How much more Nip/Tuck can we be?

They are opposites in temperament, their clientele is a who's who of the region and they jet-set in luxury cars and fly first class. JEANMARIE TAN (jeanm@sph.com.sg) gets under the skin of plastic surgeons Dr Woffles Wu and Dr Martin Huang to find out how they resemble television's hottest surgeons in the medical drama Nip/Tuck.

They've known each other since they were teenagers, when they competed on opposing teams at a public speaking competition.

They attended medical school at the National University of Singapore together, and ended up working side-by-side at Singapore General Hospital's (SGH) plastic surgery unit. They even talked of becoming partners and setting up a practice together. Seemingly opposite in temperament and looks, they were also each other's best man.

Today, Dr Woffles Wu and Dr Martin Huang - best friends for 28 years - are considered a cut above the rest in their profession. 'How much more Nip/Tuck can we be?' Dr Wu joked to The New Paper during a joint interview with Dr Huang at his clinic at Camden Medical Centre.

TV DRAMA

In case you've been under anaesthesia for the past few weeks, Nip/Tuck is the critically-acclaimed US TV drama about two plastic surgeons/med school buddies who run a posh practice in Miami. Dr Christian Troy (Julian McMahon) is the flashy, opportunistic bad boy, and Dr Shawn McNamara (Dylan Walsh) is the upright family man.

It's hard not to compare Dr Wu and Dr Huang to their on-screen alter egos - at least on a superficial level. With his spectacles and neatly-parted hair, Dr Wu comes across as conservative. But in reality, he is the 'flamboyant, even outrageous' social butterfly, according to Dr Huang, who is with MD Specialist Healthcare at Paragon.

On the other hand, 43-year-old Dr Huang may look like a smooth playboy in his designer togs, but he's actually the introvert. And, the one who receives the most female attention. Dr Wu, 44, quipped: 'The girls love him!' He added: 'Martin's a perfectionist. There's also an elegance and grace to the way he behaves. He has a wicked sense of humour - that's why we get on so well.'

They first met in 1976 at the finals of an elocution contest, where Dr Wu represented St Andrew's Secondary School and Dr Huang, Catholic High. Over the years, they've helped each other's careers. Dr Huang was studying general surgery, but upon Dr Wu's recommendation, switched to plastic surgery. Dr Huang left SGH in 1998 to set up his own practice, Dr Wu followed suit in 2000 and relied on his pal to show him the ropes. They also share knowledge - Dr Huang has even adopted Dr Wu's famous facelift thread technique for his own patients.

But isn't there any rivalry between them? Dr Huang said: 'Yes, but there always has been. It's a healthy competition, and not an obsession where you let the one-upmanship become the end in itself.'
'If I didn't respect him, I wouldn't even want to compete with him. But because he's good, it drives me on as well and we both improve.'

But both appeared hesitant when asked if they would consider a partnership again in future. Dr Wu said: 'It's not inconceivable, but now we're in two diametrically opposite kind of business practices - a solo one and a big group.' Dr Huang added: 'I still consider us spiritual partners anyway, through our professionalism and friendship.'

Separate or co-existing, their current game plan is definitely working - just look at their rich and glamorous lifestyles. On average, both plastic surgeons work a 65-hour week, and their clientele ranges from the prominent (wives of politicians, actresses, models, lawyers, bankers) to the ordinary (students, housewives, office ladies). Dr Wu jet-sets twice a month to present his work in the US and Europe - flying first-class.

LUXURIES

Dr Wu - who counts the late former president Ong Teng Cheong as his uncle, The Link's Tina Tan-Leo as his cousin, and Dick Lee and Glen Goei as his friends - has other luxuries. Like his expensive art and sculpture collection which he stores in his  bungalow-cum-warehouse at Upper Thomson, while he lives in his unrenovated 1950s family home on the same street. And then there are his two Mercedes which he has lovingly restored for $100,000 each.

And just as Dr Wu enjoys flying first-class, Dr Huang prefers to drive first-class - he owns a Porsche Boxster S and a Jaguar XJR. He is currently building a $4.5 million house at Sunset Vale and rents out an apartment at Astrid Meadows. Needless to say, these oft-quoted plastic surgeons are also very comfortable at being labelled as celebrities. Dr Huang said: 'It's not something we actively or intentionally tried to create, but it just happened naturally, which is the best way. There is also a certain glamour attached to the industry anyway.' 

But with the lion's share of the spotlight constantly on Dr Wu and Dr Huang, other surgeons have been allegedly sharpening their scalpels. Both claimed that they've heard negative comments and 'backhanded compliments' through the grapevine. Dr Huang said: 'I've heard some say that I overcharge. But I charge what I feel is fair, because I put in a lot of time and effort. If you work hard, do good work, and are lucky to have a bit of talent along the way, success will just come. I suppose the danger for us is to let it all get to our heads. That's why it's important to remember all the basic things that got you there - like taking care of your patients.'

Would they go under the knife to look better?

Tell me what you don't like about yourself. That's the standard feeler question the plastic surgeons in Nip/Tuck ask their patients. Now, let's flip it back to the doctors.

Dr Wu and Dr Huang give themselves frequent skin-rejuvenating treatments like botox, fillers and IPL (intense pulse light), but are not free from physical insecurities. Dr Wu offered: 'Oh, I have a lot of issues about myself!' He had an operation on his nose 20 years ago to fix a breathing problem, and used to be bothered by his 'small head and big bum', that he was born with too few teeth and hated wearing glasses. Dr Huang has acne scars from his younger days, his ears are asymmetrical, and his eyebags are 'getting worse'. Yet, both say they aren't 'bothered enough' by their flaws, and are too 'lazy' and 'busy' to go under the knife.

In the pilot episode of Nip/Tuck, one of the surgeon's wives requests for breast implants. Luckily for Dr Wu and Dr Huang, their spouses don't have severe body image problems. Dr Wu's wife Juay Yong, a 44-year-old health policy administrator, is 'very laidback' while Dr Huang's wife Patricia, a 36-year-old ex-SIA stewardess, takes the initiative. 'She keeps asking me if she needs botox, which she doesn't! She also complains that I don't do enough for her, and it's even harder for her to get treatment from me because she has to queue up,' joked Dr Huang.

Since Nip/Tuck featured the same surgeon's teenage son demanding a circumcision, would they be willing to do vanity surgery on their own children? Dr Wu is all for it - he has a four-year-old son, Wellington, and daughter Waverly was born on Sunday. Dr Huang also expressed interest in operating on his son Alexander, who's 1 1/2. 'He doesn't have double eyelids ... But mine only appeared when I was a young adult, so there's still hope.'
Nip/Tuck is showing over Channel 5, Fridays at 11pm.

Source: The Newpaper