Baby Boomers Newest Facelift Patients

Mary J. Blige wrote, “I like what I see when I’m looking at me as I’m walking past the mirror”. To a certain extent I agree with that. But lately, I’ve been thinking, I could get some work done.

In case you hadn’t heard, 90 is the new eighty! Which is why Boomers are beating out 20 and 30 year olds as the newest cosmetic surgery candidates. Seems you never know what the future may hold for a Boomer, and we like to keep our options open.

According to Wan He, a Census Bureau demographer and author of a report on aging, policy makers should begin the discussion on changing the definition of old from 85 to 90+. The number of Americans aged 90 has nearly tripled in the last three decades from 770,000 in 1980 to currently, 1.9 million.

With improved quality of life due to new medical breakthroughs, improvements to nutrition and public health, a decline in smoking, and diabetes controls, maybe today’s Baby Boomers will live to be 100. I’ve seen 100 year old women. Very few look good for their age.

Evidently, women are not alone in their quest to age slowly. Male baby boomers, according to stats, are getting more cosmetic surgery, too. Statistics reveal that male facelifts went up 14 percent in 2010. Facelifts are now the fastest growing male cosmetic procedure. Other surgeries that baby boomer men are requesting include ear surgery, liposuction, breast reduction, eyelid surgery, dermabrasion, and laser hair removal. These statistics are from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

Gone are the days when only male movie stars sought plastic surgery. Dr, Stephen Baker, a plastic surgeon in Washington, D.C. says, “it’s the average guy who wants to look as good as he feels.”

Dr. Tenley Lawton sees the trend of baby boomers seeking plastic surgery as the fuel that continues to grow her practice. According to Dr. Lawton, it’s older men and women, who want to look as young as they feel, who are replacing the 20 and 30 year olds she treated at the beginning of her practice.

Facelifts that remove excess fat, tighten underlying muscles, and redrape skin on the face and neck are the most popular among her baby boomer patients. 122 patients polled say the results of facelifts reduced their apparent age by 11.9 years.

Question: Have you had a facelift or another cosmetic surgical procedure? Tell us about it. More importantly, tell us how to pay for it.