More people over age 65 are having cosmetic surgery in an attempt to turn back the clock, according to The New York Times. The article featured several seniors who shared their surgery experiences, including an 83-year-old woman who wanted to improve her figure and had a breast lift with implants.
Experts say that this trend is likely to continue as baby boomers begin to pass 65.
There are many reasons these older patients undergo cosmetic surgery. Many are living longer and staying healthy, so they want their bodies to reflect that. Others are dating and want to look their best, and some are still working and want to be seen as more youthful.
Mary Graham, a 77-year-old profiled in the Times article, recently had a facelift and breast implants. She said the only time she goes to the doctor is for cosmetic procedures.
Ms. Graham still works seven days a week and said, “I wanted to look as young as I feel.”
Cosmetic Surgery at an Older Age
There are concerns from some about the safety of performing elective surgery on older patients: it may take longer for these patients to heal, and the results may not last as long as in younger patients.
However, some studies have shown that properly screened older patients don’t have higher risks. For instance, researchers at the Cleveland Clinic found no significant difference in the instances of complications between a group of older facelift patients (average age 70) and a younger group (average age 57.6).
No matter what age you are at when considering cosmetic surgery, your surgeon will discuss potential risks at your consultation prior to surgery.
There has been an increase in the number of people traveling abroad for cosmetic surgery, but what are the risks of medical tourism?
The CDC notes that “medical tourism is a worldwide, multibillion-dollar phenomenon that is expected to grow substantially in the next 5 – 10 years. However, little reliable epidemiologic data on medical tourism exist.”
Because of this lack of data, researchers did a survey of 2,000 plastic surgeons in the United States, asking them about their experience of treating patients with complications after they had cosmetic surgery outside of the country.
Of 368 respondents, 80 percent had experience with patients who had traveled abroad for cosmetic procedures, and over half (51.6 percent) said they had noticed an increasing trend over the last five years in the number of patients presenting with complications from medical tourism.
According to the survey results, which were published in the latest Aesthetic Surgery Journal, the majority of these patients had breast augmentation or body contouring procedures.
The surgeons also reported the following about these patients:
- More than half required multiple operations upon seeking treatment for their complications.
- The largest percentage (31%) of complications occurred as a result of infection.
- Other common complications were dehiscence, contour abnormality and hematoma.
“Medical tourism patients are often lured by the apparent lower cost of surgery elsewhere or by the availability of procedures that are not approved here in the U.S. However, these patients may not be well informed about the importance of outcomes and the risk of complications,” said Dr. Kaveh Alizadeh, co-author of the study. “When patients return to the U.S., it can become a costly scenario if they develop complications and the procedure or patient is not covered by medical insurance.”
Alizadeh recommended surgeons educate their patients on the pitfalls of cosmetic surgery tourism.
Facial bone surgery an option some women with square-shaped faces are choosing to achieve a more rounded or more “feminine” face. Reuters reports that the facial surgery, which alters the bones under the face, is becoming more common, especially in East Asia.
“More and more people who are on the forefront of facial plastic surgery are realizing that structural issues are critical,” said Dr. Jeffrey Spiegel, chief of facial plastic and reconstructive surgery at the Boston University School of Medicine. “Changing bone — which is the underlying surface on which the skin is resting — is what allows you to really create good attractive changes.” Dr. Spiegel said he does two to four of these facial procedures each week.
A study published recently in the Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery found that 19 men who got the procedure in Nanjing, China, were generally satisfied with their appearance and didn’t have any complications a few months after surgery.
Although the study had male participants, the researchers said that most often it is women who want the face-rounding procedure.
Dr. Ross Clevens, a cosmetic surgeon in Florida who was not involved in the research, agreed with the assessment and said he doesn’t treat many male patients who want a more “feminine” face shape.
“What we more commonly see is men who want a more square, more angular … more masculine jaw line,” he said. That procedure involves putting implants along the angle of the jaw and sometimes in the chin as well, according to Dr. Clevens.
Dr. Spiegel believes facial bone surgery will become more common in the United States. “More and more people are realizing that these changes that they may have thought are not attainable actually are,” he said. He added that the jaw area is “probably the most significant way that we determine gender and attractiveness” in the face.
Addicted to your smartphone? One side effect may be neck lines and creases that result from constantly looking down at it. It’s being called “Blackberry neck,” and one New York aesthetician has created the “Blackberry facial” to treat it, according to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.
The procedure includes a neck peel, a hydrating serum, LED light and oxygen. A New York Daily News reporter who tried the treatment wrote, “At the end of my treatment, the one faint line on my neck did seem a bit fainter. But what I did notice was the smoothness. My neck had a texture of a flower petal.”
