Hello Magazine – Expert Surgeon on Kate’s Recovery

Mr Shashank Gurjar

Consultant General & Colorectal Surgeon, London

Princess Kate’s hospital stay has given rise to some media speculation about the nature of her surgery. The palace has ruled out cancer, but experts say her 2 week stay in hospital was unusually long, which gives rise to speculation about the length of her recovery.

HELLO! sought expert advice from Mr Shashank Gurjar (Shanks), who offers treatment for haemorrhoids at Cosmedics Skin Clinics alongside his work as Consultant General and Colorectal Surgeon specialising in keyhole and open surgery for bowel cancer. He has considerable expertise in the field of major surgery and the recovery implications.

“[Princess Kate] should be wary that if it’s a big midline operation, she should give it a good six weeks to let the wounds fully heal. With large wounds we stitch the abdomen together and the stitch is designed to last for six to nine months. So patients remain aware of some pulling sensation in the abdomen, because of the stitch, for a good six to nine months after.”

“So these are the internal stitches that hold the abdominal wall. The stitches that you see, that the patient will see on top, they’re dissolvable stitches. So we usually use a dissolvable stitch to close the skin along with a skin glue. You might put some little strips across the top to help to hold the wound together.

“The skin itself heals within 48 hours, but the knitting together of the abdominal muscle, which is the sheath of the muscle, that has a stronger stitch which may last a good six months.”

Recovery advice

“I think the important thing is firstly to recognise that you’ve gone through something significant. This is a life event. You cannot think you’re going to bounce back tomorrow. You’ve got to give it time.

“The next thing is nutrition. You must ensure that your nutrition is adequate because wounds need to heal. So you need a good mix of multivitamins, microelements, and all the stuff that you need in a good diet. Carbohydrates, fats, proteins, everything. So a good sensible diet.”

“The third thing is to build up mobility bit by bit. You’re not going to get better by sitting or lying in a bed all day every day for the next two weeks. That doesn’t help either. So you need the insight, you need the nutrition, and you need the recognition that you have to start mobilizing and build up slowly, but surely.”

Read more and watch HELLO!’s interview with Mr Gurjar at https://www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/512282/princess-kate-feel-surgery-effects-six-nine-months/.

Private treatment with Mr Gurjar

Mr Gurjar is a highly experienced surgeon who offers a host of treatments at our Harley Street and City of London clinics, providing patients with effective treatment without waiting lists.

Options include:

• Rafaelo radio frequency – the gold-standard treatment for haemorrhoids. Excellent results and outcomes, approved by NICE and is suitable for the majority of haemorrhoids.
• Ligation/banding
• Injection treatments for piles. These are quick and can be cost-effective for smaller haemorrhoids
• Anal fissures
• Anal skin tag removal
• Anal wart treatment

All options are available on a ‘walk in walk out’ basis in our clinics, so there is no overnight stay to worry about and recovery is very quick, thanks to the methods used.

→ Mr Shashank Gurjar (Shanks)

Cosmedics Skin Clinics

Cosmedics Skin Clinics was established in 2003 and has built up an excellent reputation for cosmetic and medical treatments, carried out by GMC registered doctors and surgeons.  The company offer a full range of cosmetic treatments, including popular lip enhancement and anti-wrinkle injections/fillers; plus medical treatments including mole removal, thread vein treatment and excessive sweating injections.

Cosmedics Skin Clinics has a team of skin treatment doctors and surgeons in their 5 skin clinics across London and Bristol led by Dr Ross Perry.

Call 020 7386 0464 or email enquiries@cosmedics.co.uk to book an appointment.