Fw: 80-Year-Old Woman Goes for Breast Implants and More

[Guest guest]

----- Original Message -----

From: " Ilena Rose " <ilena@...>

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Sent: Thursday, January 31, 2002 12:01 PM

Subject: 80-Year-Old Woman Goes for Breast Implants and More

~~~ First thing I heard on the news this morning was a part of a full tilt

boogie Plastic Surgeon Campaign directed toward their new targets ... the

elderly. ~~~

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/GMA/GoodMorningAmerica/GMA020131Downaging_fea

ture

..html

Phyllis Porter, 80, before and after cosmetic surgery, said she bought a

new body because she was no longer happy with her old one. (ABCNEWS.com)

Ý

Turning Back the Clock

80-Year-Old Woman Goes for Breast Implants and More

Jan. 31

ã Phyllis Porter is a grandmother, but she no longer looks like one. The

80-year-old just got a face-lift and breast implants.

*

ÝPorter went to Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary in Boston for six

hours of cosmetic surgery, which also included a chemical peel, eye-lift

and lip enlargement. She described it as a freeing experience.

" All my life I did things I was supposed to do, " Porter said. " Never had

sex until I was married ã that's kind of rare nowadays. I always was

conventional. I always did what I was supposed to do. Now I'm going to do

what I want to do. I've earned the privilege. That's the way I feel. "

Dr. Sheldon Sevinor, who has been in practice for 23 years in Boston, has

done more than 1,000 breast augmentations, but Porter was his first

80-year-old patient. But she may not be his last. Sevinor believes Porter

is part of a " downaging " trend, in which people older than 65 undergo

surgery to make them look as young as they feel.

Over 65 Set Seeking Nips and Tucks

Statistics show the number of cosmetic surgery patients over 65 has grown

more than 352 percent in the past five years, according to Dr.

Erlichman, a member of the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery.

" As a matter of fact, over the past several years, that has been the

largest-growing group of patients by age category, " Erlichman said.

There are special precautions doctors must take with older patients.

" Most of these people have medical problems that people in their 30s and

40s don't, including high blood pressure and coronary artery disease, "

Ehrlichman said. " And those have to be taken into consideration before any

type of surgical procedure is performed. "

Several doctors agreed that a patient's health is more important than her

age when it comes to cosmetic surgery. But the idea of an 80-year-old

woman going for cosmetic surgery did raise some doctors' eyebrows.

Phyllis Porter before breast implant surgery.

" Breast implants in an 80-year-old? That's certainly not the norm, and

only a very unusual circumstance would justify the procedure in my

opinion, " said Dr. J. Regan of the University of Illinois College

of Medicine in Chicago.

Since cosmetic surgery is elective, it should only be undertaken if the

patient is at minimum risk, doctors say. Seniors who are healthy and

active can be excellent surgical candidates, but there are numerous red

flags to look for in their medical records.

" There may be greater likelihood that patients in older age groups may

have systemic illnesses or conditions that put them at greater risk from

surgery, such as diabetes or hypertension, " said.

Porter after surgery which also included a chemical peel, eye-lift and

lip enlargement.

Older people are also more likely to be on medications that can interfere

with surgery. Someone who has undergone a stroke, for instance, might be

taking aspirin or anticoagulants that could have an effect on the surgery.

They might also be susceptible to blood clots in the legs, said.

Six-Hour Surgery May Be Too Long

also questioned the multifaceted nature of Porter's procedure. He

said that the facial peel could interfere with the healing process that

follows the face-lift. Futhermore, he said, if it was a phenol-based " deep

peel, " it could put the patient at risk for cardiac arrhythmia, especially

if the patient's kidney function or liver function is decreased because of

advanced age.

Another doctor also said cosmetic surgery should only be done in rare

exceptions for people in their 80s.

" If I could be convinced that someone was indeed one of these exceptions,

I would still be reluctant to do six hours worth of surgery, " said Dr.

Grant S. Gillman, who heads the facial plastic and reconstructive surgery

division at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. " Certainly it

would be more prudent to stage things in that age group. "

Gillman also says that older patients take longer to heal, and often have

lesser results, because older skin lacks the elasticity needed to bounce

back from surgery quickly. He also said older people often have other

conditions that may have an adverse impact on their healing.

Dr. Julius Few of Northwestern University's medical school said that prior

to undergoing surgery, elderly patients like Porter should have a

" thorough evaluation by her medical doctor, with appropriate test to

evaluate the heart and other major systems. "

Nevertheless, limits based strictly on age should be avoided, and there

might even be a plus for older folks, he said.

" There is experimental evidence that suggest that older individuals are

less likely to form hypertrophic [prominent] scars, " Few said.

Older Men Get Face-Lifts, Too

It's not just older women who are taking the cosmetic surgery plunge.

Fred , 65, had his eyes and face lifted because he felt that his age

shouldn't prevent him from feeling good about the way he looks.

" I know, realistically, I may only have a few more years left on this

earth, so I try to take care of not only my face, but also my body, "

said. " I exercise, eat right, I eat my veggies. "

Cosmetic surgery for older people may also signify a shift in how people

regard old age, Porter's surgeon said.

" What is really means is that we're reinterpreting what it means to get

older, " Sevinor said. " Older is becoming better. "

Porter is still recovering from her surgery. The recovery is expected to

take anywhere from six months to one year.

Her husband says he supported her decision to have the surgery. " It took a

while to heal, but I would love her even if she didn't do it, " Charlie

Porter said.

She did take some flak from pals in her knitting circle, though.

" I don't understand why she had to get the surgery, " said her friend

Althea, who is also 80. " I don't remember seeing any wrinkles. "

Porter says she loves the way it turned out, and she wants to always look

the way she does now. She feels she has a new lease on life, and a renewed

passion for living it.

" I think people are saying that people 80 years old should be picking out

their cemetery lot, should be thinking about how many pills they're

taking, " Porter said. " I don't want to think about cemetery lots. I want

to think about living. "

[Guest guest]

This story reminds me of my own mother, however, she's never needed

extensive plastic surgery --- she just IS young looking & acting --- still

ballroom dancing a couple of times a week, and looks more like my sister!

MM

Martha Murdock

National Silicone Implant Foundation

www.topica.com/lists/BreastImplantNews/