As plastic surgery continues to enjoy widespread acceptance and an ever increasing array of treatment options, it is no surprise that people of all ages are undergoing cosmetic changes. This is highlighted in a story that I read today of an 83 year-old Californian woman who had a combined breast lift and breast implant operation. While this made ‘news’ it is nothing that is really out of the ordinary. More people who are at an age that many would consider ‘too old’ for plastic surgery are having something done.
The perception of being too old may be perceived as a function of safety for surgery and anesthesia. But it may also convey an attitude that one gets to an age where they don’t care about their appearance or that they shouldn’t. This may be a presumption coming from the view of those much younger, but that would offend many older patients. While medical problems and poor health may make plastic surgery a remote or non-consideration for many people age 65 and older, those in good health with still active lifestyles may exercise their option to do so.
There are certainly more septuagenarians and octogenarians having plastic surgery today than ever before. While these ages make up less than 10% of the total U.S. population, it is no longer rare to see such patients in consultation for facelifts, necklifts, eyelid tucks, breast reshaping, tummy tucks and even liposuction. A not infrequent question that I see on a popular plastic surgery website that takes questions for its panel of plastic surgeons to answer is…’am I too old for plastic surgery?’
According to 2010 statistics from the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, over 80,000 people age 65 and older had some type of plastic surgery. Not surprisingly, the highest number of procedures were facelifts, forehead lifts and eyelid surgery which made up almost two-thirds of all the procedures performed. Liposuction and breast reshaping constituted most of the rest. With the American population getting older, the length of lives increasing, and being more active than any generation before them, these numbers are not going to decline in the years ahead.
The relevant question for many older people then is…when is one too old to undergo plastic surgery? With rare exception, this question is not procedure-related but one of the quality of one’s health. Many plastic surgery procedures require an anesthetic with its associated cardiovascular risks. Some of the most commonly requested procedures, such as a facelift, can take extended operation times of three to five hours with increased risks of deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolus. The consideration of one’s health, medications being taken and the medical opinion of one’s own doctor can determine whether these known risks are reasonably low to justify elective cosmetic surgery.
It is also important for the plastic surgeon to tailor an operation, which sometimes means limit the scope of the procedure, in consideration of the patient’s age and risk factors. Safety is always more important than a better outcome and not every patient has to have the most ideal result to enjoy the benefits of some cosmetic face and body changes.
Dr. Barry Eppley
Indianapolis, Indiana