Plastic Surgery in Elderly

Plastic Surgery in Elderly

Perhaps consciously or unconsciously at some point in life we have judged ourselves based on how we imagine that we appear to society. We develop our own judgments from the reflection of others and most of the times we form a negative image of our selves (Cooley). This severely affects the person's self-esteem, since most people become so worried from what society might think of them. As a consequence, they often refer to plastic surgery to repair the flaws. Having a young appearance in elderly people has high health risks, however it has not become an obstacle for many patients who are still willing to take any risk in order for them to have the body they have always wanted (Donaldson). Patients who have gone thru plastic surgery have found the confidence boost to find love again and to keep their job. Even though, plastic surgery is sometimes performed for vanity, it has help patients to be able to walk again and to be pain free.

Aging is part of life and it should not be something painful to think about it however society has an extreme standard of beauty where thinness and muscular is the ideal body image. Yet it is such an unrealistic idea and many people fall down in that idea and think that their lives would be much happier if they only had that type of body (Barke). Many elderly people find themselves in that situation, that if only they had larger breast, or less wrinkles in the case of women and fresh bodies in man they would be happier and feel more confident with themselves. Experts say, "some reasons for surgery in elderly is for potential mates, and they want their feathers to look their freshest" (Ellie). It is certainly true, as people age they find it more difficult to find a mate because of their appearance. In the case of people who are still working some find it difficult to find a job because they are not youthful contenders (Dawn).

However, nowadays having wrinkles, or smaller breast has become just the person's choice since plastic surgery can repair almost any part of the body. Despite having the accessibility to surgery, patients should be well aware of the health risks and the consequences that surgery might bring them. In the year 2010 about 85,000 surgeries were done to patients over 65 years old (Ellin). Any type of surgery has health risk nevertheless; in elderly patients the risk is even higher due to the medical problems that they might have such as diabetes, high blood pressure and artery diseases. For that reason Dr. Regan from the University of Illinois says "Only seniors who are healthy and active are excellent surgical candidates, yet there are numerous red flags to look for in medical records before doing a surgery". Many patients have died in cosmetic surgeries, because the doctors did not take into consideration the patient's health (Dawn). Additionally, in elderly patients it takes much longer for their skin to heal completely than in