Dr Linda Monshizadeh is a refugee (and triplet!) who spent her early childhood in Iran before her family moved to Australia. She excelled at school and ended up studying medicine, later specialising in plastic surgery.  

In this episode, Linda talks about plastic surgery and her specialty – cranio-maxillofacial surgery – before reflecting on the overemphasis being placed on physical beauty in today’s society, exacerbated by social media.  Linda provides an amazing perspective on ‘selfie dysmorphia’ and how it’s resulting in people seeking surgical intervention to try to look more like a filtered social media photo.

Intelligence Summary (INTSUM)

02:50   Linda’s childhood – as a refugee and triplet! 

04:00   Why Linda’s family left Iran

05:00   A year in Pakistan, then to Australia

06:45   The drawbacks of learning English from black and white cowboy movies!

10:00   On being a triplet (spoiler alert:  they can’t actually read each other’s minds!)

12:00   Moving West

12:50   Acceptance into medicine 

14:50   The secret for success at medical school – consistency and discipline

15:50   Ben tries to get a free plastic surgery consultation – for Tim!

16:20   The origins of plastic surgery, during World War One

20:30   Linda’s medical training

23:15   Why Linda chose her specialty – cranio-maxillofacial surgery

24:00   The overemphasis of physical beauty in today’s society

24:30   The fine line between restoration and enhancements for plastic surgeons

28:20   The rising scourge of ‘selfie dysmorphia’

32:00   On ego

37:10   Plastic surgery and cosmetic surgery – the important difference

43:00   Ben and Tim show their age – and their ignorance – by asking if the surgical procedure in the 1997 movie Face/Off is possible.  Disappointingly, it is not. 

43:22   Linda’s art and her generous donations in support of the Royal Australian Navy Clearance Diver Trust

47:00   An example of Linda’s incredible art 

53:45   Quick Questions / Quick Answers

External Links

• Linda’s Instagram page

Music

The Externals … Available on Spotify