The Anti-Aging Advisor

Going Under the Knife

The ultimate tool to combat aging skin and an aging body is cosmetic surgery. Some procedures, like tummy tucks can be performed at an earlier age, but the issues that lead to these procedures are more common as we age.

Like the less intrusive procedures in the injectible and medical skin treatments, the procedures with the best results and least complications will be those done by licensed, qualified plastic surgeons. Talk to your family doctor for referrals.

Face Lift Surgery

As we age, our facial skin loses elasticity, fat and muscle tone . A face lift removes excess skin to make the face appear firmer and younger. Face lifts are commonly augmented with additional procedures including neck lifts, eyelid surgery, forehead and brow lifts. Procedurally, a basic face lift begins with an incision in the hair or hairline in the temporal region–above and in front of the ear. The incision runs in front of the ear, comes under the ear and upward behind the ear ending in the hairline. The skin and fatty tissues are lifted off of the underlying muscle and connective tissue. This underlying tissue can be tightened with sutures if necessary. The skin is pulled back and upward, the excess skin removed. The incision is then closed with sutures and skin staples. The effect generally lasts up to 10 years.

Complications can include infection, hematoma and bruising, loss of muscle function or sensation usually temporary, unevenness between the two sides of the face. The procedure is performed in an out-patient setting. After three to five days, the bandages are removed and the patient can resume daily activity using makeup to cover any bruising and covering the sutures with hair.

Breast Lift

Gravity, combined with pregnancy and breast-feeding or weight loss, impacts the shape and firmness of the breast. Breast lift, or mastopexy, surgery can improve the contour. If volume has been lost, implants can be included in the procedure. There are variations on the incision, and corresponding scarring, pattern. The inverted T pattern of a full breast lift includes an incision along the crease beneath the breast, incisions around the nipple and areola and a vertical incision from the areola to the base of the breast. The Benelli lift removes a ring of skin from around the areola, limiting scarring to one area. A crescent mastopexy removes tissue from around the areola with more tissue removed from above, raising the nipple on the chest wall. Gravity continues to work on the breasts following the surgery. Women with large breasts will experience some sagging over time.

Tummy Tuck

Excess skin and fat, stretch marks and loss of muscle tone are factors that can lead people to a plastic surgeon for a tummy tuck, or abdominoplasty. Aging, weight loss, multiple pregnancies are generally the causes of a less than stellar tummy. The surgery does not resolve general obesity or increase the strength of abdominal muscles—even with a tummy tuck, you have to work to continue to improve or maintain a flat stomach.

A full abdominoplasty begins with an incision above the pubic area from hip to hip. A second incision frees the navel from surrounding skin. The skin is detached from the abdominal wall to reveal the muscles and fascia to be tightened with sutures. The remaining skin and fat are tightened by removing the excess and closing the incision. The navel stalk is brought out through a new hole and sutured into place.

Liposuction is often used to refine the transition zones of the abdominal sculpture. Recovery time is two to four weeks; four to six or more weeks before strenuous activity. Scars fade and flatten within three months to two years. Risks include infection and blood clots, poor healing with conspicuous scarring or skin loss.

Liposuction

Liposuction is a popular procedure to remove fat that does not respond to diet and exercise is not necessarily indicated for older patients. Older people have less elasticity in the skin and may not achieve the benefits of liposuction.