In 2022, project manager Yevheniia Izmailova set up Save Beauty, a charitable foundation that draws together plastic surgeons to perform reconstructive surgery for military personnel and civilians who sustained injuries in the war.

Serzh Khutsanu, a journalist at The Village Ukraine witnessed and documented one such surgery, and talked to a soldier, a psychologist, and Save Beauty’s founder about the need for reconstructive procedures like the one he attended.

Ви можете прочитати це інтервʼю Українською.

Ihor Liubarskyi

soldier, injured in 2021

I’m 26, I’m from Kirovohrad Oblast. I used to be a farmer and a hunter. When the war started, all that fell away. My father went to war in 2014, but I couldn’t then because of my age. As soon as I turned 18 in 2015, I also went. My only motivation is to defend my country. Remember Genghis Khan? His strategy was to seize tiny bits of one province, and then the next, until he was in control of huge territories. He only managed to do it because he faced no collective resistance. If the war is in Donbas, it doesn’t mean that only people from Donetsk Oblast should be the ones defending Ukraine. Everyone has to come together and drive out the enemy. I don’t want them to make it all the way here, to where I’m at – I’d rather go fight them there.

Everyone in my unit thought that way. We were like family to each other, everyone served for at least 5-6 years. For years, I had to share my bed with two other soldiers. I learned a lot. Google, YouTube – there’s so much information on there, you can learn so much. Saying that you have to go somewhere for training is just an excuse made by lazy people. If you want, you can teach yourself all you need to know to be in the military, and quicker than any training center would teach you, at that. A friend of mine is a gunner. He learned how to operate a KPV heavy machine gun in two weeks, by watching YouTube videos – and then taught these people who’d spent two months at a training center supposedly learning the same thing.

On the front, we carried out combat engagements. Two years ago, on the 30th anniversary of Ukraine’s independence, we wanted to do something nasty to the Russians: we thought we’d quietly approach them from their rear, but a Russian sniper spotted me, and fired three times. He must’ve been a bad sniper – normally, three shots is enough to kill someone. My arm, shoulder, and head were injured. That’s how that day went.

I stayed conscious for about three hours, then spent the next 10 days or maybe even two weeks in a coma. I was in and out of hospitals, going through a lengthy treatment process. First I was in Sievierodonetsk, then I was taken, by helicopter, to Kharkiv, then from Kharkiv to Kyiv. I had more surgeries in Kyiv. They did so many things – there were so many surgeries.

There’s one in particular I remember. They couldn’t insert a cannula to administer anesthesia, so I stayed conscious. I watched them perform the surgery, it was pretty fun, though the operation table was hard and my lower back hurt – I couldn’t bend my legs, and had to stay in the same position for six hours. I got so fed up with all those hospitals, eventually they’d induce panic in me. I was asked if I wanted to get treated abroad, they wanted to get me a shoulder prosthesis, but doctors at the Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedics said I’d be better off without the procedure. Having a prosthesis would mean I wouldn’t be able to put any pressure on my shoulder, so I wouldn’t regain my ability to move it. They wondered if it would be possible to take some muscle from my back and graft it onto my arm, but that seemed unlikely.

Mostly I don’t give a damn about what people think of me. I like my scar. I kind of don’t give a shit. Thank God I’m alive. But I’m still tired of people staring at me, asking me questions

When I went to war I knew I should be prepared for anything. When I was injured, I thought it would take me a few months to recover and then I’d be back – but that’s not how it was. The military medical commission determined that I was “unfit for military service” and disqualified me from any future military service. This is different from “partially fit”. It totally disqualified me from serving anywhere at all, not even working in a military enlistment office. Not even as an instructor in a training center. Even though I know that I would’ve been able to teach or motivate others.

A person who’s been injured needs support. I’ve seen so many people who’ve sustained injuries. So many people, even if they’ve only suffered a minor injury, start thinking along the lines of “No one needs me anymore.” Someone has to work with people like that. Sometimes I get so sick of old farts asking: “Have you been to war son?” I tell them: “No grandpa, I was bitten by a crow.”

Some volunteers showed me a Save Beauty poster, and I agreed [to work with them]. I want them to help get rid of this strange asymmetry, but they can leave the scar be, I like it.

I still help the guys from my unit. I can always call someone I know, get the stuff they need. That’s my bit of volunteering.

Performing the surgery

The surgery on Ihor’s face at the New Body Plastic Surgery Clinic in Kyiv’s Podil district lasted about five and a half hours.

First, surgeons partially removed the plates that were installed in his face the year he was wounded, when he received first aid.

They then prepared the tissues and installed a new custom-made implant, which was developed specifically for Ihor from a special type of polyester, a bioinert plastic that allows for complete tissue inertness.

For some time now, surgeons have been using this material in custom implants, but in the past these implants were smaller and interacted with smaller parts of people’s bodies.

Custom-made implants are made based on a CT scan, and a software models the implant based on the healthy side of the face, the intact parts of the skull. The implant is then made on a 3D printer.

