Background: Breast augmentation continues to enjoy widespread popularity and literally is a procedure for all ages today. While the majority of women getting breast implants is still largely under the age of fifty (50), the above fifty group who are willing to have the surgery is growing. While once it seemed rare to have women in their sixties and seventies choosing to get breast implants, so called silver breast augmentation, it is not uncommon to have such requests today.
Beyond any health or medical issues, there is no physical reason why a woman of any age can not get breast implants. Such procedures have been performed for years for the non-elective reason of breast reconstruction after cancer removal. Often these operations are more invasive and physically stressful than a less complicated aesthetic breast augmentation even though two breasts are treated for cosmetic enhancement while one may only be treated for a malignancy.
The one consideration that is more common in the older vs the younger breast augmentation patient is that of tissue quality and amount. Age, pregnancies and the long term effects of gravity often leave the older breast implant patient with little glandular tissue, variable amounts of sagging and thinner skin. This is particularly true in those older women who have had good lifelong weight control and a thinner body habitus.
Case Study: This 62 year-old female desired implants to restore some lost breast volume (actually have more than she ever had) and give her body a rejuvenated look. She had some mild breast sagging but not enough to justify any type of a formal breast lift nor did she want the resultant breast scars either.
Under general anesthesia, she had high profile silicone gel breast implants (400cc) placed through inframammary incisions. Her after surgery results showed a much fuller upper pole of the breasts and a nipple position that was not unduly low. It was not centered on the breast mound but its location justified the presurgical decision to not do any type of breast or nipple lift.
Breast augmentation at age 60 years or older can be successfully down with no greater recovery than that of a woman decades younger. Older women may also accept less of an ideal breast shape and nipple position for the benefits of what breast implants alone can achieve.
Case Highlights:
1) Breast augmentation in ‘older’ women can be performed as successfully as in younger women.
2) Silver breast augmentation takes into consideration the degree of breast sagging and often may require a breast lift performed concurrently.
3) Breast augmentation in the more ‘aged’ breast may be more tolerant of accepting somer residual sag or lower nipple position on the augmented mound.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana