Unable to Confirm Identity, 51-Year-Old Mumbai Man Was almost Denied Entry at Mumbai Airport Immigration

Mumbai: How you look does matter! Similarly, a 51-year-old man from Mumbai was left disgruntled after Mumbai airport authorities refused to let him fly. He was told that he looked nothing like his passport photo. Not only this man, many other patients who opt for plastic surgery encounter this problem, and hence these patients should be provided clearance by the doctor which will help them avoid unfavorable circumstances.

You click a picture for your passport. But later you gain or lose weight or change your look. Well! That is alright! But a rhinoplasty proved costly for Suresh Bhai Patel (name changed), who is a businessman by profession after he was left stranded at the Mumbai airport. The airport immigration authorities found a stark difference in Patel’s look and initially denied him entry as his look did not match with his passport photograph. Then, Suresh Bhai met senior officials and explained the situation that he had undergone a Rhinoplasty surgery with Dr. Debraj Shome, 6 months ago and that accounted for the difference in his looks. He showed him before and after pictures to the airport authorities and also make the senior officer speak to Dr. Shome.

Dr. Debraj Shome, Cosmetic Surgeon & Director, The Esthetic Clinics, said, “A rhinoplasty can be described as a nose job which is a surgery performed on the nose to change its shape or enhance its function. Mr. Sureshbhai had difficulty in breathing, so we decided to perform a septo Rhinoplasty to straighten his nose and make it easier to breathe. These surgeries also make the nose look much better and can be adjusted to give a much more attractive nose. The nose had completely healed and the patient was almost 6 months post-surgery, so obviously he was fit to fly. We didn’t anticipate that immigration authorities would prevent him from flying based on his current look being different from his passport photograph.

Dr. Shome added, “this is the first time we have received a call from immigration officials regarding a Rhinoplasty surgery patient. It might be a good idea for all cosmetic surgery patients to get a certificate from their treating doctor, with their pre and post pictures attached, so that they do not have any unnecessary and sudden issues like these, involving facial recognition and change in Facial looks.