Plastic fantastic at any age

From a cosmetic doctor’s viewpoint, life is a never-ending quest for reassurance, support, security, authority and control – and each of those can get a boost from cosmetic treatments.

Plastic surgery can be a lifelong endeavour that starts in the teenage years and continues into old age. Read on to find out what a lifetime of plastic surgery could be like, based on the procedures that are most popular with each age group, from youth to old age.

The specific treatments mentioned are the top procedures according to two surveys – one by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (ASPS), the other by the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ASAPS).

Teenagers

Teenage years apparently are a time for eliminating things that stick out too much – large noses and large ears.

Nose jobs are the top surgical procedure for teenagers and ear surgery is number one for people aged 18 and under, according to the ASPS.

Among minimally invasive procedures, both surveys agree that laser hair removal is number one for teenagers.

Young adults

Breast implants is said to be the number one surgery for young women aged 20 to 39, according to the ASPS. Women aged 19 to 34 years had an estimated 166,000 breast implant operations in the US last year.

Experts claim the reason for the popularity of breast implants during young adulthood is that it is a time when people start earning their own pay cheque and their standards of beauty come to mind as they think about ways to spend their money.

Early middle age

In this age category, liposuction, an operation that removes fat from many parts of the human body, is the number one plastic surgery procedure for people aged 35 to 50 years, according to the ASAPS.

A slowing metabolism, becoming more involved in work schedules, and weight gain after pregnancy is said to be the main cause for this age group seeking liposuction procedures.

Among minimally invasive treatments, Botox takes the top spot as the most popular cosmetic surgery in this age group; replacing the laser hair removal procedures that are most popular at younger ages.

Wrinkle-smoothing Botox injections are a treatment that women use early and often, starting in the 20s and building in popularity in the 30s and beyond.

Patients under 18 years of age had about 2,100 Botox treatments last year, while patients age 19 to 34 had 371,000. The total swelled to 1.2 million for patients age 35 to 50, and decreased again to 713,000 for people aged 51 to 64.

Some research suggests that the early use of Botox can work to prevent wrinkles, but some experts claim to be “unconvinced”.

Middle age and old age

At this age, it is time for dealing with body parts that droop. Perhaps it is time for eyelid surgery, which is allegedly the number one in plastic surgery for people aged 40 years and over; but for those aged 51 years and older, a facelift is most popular.

As the fat layer diminishes, especially in the mid and lower face, the cheeks, around the mouth and jawline areas appear to sink in, creating shadows and depressions that age a person’s appearance. Experts say injections into those depressions are the reason for the increasing popularity of fillers.

Botox is again popular, which never relinquishes its lead position in any age group from middle age through to old age, as it holds the top spot from age 19 to 65-plus, according to the ASAPS.