As baby boomers now approach the Golden Years of sixty five and over, how good do they want to look? Is seventy really the new fifty?
According to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, in 2010 there were 84,685 surgical procedures among patients age 65 and older. They included 26,635 face-lifts; 24,783 cosmetic eyelid operations; 6,469 liposuctions; 5,874 breast reductions; 3,875 forehead lifts; 3,339 breast lifts and 2,414 breast augmentations.
Safety is the operative word when it comes to elective cosmetic procedures regardless of a patient’s age.
A healthy 70 year old will, generally speaking, be a better candidate than a 45 year old with risk factors such as diabetes, cardiac problems or bleeding abnormalities.
Realistic expectations are another key prerequisite for a successful outcome to a cosmetic procedure regardless of age.
Perhaps a 70 year old may desire liposuction so he or she would have better fitting pants. A facelift would correct the “turkey gobble” neck that makes him or her feel older and less fit than they really are. One of my older patients put it like this; “I am too young to look old”
All patients considering elective cosmetic procedures should be carefully screened prior to surgery.
A careful health history, any necessary pre operative tests and the choice of a well monitored facility are among the important preoperative considerations.
We should also remember that there are a number of non surgical procedures which are available to those patients who may not be good candidates for surgery for a variety of reasons.
Facial fillers for lines and wrinkles such as restylane, perlane , juvederm and radiesse are achieving great results. Botox or Dysport are very effective for frown lines. Lasers and light therapy can improve skin quality , texture and tone.
Most important is to choose a board certified plastic surgeon and have realistic expectations.
