Rise in Nipntucks for the 65+ Set
November 1st, 2011
According to Robert Johnson of The Wall Street Journal for Fox News, the 65 and over crowd is signing up for cosmetic surgery in record numbers. Perhaps the pop culture saying that 60 is the new 50 is fueling this new uptick. The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery reports that elective cosmetic procedures among patients age 65 and older, for both surgical and nonsurgical nipntucks, has risen 29 percent in the past five years, to almost 700,000.
While seniors are living healthier and more active lives, cosmetic surgery is usually safe. However, the risk of general anesthesia is slightly higher for older patients. I require that my patients have a thorough physical from their personal physician, approving them for surgery. It is also my practice to limit the scope of surgery to one procedure at a time. I find that my older patients have fewer complications, heal faster and are up and around more quickly without combining multiple surgeries. As a general rule, this is my recommendation for most of my patients. Reality shows have popularized “extreme makeovers†making dramatic television to grab ratings, but multiple surgeries represent a greater risk for complications.
Severed Thumb Replaced with Big Toe!
October 31st, 2011
James Byrne, a 29-year-old man from England, accidentally sawed off his thumb. According to Catharine Paddock PhD for Medical News Today, surgeons in the UK have given him a new thumb: replacing it with a toe!
They tried to re-attach the damaged thumb but that didn’t work, so now the surgery team have attached James’s big toe in its place. Plastic Surgeon, Umraz Khan, performed the operation at Frenchay Hospital, a regional micro-surgery center in Bristol. The patient is expected to make a full recovery.
I love these stories. When I was in medical school, one of my professors described this same surgery. I decided right then and there that this was what I wanted to do. While my practice doesn’t present many opportunities for this toe/thumb transfer, I really do enjoy that particular aspect of aesthetic sculpting doing cosmetic surgery.
Follow Us!
