CNN.com /Health Older Americans Going in for Plastic Surgery August 16, 2002 By Rea Blakey, CNN Medical Unit
(CNN) Experts say thousands of men and women, aged 65 and older, are getting plastic surgery, the numbers jumping from nearly 121,000 in 1997 to more than 425,000 in 2001, according to surgeons. Gladie Sargeant had her first cosmetic surgery in 1988. An eye-lift, a face-lift, a nose job, and a chemical peel—all at once. “I was so excited I couldn’t wait to do it”, says Gladie, now a resident of Los Angeles, who grew up in Boston, Massachuetts. “As they were wheeling me down to the O.R., I said to myself, Boy this is the greatest adventure of my life.”\
The surgery was a birthday gift from her late husband. “It was a kick, really, and it’s carried me right through, Sargeant says, adding that she did it to boost her low self-esteem.
Statistics for the increase come from the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS), which also says that liposuction is the most common surgery. Face-lifts rank fifth, according to the plastic surgery group.
Boston plastic surgeon Dr. Sheldon Sevinor has been practicing for more than 25 years. He specializes in nipping and tucking those in their sixth decade and beyond. Dr. Sevinor says, “I tell my patients, you don’t have to apologize to want to undergo cosmetic surgery, assuming you’re healthy, if you are in your 60s, 70s, and even your 80s today”.
Dr. Sevinor says although advanced age itself is no reason to avoid having cosmetic surgery.that it does pose additional concerns. One additional concern is skin elasticity. Older patients who undergo liposuction in the abdominal area often require a modified tummy tuck to get rid of excess skin that has lost its elasticity. Click here to read more about Dr. Sevinor