Another cell phone side effect can be breakouts on the side of the face where you hold your phone. To alleviate this, try exfoliating that side of the face nightly or try keeping your phone from touching your face.
Neck Rejuvenation Options
No matter what the cause of the wrinkles, there are options for reducing neck wrinkles and correcting other problems in this area.
One non-surgical option is Botox, which can be used to soften and smooth the neck’s appearance if you have neck “bands.” Chemical peels are another option, as they can reduce the appearance of fine lines and improve the skin color and tone.
Surgical options also exist for those looking for more dramatic results. A neck lift can help correct neck creases and sagging skin, and neck liposuction can be performed to remove excess fat and enhance the neck contour.
Obese patients are almost 12 times more likely to experience breast surgery complications compared to non-obese patients, according to new research.
Johns Hopkins University researchers reviewed insurance claims of 2,403 obese patients and 5,597 normal weight patients who had breast procedures, including breast lifts, breast reductions and breast augmentations, between 2002 and 2006.
Just over 18 percent of the obese group had at least one complication within 30 days of surgery, compared to only 2.2 percent of non-obese patients.
The study found that obese patients were 22 times more likely to have inflammation; 13 times more likely to develop infection; and 11 times more likely to experience pain.
Breast reduction was the most common procedure for patients in the study, accounting for 80.7% of surgeries in the obese group and 63.8% in the non-obese group. Next was breast reconstruction, followed by breast augmentation and breast lift.
Individual breast procedures all had higher complication rates for obese patients, and complications were most common with breast augmentation among obese patients, with half of obese patients experiencing complications.
Complication rates for each breast surgery are as follows:
- Breast augmentation – 50.5% among obese and 4.4% among non-obese
- Breast lift – 24.1% among obese and 11.4% among non-obese
- Breast lift with augmentation – 38.9% among obese and 5.6% among non-obese
- Breast reconstruction – 29.4% among obese and 1.8% among non-obese
- Breast reduction – 14.6% among obese and 1.7% among non-obese
Based on their findings, the researchers recommended that patients should be informed about the risk of obesity prior to breast surgery procedures.
The reasons for the higher risk of complications with obesity, according to the authors, may be greater space for infection to set in from larger surgical wounds and slower healing due to poorer blood flow in fat tissue than in other types of tissue.
Cosmetic surgery sometimes leaves you with an unwanted reminder of the procedure — a scar. Now a newly developed bandage shows promise for reducing scarring after tummy tuck surgery based on study results of a small group of patients.
Published in the Annals of Surgery, results showed a statistically significant difference in the ratings of the scars by both plastic surgeons and lay people between the treatment and the control group, with the treatment group getting better ratings for scar appearance.
Plastic surgeon Dr. Geoffrey C. Gurtner, who developed the bandage, said, “In none of the cases was the treated scar worse than the control scar, which I think is different than some of the biologic agents we’ve seen over the last few years.”
Gurtner and his colleagues created the bandage so that it isolates the wound from the movement of the skin around it. One reason scars form is that skin movement around the incision pulls at the new skin tissue that is growing as the wound heals, causing the scar tissue to thicken and spread out.
The incision is covered by the bandage, which is held on by adhesive strips that run parallel to the wound. Gurtner said that they transfer the stress of movement away from where the skin is growing back together.
The bandage could be used for more than just scars from cosmetic surgery. For example, Gurtner reported there is interest in it from orthopedic surgeons who perform knee replacements.
Scar Reduction Options
Options for reducing scars include:
- Topical treatments, such as gels, tapes or external compression, which can help in wound closure and healing.
- Injectable treatments, which can be used to fill depressed or concave scars.
- Surface treatments, which can reduce uneven pigmentation and soften surface irregularities; options include dermabrasion, laser resurfacing, chemical peels and skin bleaching agents.
The benefits of fighting wrinkles with Botox may not be greatly diminished by decreasing the frequency of treatment, according to a study by the Oregon Health & Science University’s Casey Eye Institute that looked at how often to get Botox.
When looking at a group of 50 women, aged 30 to 50 who were being treated for glabellar lines, the study found a decrease in treatments did not yield a decrease in results. The study discovered that after a patient has undergone regular Botox treatments every four months for two years, the frequency can be lowered. The frequency of how often to get Botox may not dramatically effect its effectiveness.
In fact, the study found that patients who had completed the initial two-year treatment and then received Botox injections only every six months achieved similar results. This is when compared to those who continued receiving Botox treatments every three months.
