americanboardcosmeticsurgery.org/doctors/clive-persaud-do/

Image Credits
Jane Gustin, Ahmad Hlayhel, Brian Kohnle, Kit Lawson