Anastasia Ignatieva: My perfect plan is to do as many surgeries as possible and save as many faces as possible

Anastasia Ignatieva is one of those people for whom the choice of her profession is the choice of her Mission. A third-generation surgeon, she constantly raises the bar in her profession, learning state-of-the-art techniques from the best specialists in Ukraine, Spain, and Switzerland – surgical oncology, microsurgery, orthopedics, endovascular and laparoscopic surgery. She regularly performs operations abroad and has already been included in the World TOP-50 Young Surgeons list. She owns her own international plastic surgery clinic with locations in Kyiv and Marbella (Spain). In a difficult time of war in Ukraine, this gifted young woman is discovering new facets of her personality. For active participation in charitable projects, Anastasia got the title of Mrs. Ukraine 2022 and Mrs. International. We asked Anastasia about her new project aimed at providing free facial reconstruction assistance for her compatriots affected by the war.

You are a third-generation international-level surgeon and owner of your own plastic surgery clinic. For more than a hundred years, your family has been saving lives. Ten years ago, the Ignatiev family charitable foundation took this help to a new level: it initiated free reconstructive surgeries in Ukraine for women with breast cancer. Could you tell us how the work of your clinic and foundation changed during the war and about the uaface.com project that you are implementing now?
After the start of a full-scale invasion, I did not have a single thought to leave or evacuate, I was immediately ready to work and operate. However, at first, I did not even know where I could be useful, since all the doctors were mobilized and it took time to reassign duties. Therefore, for about a week, the work of my clinic was on pause.
As for the fund, we immediately knew that we would help the victims. While analyzing how I can best apply my skills and knowledge to help people, I came across a video of a girl who was hiding at a school and was caught under fire, after which her face was cut all over. As you know, in critical situations, doctors are focused on saving a life, so aesthetics is not a priority. In peacetime, I often came across cases when patients had psychological trauma due to the appearance that nature gave them, and now, during the war, many people lose their looks due to the aggression and go through a lot of pain because of it. So our project uaface.com is a logical decision because I can help with what I do best: reconstruct the face and bring back self-confidence.

Is it true that you are ready to offer free help to restore the face of all Ukrainians, without exception, who became victims of the war?
It’s true, the project is aimed exclusively at the affected Ukrainians and of course, we don’t charge anything. We pay absolutely everything for such patients from our fund: travel, stay, surgery, rehabilitation, check-ups, and meals. These people have already experienced severe stress, so our mission is to create comfortable conditions for their psychological and physical recovery.
You received the title of Mrs. Ukraine 2022 for your active charitable work. Also on your track record is participation in Mrs. International. Your name has long been established in professional international circles, and now you could address millions of people from the stage like a queen.

What new opportunities does the crown of the beauty queen give?
In fact, it was not even the crown that gave new opportunities, but networking during the competition. I was lucky to meet wonderful successful girls who supported me and my initiative in Ukraine. They started talking about our foundation and the initiative to their audiences, and that’s great. I believe that now it is very important to speak about Ukraine on all platforms. I am incredibly proud of my country and people for everything they do for the sake of our victory, so I am ready to shout about it to the whole world. It’s time for us to let everyone know who Ukrainians are and show our strength and courage.

Beauty will save the world. What does this phrase mean to you? Has it acquired some new meaning in this time when war takes and ruins people’s lives?
I believe that the concept of beauty is subjective. For me personally, beauty is a combination of aspects of a person or an object that create a holistic, harmonious, and aesthetic image. Applied to a person, beauty is harmony between one’s physical, mental, and spiritual Self. Such people are self-confident and ready to stand up for themselves, their interests, and their beliefs. Now all Ukrainians are like that, and they are showing their beauty to the fullest. People are giving their souls and bodies for other people, for future generations, for the future of the whole nation. Those who are alive have to ensure that all the sacrifices are not in vain. We must protect what we have and follow our common path to liberation. Everyone is fighting for what they believe in now, and I think that’s great.
According to your observations, what new traits of character are now emerging in your compatriots?
Unity, courage, and resilience. Ukrainians are now like a single organism that is fighting for the right to exist. And the best thing is, it works. The whole world did not expect this. The whole world is surprised. The whole world is now seeing what the word ‘brave’ means.

You put on surgical gloves every day and perform the most complex operations, and also teach the skills to young surgeons. Which family member taught you? Is teaching others a family tradition?
Since everyone in our family is connected with healthcare, we do not teach on purpose, it happens naturally for us. I never thought medical science was easy, but since I had no limits and prejudices in my head, it helped me quickly absorb information and learn. And I just know that I am the face of the Ignatiev dynasty and must be worthy of this name. My grandparents and parents inspire me to grow professionally and develop medical science. I stick to my goal to create a powerful surgical center in Ukraine, so I am engaged in training young specialists. There are plans to create an educational network to motivate young doctors to dive deeper into the world of medicine, including surgery.

Where do you think are the strongest surgical schools?
There are strong schools in Europe, Asia, and beyond, but it is not enough to study in one school to confidently say that you are a top surgeon. Progress is moving forward, so every self-respecting specialist must explore different methods, take internships, and collect knowledge from different countries in order to make breakthroughs.
You spend most of the time abroad, performing operations there as well. What attitude to the war are you seeing abroad? Does everyone unanimously support Ukraine, or do opinions differ?
I can’t answer unequivocally, because in every country there are those who help and support Ukraine, believing that we are in our right and can’t cede land, but there is another category saying “well, give them those territories already so that there are fewer deaths.” I do not blame such people, because I understand that the further you are from all these events, the more you are sure that this will not affect you. Accordingly, many do not even try to understand the true causes and effects.
So that people do not forget and begin to turn a blind eye to the atrocities of the war, all Ukrainians, including myself, are doing their best, talking about Ukraine in the international arena, and also helping those next to us. Fortunately, people abroad are gradually beginning to open their eyes to what is happening. So I hope that in the near future the whole world will unite for the victory of light over darkness.

What are your plans for this year? Is there a goal that you absolutely want to achieve?
Plans are now changing at lightning speed, as every day is unpredictable for Ukrainians. My perfect plan is to do as many surgeries as possible and save as many faces as possible. In addition to my favorite daily work, our uaface.com project is important to me and I want to make every effort so that my team and I can help even more people (children, teenagers, adults). Now, this is my main priority.

@dr_ignatieva

Anastasia Ignatieva: My perfect plan is to do as many surgeries as possible and save as many faces as possible

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