The young aspiring model

A thin built 20 something young man walked into the clinic as I was winding up for the day. The staff nurse who was at the registration desk had closed shop for the day and was getting ready to leave for lunch. I was packing my bag and watching from my table as he gave her a broad smile. He was a charming young man, not the striking looks of a movie star, but a very cheerful and charming countenance. I couldn’t hear their conversation, but somehow, he convinced her to register him as the last patient for the day, way beyond registration time. I have never seen the nurse give such lenience for anyone. If he could charm her into registering him, this boy must really know what he is doing! He walked into my room with a skip in his step. He gave me a polite smile and entered and sat down in front of me. He was wearing a dark blue full sleeve round neck T shirt which was loose fitting for him. He had a washed grey jean on. It was evident that he was not someone who dressed for comfort, but for fashion. “I am having these whitish patches over my face” he pointed towards his chin and left side jaw region. There was a dash of an evenly trimmed goatee in his chin and beyond it there were these whitish patches, well circumscribed and lighter in shade than the adjoining skin of his face. The muscles of his face were all twitching and he was blushing with all the attention that his face was getting. He managed to hide his embarrassment and leaned back in the chair. “How long have these patches been there?” I asked. “For about 10-15 days” he replied. He did not hold eye contact with me. It was a clear case of tinea versicolor, a type of fungal infection of the skin. I explained it to him and gave him an ointment to apply on the patches. “Apply them for a week to 10 days, you will be fine.” I said and smiled at him. He got up to leave. I put my stethoscope back into my bag and started to leave. He had still not left. He looked like he had something to say. But he did not say anything and took a few steps towards the door. Then from the door he turned and looked back at me. He hesitated near the door. Those few seconds of indecisiveness are the toughest and most challenging hurdles to cross. I wanted to ease the situation for him a bit, and so decided I will ask him if he wanted to say something. But before I could say anything he walked back into the room with hesitant steps and said, “Doctor, do you have a minute? I need to talk something.” I said, “Of course, come in and sit down”, put down my bag and sat in my chair pointing him to his.    

“I am trying to get into modelling. Can I ask you some questions regarding that?” 

His immaculately trimmed beard, well groomed hair, and fashionable attire made a lot of sense now. In our clinic, most people literally come in night suits, shorts, track pants, lungis and people’s dressing sense is almost always at its worst. This young man was a breath of fresh air in such an environment, and it all made sense now. But modelling was not something I have heard as a career option among youngsters attending my clinic. This is the first time in the past 25 years of my practice that I had an aspiring model ask me for medical advice. I felt strangely important, I still don’t know why. I listened attentively. 

“I have reached out to an agent in Chennai. The agent has asked me to go to doctors to get my skin, hair, teeth and face fixed and has asked me to come back in 6 months. I was wondering if you could help me.” 

I know that there is an entire sub-specialty in dermatology called cosmetology where doctors help clients fix problems in their skin. Also, there are prosthodontists who work on teeth and there are hair clinics also. But little did I expect someone to come to me seeking advice on ‘fixing’ one’s looks to get into modelling. 

“I am now in the final year of my BSc Agriculture course. I will finish in 8 months. I plan to get into modelling within these 8 months. If I don’t, my parents will demand that I get into a regular job and start earning to repay my educational loan.” There was an unmistakable look of longing in his eyes that comes with dreams and aspirations. The energy of youth, and the exuberance of passion are a deadly combination, and whenever I see it in a young person, I feel compelled to somehow support and help them. I was drawn to this young man and wanted to know more. 

“Tell me more. What do you have to do to get into modelling?”

“My agent told me to go to a doctor. The doctor will know how to treat and advise me to start looking like a model.” He said this and looked at me with anticipation. 

I was clueless. I am someone who doesn’t hesitate to acknowledge my ignorance. “Thambi, I really want to help you. But I have no idea what a doctor does to help someone become a model. If you tell me specifically what your agent told you, maybe I can help.” 

“Sir, for example, I want you to advise me on what skin products I should start using to get a bright and shiny face. Can you assess my skin tone and texture and suggest some products? I also want you to advise me on what hair serum to use to smoothen my hair texture and make it shine.” 

