This is probably one of the most frequently asked question by elderly patients to a Cosmetic Surgeon. This blog deals with how procedures like eye bag removal (blepharoplasty), facelift or rhinoplasty help to make patients above (and below) 65 years of age feel good about themselves and their appearance.
DR. Peggy Velayo, Ophthalmologist and Certified Cosmetic Surgeon
"70 the new 50" is the title of a very successful book written by William C Byham. That is also how many women and men see themselves when they get close to retirement age. But is that just how they feel? Or is it actually so? The answer is "YES" it is actually true! Statistical data shows that between 1950 and 2020, the average life expectancy in the Philippines has grown from 49 years to 71 years. And the life expectancy continues to grow!
If research is accurate, most people who reach the age of 65 today, will actually live well into their 80's, enjoying a very active lifestyle, having a bunch of good years ahead of them. Hence there is a strong desire to reflect this "young age feeling" also in their appearance.
What are the best treatments?
The effects of ageing are different for every person. Reasons for that are to some extend genetic but also related to our life style, including over exposure to the sun. Also sleeping habits, use of nicotine etc. can contribute to a accelerated ageing process.
What can be done about it? We have many different treatments and procedures. Some are surgical, some are non-surgical. The non-surgical treatments include the use of fillers and botox, facials etc. In this blog, we are talking about the facial, surgical aesthetic enhancements that give patients a youthful facial appearance.
Surgical:
For many patients a blepharoplasty, rhinoplasty or a facelift produce amazing results.
Eye bag removal / Blepharoplasty
Eye Bag Removal (lower Blepharoplasty) is a surgical technique to remove excess skin and fatty tissues from under the eye.
Eye bags consist of fat and excess skin. The only effective way to get rid of eye bags is blepharoplasty surgery, a surgical technique to remove excess skin and fatty tissues from under the eye. The procedure improves the appearance of a person’s eyes and takes away the signs of ageing. The procedure can also smoothen wrinkles around the eyes, popularly known as crow’s feet. Also called lower eyelid surgery, this is an ideal treatment for loose skin and puffy eyes. Done by a specialist, blepharoplasty produces amazing results.
Aside from aesthetic benefits, blepharoplasty provides also medical benefits, especially to elderly patients, by ire-instating their full field of vision, by removing the excess skin that partially covers their eyes.
The human eye is a very sensitive organ. It is therefore important that this procedure is only done by an experienced cosmetic surgeon, who is also an ophthalmologist. Ask you clinic if your surgeon is both!
Facelift
During a face-lift, facial soft tissues are lifted, excess skin is removed, and skin is draped back over the newly repositioned contours. Incisions can be made in the hairline starting at the temples, continuing down and around the front of the ears and ending behind the ears in the lower scalp.
Best results are achieved by applying a "deep plane plastic surgery", or "deep plane facelift", a technique that produces amazing results . It is a more difficult technic and requires highly-trained surgeons to perform and it surely is the best and safest facelift procedure. The results are excellent.
Rhinoplasty / Nose Job
Rhinoplasty (RIE-no-plas-tee) is surgery that changes the shape of the nose. The motivation for rhinoplasty may be to change the appearance of the nose, improve breathing or both. Like with undergoing Blepharoplasty, Rhinoplasty provides medical and aesthetic benefits.
Summary:
"70 is the new 50". The changes in their lives should make seniors think how they will live and appear, rather than thinking how old people should live and appear. Seniors travel, do sports, go out and enjoy themselves. As a Cosmetic Surgeon I will help you to look as young as you feel.