The Aging Face Part 3: Early Choices for Face & Body

Aging is hard on women in particular. Not only are women dealing with the health related issues that men deal with, but women are also expected to continue to look good. One could argue that this is fast becoming true for men too, and in fact many more men have been seeking cosmetic surgery to slow the visible aspects of aging. But the hardest pressed to keep their looks, in our culture, are women. One of the mistakes women make when seeking cosmetic surgery, is to try and recreate the body and face they had years ago. This will not work. A realistic goal in seeking surgery, or any self improvement is to look as good as you can and be as healthy as you can. Overdoing cosmetic surgery can make you look as old as doing nothing. The objective is to look the best you can now. It is important not to look “over done” when it comes to aging. It is also wise to think about when to treat that evidence of aging. Retaining a youthful look for your face early on might include:

• Dermal fillers that can restore volume, minimize wrinkles and also give you an idea of how facial correction/improvements might affect you. Because they are temporary, you can experiment.

• Photofacials, Ultherapy, and Thermage are non invasive anti wrinkle, volume enhancing treatments as well.

• Laser resurfacing, dermabrasion and chemical peels can alleviate some of the skin damage on the aging face.

People seem to believe that the body “wears out,” when actually you could say it “rusts out.” Women in particular are prone to weight gain as they age due to a lower muscle to fat ratio to begin with, pregnancy, and hormonal changes. Exercise is critical to maintaining your health and your looks! Keeping close to your ideal weight will lessen the possibility of many diseases, help you deal with stress better, and help you look better. You have heard of getting you “beauty rest” right? It’s true getting enough sleep helps you look refreshed and some studies suggest getting enough sleep can stave off diseases such as diabetes. Weight gain and loss, as well as pregnancy takes its toll on the body. Even keeping a schedule that includes enough sleep, healthy diet, and working out, the body changes. Many women opt for these procedures:

• Mommy Makeovers often include liposuction, a tummy tuck, and a breast lift with or without breast augmentation.

• Abdominoplasty, breast lifts or breast augmentation, or liposuction alone may be what you need to offset the changes that have made you feel less attractive as you age.

• If you have lost a lot of weight (and good for you!) a tummy tuck or  arm or body lift may be desirable in order to eliminate excess skin.

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle, catching wrinkles early, taking care of and improving the looks and texture of your skin all contribute to a younger looking face. This also makes corrections later in the aging process more effective. Cosmetically addressing the changes in your body mentioned above, may also make it more likely that you will continue to work out and eat healthy. Looking good is always great motivation. Next up, let’s talk about middle age and on, and the next stages of age postponing cosmetic surgery.

Dr. Branman

Call Melinda at the front desk to set up a consultation 501-227-0707