9/7/11

What is an appropriate age for plastic surgery?

I was asked by a 19 year old, if she was a candidate for a tummy tuck. After one child her abdomen became loose, with excess skin and fat. Her situation could be acceptable for a 40 year old lady who is married and has few children, but not for a young lady who is just starting her adult life. I thought she was definitely a candidate for the procedure. Age by itself, should not be a criteria. For any given age a certain look is expected. This becomes an issue in facial rejuvenation all the time. Patients say, “I am too young for a facelift” even when they have problems that could only be corrected by that operation. Today we are lucky to have other modalities like fillers and neuromodulators that can help us correct or hide some of early aging signs and wait several years before a facelift is offered, but if we eliminate the age as a factor, a facelift could be done when it’s needed. I once did a facelift and upper eyelid surgery for a patient who was 33 years old. She had very loose skin and was starting to develop jowls. Her upper lid skin was loose too. This was done years ago when we did not have fillers, but when I think back nothing could have helped her as much as what I did for her. She had a stunning result and was so happy. At age 33 she looked 45 and I made her look 25. It’s too bad I don’t have permission to show her pictures to demonstrate the point I am trying to make. I think plastic surgery could be done at any age if it can benefit the patient and make a difference in their lives. The only time I think that age is an important consideration, is when the patient has not reached the proper level of maturity. Sometimes the parents bring a teenager for a nose job and I get the feeling that the child is not convinced that they need the operation. It’s more for the parents than the child. I like to see that the young patient has a complete handle of their feelings and the decision to do the surgery. Many times, I ask the patient to wait a few more years. It is really a difficult judgments to decide then to do a rhinoplasty for a patients who is coming with a parent who is paying for the surgery and who is telling me how he or she likes her daughter’s nose to look like. In these cases I see them several times. I try to wait as long as I can and establish a rapport with the teenager and get a feel of what he or she wants.