Ihor’s case is also unique for Ukrainian plastic surgery because a large, two-part implant like his has never been installed in the zygomaticomaxillary complex part of the skull in Ukraine before, the surgeons at New Body say.

Yevheniia Izmailova

Save Beauty founder

What triggered me was seeing a young woman whose face was disfigured in a missile strike on the Kremenchuk shopping mall

Early in the full-scale invasion I felt that I had to help Ukraine with more than just donations. I’m familiar with the issues facial injuries bring up, because I had a similar experience. I suffered a third-degree burn and underwent seven plastic surgeries. When I meet people with damage to their faces, it affects me really profoundly.

What triggered me for the first time was seeing a young woman whose face was disfigured in the [Russian] missile strike on [Amstor,] a Kremenchuk shopping mall. I felt her pain and I wanted to help her. That was when I realized that I wanted to help Ukrainians who’d suffered similar injuries. I have substantial experience as an organizer, first-hand experience with this issue, and professional contacts among reconstructive plastic surgeons.

I know how difficult it is when you suffer an injury like that and just don’t know who to turn to, how to find the right expert, whom to ask for help. I set up an application form, posted a video on Instagram, and launched the project. Pavlo Inov was a great help – he now works as a medical consultant for [Save Beauty]. Pavlo and I used to work together on different projects long before the [full-scale] invasion.

Pavlo was the one to suggest recording a video – and helped me do it – after I told him I wanted to help people who’d suffered injuries to save their beauty. It worked. A representative of Playboy magazine saw the video; at the time, Playboy Ukraine were working on their own project, Women Stay Strong, to help Ukrainian women who’d been injured in the war. They put us in touch with the women they were already working with, and we started work with our first group of patients.

The idea of Save Beauty was born in spring 2022, but we were only able to launch it in the fall – taking that first step was very scary. But I knew I had to put my fears aside, because it wasn’t about me, but about the people I could help with my experience, contacts, and opportunities.

How it all started

I first turned to the doctors I knew, the ones who treated me. But at first it was quite chaotic, we couldn’t find a constant source of support, someone who would be prepared to help us on a regular basis.

The first person to support us was Yevhen Shahov, a dermatologist. He is now our medical expert and coordinator. Some patients have their first consultation and rehabilitation procedure (laser resurfacing) in his clinic.

Yevhen has a lot of acquaintances in the aesthetic surgery field, which helped us a lot. I’m not a doctor myself, I only see the situation from the patients’ perspective. I have personal experience and a ton of mistakes I made in my time, as I was getting my face treated. Yevhen considers each case from a medical perspective. He knows who to turn to with different types of injuries. Together we developed an algorithm for this.

I had a budget which would’ve covered facial reconstruction surgery for three to five people. But Yevhen got other doctors and clinics involved in our project; they are offering free consultations and are prepared to treat people pro bono. They perform surgeries free of charge; we just cover the cost of supplies needed for those operations.

It was important for us to focus on people who had been injured by bullets or shrapnel

We needed an implant for Ihor’s surgery. Our partners from one of the clinics made it for us at cost. My goal is to put together a network of trusted partners prepared to help people [like Ihor].

When we launched, we laid out a set of principles for how we would decide who to work with, because we wanted to work with people who’d sustained injuries in the war. All injuries are critical and urgent, but it was important for us to focus on people who had been injured by bullets or shrapnel.

This is how things work now: you fill out a form on our website, attach a note from your hospital, and our project manager checks the information, before handing it over to the rest of the team. If one of our medical experts confirms that we can help, we take you on and start working with you.

For now, we lack expertise with some severe cases, for example ophthalmology, especially if prostheses are required. We had one very difficult case: I really wanted to help that person, but unfortunately we weren’t able to find an appropriately qualified specialist in Kyiv. We had to send them to Odesa – doctors there promised they’d be able to handle the case.

Once we have a treatment plan, we look at it and agree on it together , because we want you to know that this is a process that won’t be over in a matter of days or even months. It could last a year or longer.

We have currently reached a sort of a logical conclusion with our first two patients, Maryna and Lika; we’re still working with the rest of the patients we took on. Maryna was our first patient: she was injured in a [Russian] missile attack on Kharkiv. She was hospitalized with severe injuries: part of her face was missing, you could see the bones. When Maryna came to us, we had to remove glass shards from her chest – doctors had failed to spot them. Hers was a very difficult case, but after three laser resurfacing procedures she looks good. Of course we know – and we warn all our patients – that scars from war will never fully disappear. It is important for us to help people with psychological rehabilitation, not just removing scar tissue.

That’s why we got Lesia Matvieieva, a psychologist, involved, and are making sure our patients get to talk with a psychologist to become better equipped for their new lives. Some people don’t struggle with it much, but for example I found it absolutely devastating: I was only 17 when I got injured, I had high hopes for the future, and [the injury] felt like the end of it all.

