What’s the right age for plastic surgery and does your age affect your plastic surgery results? While in many instances, age is just a number, and one person’s 40 can be another person’s 50, in some cases it does play a part in how your plastic surgery turns out. The age that you have a procedure at, whether it’s a facelift or body procedure, can determine how long your plastic surgery results last, as well as how risky the surgery might be.
How Long Plastic Surgery Results Last
Typically, the younger you are when you have surgery, the longer the results will last. A paper published in January 2012 of the Journal of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery suggested that people who had facelifts at a younger age, before age 50, also had better long-term results.
But it wasn’t just the fact that the patients were under age 50 that determined how long their plastic surgery results lasted or how satisfied they were with the procedure. Usually, younger people considering a facelift have considerably fewer signs of aging in the area than people over age 50.
Although younger patients did for the most part enjoy longer lasting and more dramatic results than older patients, older patients still benefited from surgery. In the 2012 study, for example, people who had facelift surgery after age 60 still looked younger than people who didn’t have surgery at all. But they also had considerably more signs of further aging or regression of their results than the patients in the under age 50 group.
Whether You’re a Good Candidate or Not
In some ways, your age determines whether or not you are a good candidate for surgery. Although it’s possible for people in their 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s to have rhinoplasty, facelift or blepharoplasty performed, there is often an increased risk for complications the older a person is.
The increased risk can be due to the fact that older people tend to have more health concerns than younger people. No matter what age you are, your surgeon will recommend a thorough medical exam and a review of your medical history before your surgery. Your exam will make sure you don’t have any issues, such as high blood pressure, diabetes or liver problems, that would considerably increase your risk for complications during or after surgery.
Whether You’re Ready for Surgery
Age can also determine if you’re physically ready for surgery. For example, some procedures shouldn’t performed until a certain age, or until you’ve finished growing. Rhinoplasty is one example. Although it is a popular procedure among teenagers, it’s usually not recommended for very young teens, whose noses are still growing. Further growth of the nose after rhinoplasty can undo or otherwise alter your results, meaning you might need a revision surgery later on.
While it’s important to wait for the body to finish growing for some surgeries, others require you to have sufficient signs of aging before they are worth it. If the skin of your cheeks, neck and chin is still taut and smooth, you are probably not ready for a facelift or a browlift, even if you are in your 40’s or 50’s. The same is true for other rejuvenating procedures, such as a brow lift or blepharoplasty.
Improved Quality of Life
The younger you have certain procedures, such as a facelift or rhinoplasty, the more time you will have to enjoy their results. In some cases, the results from your surgery can not only improve your appearance but also improve your quality of life.
Take rhinoplasty, for example. While some people have the surgery for purely cosmetic reasons — to change the size or shape of their nose — plenty of others have the procedure to fix an issue with the nose that affects their ability to breathe. If you’ve suffered from breathing problems or sinus issues from a young age but put off having the surgery to correct them and to change the appearance of your nose until you are in your 30’s or 40’s, you’ll have had to deal with a lower quality of life for longer.
Blepharoplasty is another surgery than can improve your quality of life while giving you a more youthful appearance. Some people suffer from a condition called ptosis, or a drooping upper eyelid. Ptosis can make you look sleepy and can add years to your appearance. It can also affect your vision. A drooping eyelid can block your view and make it difficult to see. For that reason, having surgery to lift the upper eyelids at a younger age can be worthwhile, even if you don’t otherwise have considerable signs of aging.
About Dr. Ran Rubinstein
Whether you are 19, 49 or 79, Dr. Ran Y. Rubinstein, a board certified plastic surgeon, can help you decide on a plastic surgery procedure that will give you the best possible results and that will help you achieve your goals. Dr. Rubinstein offers patients a variety of procedures, from facelift to rhinoplasty, at Laser & Cosmetic Surgery Specialists, PC in Newburgh, New York. To schedule a consultation with Dr. Rubinstein, call 845-863-1772 today.
