Dr Carmen Munteanu — Specialist Plastic Surgeon, Melbourne

I’m Dr Carmen Munteanu, a Specialist Plastic, Reconstructive and Cosmetic Surgeon based in Mitcham, in Melbourne’s east. My practice, Aesthetik Profile, is built around a simple idea: surgery should be planned around you — your anatomy, your reasons, and what you want to feel like afterwards — not a standard result applied to everyone.

Much of what I do restores what life, weight change, pregnancy and breastfeeding can alter over time. Often that means working with the tissue you already have — reorganising and re-supporting it — rather than reaching first for an implant. What suits you is something we work out together, carefully, at consultation.

I became a plastic surgeon because I believe I can make a difference in people’s lives — and because I want to. My part is to listen, to understand, and to put in the effort fully and without prejudice. I genuinely enjoy spending time with my patients and helping them work towards a goal, even when it’s a hard one to reach.

Some people come to me almost not daring to hope — a woman living with the weight and discomfort of very large breasts, asking whether anything can really be done; or someone who has worked hard to lose a great deal of weight and tells me, “I want to feel healthy and at home in my body, and right now I don’t.” Being trusted to help with something that personal is, to me, invaluable.

I like to see the world through your eyes first. Before I talk about technique, I want to understand what’s prompting you to consider surgery and what a good outcome looks like to you — then I’ll be honest with you about what surgery can and can’t achieve, and whether it’s the right step at all. When I believe I can help someone, I commit to it fully; and when I don’t think surgery is the right answer, I’ll tell you that just as honestly.

Every plan is individual. Anatomy, skin and tissue quality, your general health, and where you are in life all shape what I’d recommend — and sometimes my advice is to wait, or that surgery isn’t the answer. You’ll always get a clear, realistic picture, including the risks, so you can decide with confidence rather than pressure.