We try to find people – men and women of different ages – for whom this is really important. I’m glad that we can work with a group of psychology professionals, people who specialize in trauma therapy. They put us in touch with specialists prepared to work with our patients. Unfortunately, not all patients are ready for this, but we encourage them and explain that this could be a crucial addition [to physical therapy].

Most of our budget comes from my personal savings, but friends and team members also contribute

I’m an idea-driven person: if I come up with an idea that inspires me, I’ll overcome all obstacles in my way to implement it. [In launching Save Beauty,] I was driven by a desire to help people and an understanding that we have an opportunity [to do so], because I had been joined by partners who supported me lots and by doctors and clinics that treat people free of charge.

We only have to pay for the necessary supplies, which isn’t that much. We don’t ask for donations or get investors involved. Most of our budget comes from my personal savings, but friends and team members also contribute. I set aside an amount that I was prepared to spend on this project.

I think this is my contribution, this is my good cause. I don’t know much about weapons. I know I could’ve donated to large foundations like Save Lives and the Serhii Prytula Foundation – they know how to allocate those funds. But I wanted to do something for specific people, those who had been physically scarred by the war. I thought my negotiation skills might help bring together people who also want to help.

We didn’t need huge sums of money. A website cost us $200. I also had to pay for the photos we used on the website. I had time for all this because I was on maternity leave and no longer working in my main job. I’m also currently studying at the Kyiv Institute of Contemporary Psychology and learning more and more about this issue.

People in Ukraine have a lot of causes they can donate to, the main goal is our victory. I’m totally open to collaborations and partnerships and really want to get some foundations or other [institutional] partners involved to help us scale this up. But first I have to work out all of our internal processes and practices and prove that this works. Once I have a definite idea about how to set up operations, I will be able to talk to [investment] funds and tell them that we have experience and need support.

Lesia Matvieieva

lead psychologist at Save Beauty

When an injury affects a person’s appearance, they can lose their sense of self. This is critical: our sense of self keeps evolving throughout our lives as we develop and form new understandings of who we are, what we look like, how others perceive us. It’s very important. We live among other people, so it makes no sense to deny that appearances are important.

That’s why having an injury that affects your appearance might totally disorient you, make you feel like you’re losing your footing and your sense of self. It might seem like the feelings you’re experiencing will stay with you forever. You might feel stuck and not see a point to anything; everything changes, including your life goals. It might seem that everything you dreamt about, everything you’d planned is now over and is no longer possible. It might seem that what happened to you is irreversible and your life is over. You might feel despair, pain, anger. But those feelings are normal in these circumstances.

What’s really important is how we respond [to people suffering that trauma], how we help them. We have to support them, to understand that the emotions they are experiencing are not a sign of their weakness but a natural response to the situation they’re in. But this is not forever, things will change. It’s important to just be near and listen to them. It’s very important for someone in that state to have someone who will listen to them.

Of course, we can’t change the fact, we can’t rewind time, or somehow undo what has happened. But it’s important for the person [who sustained the injury] that the people around them are not afraid of their feelings, and are able to process what’s happening to them with someone by their side. Only then will they be able to find inner strength and an understanding that they can deal with what has happened, a sense that their life is really going on, and that this experience not only changed them but also made them stronger, changed their personality for better.

Psychology has only relatively recently begun to understand the phenomenon of posttraumatic growth, which happens when a person overcomes their trauma and through this develops qualities that they wouldn’t have, had they not faced those circumstances. With the right support, understanding, and treatment, trauma can lead to growth.

A large number of people are now being traumatized, and that’s traumatic for our entire nation – all of us are living through it now. Many of us Ukrainians are experiencing physical trauma. We have these scars in our souls, and some of us also have physical scars. Plastic surgery is not just about physical appearance; it can also be therapeutic.

People who sustained visible physical injuries often think that now is not the time to get preoccupied with their appearance. But my opinion as a psychologist and a Ukrainian is that the enemy’s, the aggressor’s main goal is to stop life in all of its forms, to physically destroy our identity, culture, emotional and psychological lives, and so on. To make these things impossible. We’re rebuilding buildings, roads, and houses that have been destroyed – reconstructing people’s appearance speaks to the same effort. This has to be done. It’s about our resilience, our reconstruction efforts. What happens now, however, is that we try to rebuild damaged cities as quickly as possible, to get rid of signs of the enemy’s presence in liberated cities, to get rid of reminders – of scars – of their presence there. It is important and timely for people to restore their appearance. If we’re rebuilding houses, we have to restore the people, too. And we have to do it as soon as possible.

Ihor and everyone else who turn to our initiative want to undo the trauma they suffered. I think it is important to reframe our understanding [of people who endured injury and trauma] from victim to survivor. The media have to spread this message. This has to be stressed over and over. These people are not victims: they have survived, and they are strong. This reminds all of us that we are strong and that we can control what is happening to us.

Author, photographer: Serzh Khutsanu

Interview: Serzh Khutsanu, Anastasiya Koropetska

Editor: Yaroslav Druziuk

Translators: Olya Loza, Sam Harvey

Designer: Julia Lopata