CBS News did a commentary on being “Forever Young” and highlighted the case of Hazel York—an 81-year-old woman that had a five-hour face lift. York told CBS she felt that having a facelift was “like turning over a new leaf in my life.”
According to the commentary, experts say that thousands of men and women age 65 and older are opting for plastic surgery to feel young and attractive and battle age discrimination.
Harry R. Moody, former head of the Brookdale Center of Aging at New York’s Hunter College feels a little narcissism is healthy. “Women want to be noticed and not seen as frail old ladies. It is the same kind of thing for men,” he said.
Looking Younger
The American Society of Plastic Surgeons estimates that more than 11 million Americans had plastic surgery procedures in 2006. In the past, plastic surgery was a favorite of the “baby boomer” generation, but it’s now becoming more common in older generations.
“The age of greatest popularity for most plastic surgery procedures is between 45-55,” says Dr. Michael Zenn, Assistant Professor for Surgeons in the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Duke University Medical Center.
According to Zenn, a number of men and woman over the age of 65 are electing to have surgical procedures to create a younger appearance.
Many elderly people want cosmetic surgery to remove wrinkles, repair damages from a lifetime of being exposed to the sun, and just to slow the progression of the natural aging process that the face and body withstand.
Common Plastic Surgery Procedures for the Elderly
The most common plastic surgery procedures according to the Encyclopedia of Aging and the Elderly include:
Rhytidectomy (facelift)—to remove excess and sagging skin
Submental Lipectomy—a procedure combined with the facelift that removes excess fat from under the chin
Mammoplasty—breast alteration that could be either reduction or augmentation
Liposuction—body fat reduction
Rhinoplasty—to correct deformities of the nose
Blepharoplasty—removal of excess skin and fatty tissue from upper and lower eyelids
Direct or midforehead brow lift—removes skin just above the brows and elevates the muscles around the eyes to alleviate drooping
Forehead Lift—elevates the eyebrows and diminishes forehead wrinkles and frown lines
Zenn suggests that older people talk to surgeon to educate themselves on the not only the rewards of plastic surgery, but the risks.
The Youthful Look
Dr. Sheldon Sevinor, a plastic surgeon based in Boston recently performed breast enlargement surgery on an 82-year-old Boston woman, who was, by far, his oldest patient to have the procedure.
“She’s healthy, she’s spunky and she wanted to look how she felt,” he said
It is important to like yourself and like what you’ve become, and this doesn’t always require plastic surgery.
The CBS commentary also highlighted the case of Ruth Garrett, a retired gerontology professor who is happy with her looks and feels that older generations should teach younger ones to remember to care for their minds and health.
“When I look at myself in the mirror, I see my mother. And that’s OK. If my daughter looks at herself in 20 years and sees me, is that so bad?”
(Article by: Donna Corrado)
Interested in learning more about plastic surgery? Contact us today to schedule a consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon near you.