All this sounded like some foreign language to me. I have never used any skin products other than Medimix soap, and lactocalamine once when I developed severe miliarial rash. I have never prescribed any skin products. I don’t have any family members who use skin products, have never stepped into one of the Bath and Body Works shops in malls. I haven’t studied about hair serum and had no clue what it does. In this area, this young man seemed more knowledgeable than me. I did not feign any knowledge and told him frankly, “I have absolutely no clue about anything you told me just now. I am hearing about skin serum and hair serum for the first time.” I really wished I could help this young man. The only solution appeared to be asking a dermatology colleague or a cosmetologist for advice. But dermatological and cosmetic procedures can be expensive and are not easily available in remote rural areas like the place where I was working. He may have to come to Chennai to get these treatments. 

“By the way brother, I hope you are aware that these treatments can cost a lot of money” I told him. 

“That’s why I hesitated and asked you doctor. My agent gave me a list of doctors and consultants I can go to in Chennai. But they are all too expensive. I don’t have the money now. I also cannot ask my parents. They won’t understand my interest in getting into modelling. I am doing food delivery part time and saving up some money. But that money will be enough only for me to buy products and things. I cannot afford the treatments. That is why I came to you. I wish you can help me.” 

His earnestness and enthusiasm killed me. I wanted to say, “Yes, I will take care of everything and do all the treatments for you. I will make sure you get into your dream modelling job.” But neither did I have the means nor the connections to help him. We were both quiet and looking at each other for a few seconds. He was fidgeting with his hands and was shaking his legs in nervousness. It must have taken him a lot of effort to break through his shyness, fear of judgment, and ask me about this. He has crossed the first hurdle and made the first move of the journey towards his dreams. I was fidgety and nervous too. I wanted to somehow help him. 

“Doctor, can I send you face shots, profile shots and full-length shots to your WhatsApp? Can you show them to any skin specialist doctor friends of yours and ask for advice?”

I said, I will try and gave him my phone number. Before he left, “Look here brother, I am not promising anything. I know cosmetology is very expensive. It takes a lot of power, connections and influence to get into modelling and even after getting into modelling to get noticed will take much more efforts. I will see what I can do. I would suggest you don’t get your hopes up” I said. 

“Doctor, don’t worry about whether I get into modelling, whether I get noticed etc. Those are all things I will work on. They are my job. I only ask you for medical help to make me become fit to be a model” The young man had clarity in what he wanted. He had the deadly combination of interest, passion, enthusiasm, and clarity, which is a success magnet. 

I reached out to a few dermatology colleagues and friends. They were not very enthusiastic about what they could do for a lower middle class rural young man from a remote village near Chengalpet with very little money at his disposal. I will reach out to some more contacts and make some more calls through the week. I owe that much to his ambition and his dream. But as I was returning in the train from the clinic today, I couldn’t help but think about this young man. The following thoughts haunted me:

·      Is request for cosmetic treatments in a primary care setting appropriate? Is a young modeling aspirant in a local village entitled to cosmetic treatments at the primary care center so that he can pursue his dreams and aim for the stars? 

·      Why has modeling and the show business become so highly medicalized? Why should all noses, chins, cheeks, complexions, eyes, teeth look perfect? What is perfection? Who decided what is perfect? 

·      Is it unrealistic for a lower middle class boy from a remote village to dream of becoming a model or a film star? Tamil Nadu has a strong history of the average boy-next-door making it big in cinema, but modelling seems to be still unreachable. 

·      Will government health facilities and plastic surgeons operating in government hospitals provide cosmetic treatments for aspiring models and actors? Will such treatments be covered under health insurance? Are citizens entitled to such cosmetic treatments? Why not?

I am sure many who read this will challenge the sanity of these questions. When so many people don’t have access even to basic lifesaving treatments and procedures, it may seem cruel to ask for access to cosmetic treatments for a young aspiring model. But when I think of this young man, the dreams in his eyes, the ambition in his heart and the determination to make it big as a model, I can’t help but wonder in what way is access to the treatment he wants different from a lifesaving treatment that someone else needs. How is nourishing a dream any less than nourishing a life? The train reached my station and broke the reverie in which I was immersed. As I got down in the station, I saw hundreds of youngsters in the station walking like a massive wave, all their eyes filled with dreams, aspirations, visions of a future, many of which will wither and fall because there was a competing priority that overshadowed them.