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Seniors’ Cosmetic Procedures Pose No Added Risk, Study Reports
Posted by Laurence Weider on December 27, 2014
Seniors looking to spruce up their appearance can rest easy: A new study reports older men and women are at no greater risk than younger patients of having complications with cosmetic surgery.
The study, Safety of Cosmetic Procedures in Elderly and Octogenarian Patients, was published in October’s issue of the journal Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery.
The study compiled statistics gathered from 2008 to 2013. The numbers show postoperative complications occurring at a rate of 1.84 percent rate in patients with a mean age of 39.2 years; the rate for seniors (mean age 69.1 years) was 1.94 percent, which is statistically insignificant. For patients aged 80 years or older, the rate was also statistically insignificant: 2.2 percent.
“Our study demonstrated that patients over 65 years old can safely undergo cosmetic procedures with a complications rate similar to younger patients when surgery is performed by board certified plastic surgeon,” explained Dr. Max Yezhelyev, who wrote the study.
The seniors carried greater risk factors, including a higher average Body Mass Index and a higher incidence of diabetes (5.7 percent to 1.6 percent), but they were less likely to smoke.
Older patients underwent more facial procedures: 62.9 percent, compared to 12 percent. Only abdominoplasty indicated a higher complication rate: 5.4 percent to 3.9 percent. The most common postoperative complications in older patients were hematoma, infection and problems with the healing of wounds.
For cosmetic surgery in Dallas, Texas, visit board-certified breast augmentation and plastic surgery expert Dr. Laurence Weider at Weider Plastic Surgery.
Dr. Weider, a native of Southern California, is a Board-Certified Plastic Surgeon who has maintained a private practice in Dallas, TX since 1999. After attending Stanford University, he obtained his medical degree (M.D.) from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston. He then completed a one year surgical internship in Los Angeles at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, followed by a four year general surgery residency in Dallas at Methodist Medical Center, and a two year plastic surgery fellowship in Cleveland at Case Western Reserve University.
