Don’t let your sagging make you sad. We may feel much younger than our numerical age, but our appearance can give us away. Cheer up. You can achieve a more youthful look with a plastic surgery cosmetic procedure.
Last year, over 14 million cosmetic procedures were performed at a cost of well over $10 billion, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Noninvasive treatments, like injections and the use of lasers, can offer temporary improvements. For longer-lasting results, talk with your surgeon about some of the more invasive procedures among those listed below.
•Face-lift. As our faces age, we lose elasticity, fat and muscle tone. Along with our genes, cumulative additional factors, including sun exposure, yo-yo dieting, smoking and pollution, can contribute to our face’s “fallen” appearance. During face-lift surgery, a surgeon removes the excess skin and fat and tightens the underlying muscles. For optimal results, consider additional procedures like a neck-lift, eyelid surgery, forehead-lift, brow-lift, and/or implants. You’ll have a firmer and fresher appearance, with minimal pain and a short recovery time. The face-lift will last five to 10 years. $7,000-$13,000+
•Eye lift. For those of us who are tired of looking tired, whose droopy eyelids are causing us to look older, angry and unapproachable, this rather simple surgery could be the answer.
•Eyebrow lift. You might think you need an eyelid-lift when you really need to correct those forehead wrinkles and droopy, overhanging eyelids.
•Ear surgery. Your surgeon can improve the shape, position or proportion of your ears. You can also fix those saggy, wrinkled earlobes resulting from the aging process or from wearing dangly, heavy earrings. This surgery will give you a plumper, more rounded earlobe to make you appear younger.
•Nose surgery. If you’re not happy with the appearance and proportion of your nose, or you have breathing problems, rhinoplasty surgery is what you need to correct either situation. $5,000 -$12,000.
•Neck lift. Get rid of that turkey wattle, the excess fat and skin that occurs many times because of one’s genes. When you have your neck muscles altered and the excess fat and skin removed, you’ll look younger, and people will think you’ve lost weight as well!
•Facial implants. You can enhance certain facial features through the use of facial implants. Your plastic surgeon will want to know what you want to change about your appearance and why. Higher cheeks? More structured jawline or chin? Softer features? Your surgeon can advise you what can be accomplished aesthetically with implants.
•Breast augmentation. Achieving larger, firmer breasts is the No. 1 type of plastic surgery performed in the United States. The largest group of women having breast implants are in their 30s. After having the family they want, they also want their former body back. Saline or silicone? Or “Gummy Bears”? The newest (not yet approved by FDA) implants are referred to as the Gummy Bear implant because they feel like, well, gummy bears do. Made of a much thicker form of silicone, chances of leakage are minimal. Said to last 10 to 20 years, breast implants come with a 10-year warranty. $5,000 – $10,000+
•Breast lift. In this procedure, the underlying tissue is tightened and reshaped for contour and firmness, and the excess skin is removed to compensate for the loss of elasticity. $4,000 – $9,000
•Breast reduction. Yes, I said it … reduction. Large breasts can be painful both physically and emotionally. You and your surgeon will decide the procedure and reduction amount. $5,000 – $10,000
•Arm lift. Buff arms are in. Last year, 15,500 arm lift surgeries were performed, amounting to $61 million, with 40 percent performed on women ages 40 to 54. The trade-off to consider: Removing the loose skin means there will be scarring on the back of the arm. $5,000 – $8,500
•Tummy tuck. This is a major surgery, not to be used just to lose weight. A tummy tuck involves removal of skin and fat and tightening the muscles in the abdominal wall. If you plan to have more children or if you’re planning to lose weight, you don’t want to undergo this procedure. It can leave you with permanent, prominent scarring. $5,000 – $9,000+
•Buttock implant. If you’re longing for a larger, rounder butt, this might be for you. Instead of the squishy, soft implants used for breast implementation, buttock implants are solid pieces of silicone that are placed beneath the fibrous lining of the buttock muscles.
You can choose from many other procedures to repair or change almost any part of your body. The costs listed here are estimates only. Actual costs vary, depending upon location, experience and reputation of your surgeon, medical tests, anesthesia and so forth.
The most important of these factors is the choice of your surgeon. She or he should be board certified in plastic surgery, preferably very experienced in your area of interest. Just remember to go into any surgery with a positive attitude and realistic expectations.