Though Allergan, the maker of Botox, may still recommend continued treatment every three months, those looking for a cost-effective alternative could reduce the number of yearly treatments.
As an added benefit, the study found that the patients in the age group also experienced a reduction in the formation of wrinkles when Botox use was continued past two years.
Mad Men actress Christina Hendricks is the newest celebrity spokesperson for Latisse®, which has kicked off its second Wishes Challenge. The actress is encouraging women to join her in the challenge to raise $500,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation, which is dedicated to granting the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions.
If you’re one of the first 10,000 people who donate a minimum of $20, you’ll receive a certificate for a free trial of Latisse®, which you can take to your cosmetic surgeon who will determine if the eyelash enhancer is right for you. In addition, you can get a $20 rebate off your next purchase of Latisse® if you invite two friends to join you in the campaign.
Allergan, the makers of Latisse, will double any donation up to a total of $250,000 until November 30, 2011; you can donate at www.LatisseWishesChallenge.com.
Follow Hendricks on her Latisse® Journey
Throughout the campaign Hendricks will be sharing her experience with using Latisse® on her lashes.
“I’ve always felt my lashes were short and thin, and in my profession, I wear a lot of false lashes and makeup, which take a toll. So when Latisse® became available, I was curious to learn more,” she said. “My doctor talked with me about lashes, and I was surprised to learn that some women may notice their lashes thinning over time. Women who notice these changes in their lashes now have the option to talk to their doctor about Latisse® and see if it’s right for them.”
Apply Latisse® daily to your eyelashes to grow them longer, fuller and darker. The results will last as long as you continue to use Latisse®.
There’s a new twist on the mommy makeover, which usually features a combination of cosmetic procedures that help mothers restore their bodies to its pre-pregnancy state. However, the latest incarnation combines a cosmetic procedure and a medical one.
ABC News in San Francisco reports that an ob-gyn and a plastic surgeon have teamed up to perform a pelvic sling procedure to correct bladder issues that arise after pregnancy and a tummy tuck to remove excess skin and fat from the abdomen and tighten the abdominal muscles.
ABC interviewed one mom who said her two pregnancies took an embarrassing toll on her body. “Every day you have to wear these thick pads so that you stay dry. Going down the steps, picking up your child from the car seat, a little bit of exertion you get wet,” she explained.
Rather than having her bladder issue fixed with conventional surgery, she decided on the combination procedure. “I know I’ll never be the same as before I had the children, but I think it will be spirit lifting,” she said.
Dr. Carolyn Chang, who has performed tummy tucks after the pelvic sling procedure at California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco, said, “I like to call this the ultimate mommy makeover.”
The bladder procedure takes about a half hour, after which Dr. Chang performs the abdominoplasty.
Risks & Benefits
There are always risks to surgery, and one of the downsides of combining procedures is a longer time in the operating room and a potentially more complicated recovery if there are problems with either surgery.
However, there are some possible benefits to combining the procedures. The costs could be lower, because while the tummy tuck isn’t covered by insurance, some shared expenses — such as anesthesia and the recovery room — may be. Another possible advantage is that the patient will have a single recovery time for the two procedures.
Psychologically it could make going under the knife easier as well. “You’re doing a surgery that you want with a surgery that you medically need and that makes having surgery in general much more palatable,” said Dr. Chang.
When Bristol Palin recently debuted a new look that included a more angled jaw and defined chin, it sparked media reports and speculation about what procedures she had done to achieve it.
Palin told US Weekly magazine she had corrective jaw surgery, not cosmetic surgery. Palin said she had her surgery so her jaw and teeth could properly realign and that she is pleased with her new look.
Still, her transformation has created interest in chin surgery.
Chin surgery, which is also referred to as mentoplasty or chin augmentation, balances a person’s face by adding projection to the chin. A custom implant is inserted in front of the jawbone during the surgery.
There are also other options for improving the look of the chin area. For instance, a concave chin could be corrected with dermal fillers by temporarily building out the chin. Other facial implants, such as cheek or jaw line implants, also offer ways to add volume to the face.
The Washington Post asked an oral and cosmetic facial surgeon’s opinion on Palin’s look, and he believes she did undergo “some procedure on her chin … It also appears as if she has had liposuction under her jaw.”
However, Palin said that she wouldn’t consider plastic surgery unless she was in an accident or got disfigured.
Whether it was corrective, cosmetic or a combination, Palin is happy with her look. She told US Weekly, “I am absolutely thrilled with the results. I look older, more mature, and don’t have as much of a chubby little baby face!”