Rise of the grandma surgery

Age is no barrier when it comes to beauty. and whether you blame it on people living longer or being more looks-conscious, more female senior citizens are going under the knife in the US. According to 2015 statistics from the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, 143,000 Americans did so last year. Facelifts and cosmetic eyelid surgeries have doubled among those 65 and over in the last two decades, causing the coining of the term Grandma plastic surgery.

Everyone wants to look their best

Dr Bindu Sthalekar, Consultant Dermatologist and Cosmetologist, Hurkisondas Hospital and Skin Solutions Clinic says, “Trends are changing all over the world including India and everyone wants to look their best irrespective of their age. With a plethora of safe and effective anti-ageing treatments available, more women above 65 are open to doing these treatments. This trend is seen in India as well. Because the woman of 65 years of yesteryear is equivalent to a 45-year-old of this generation. Over 20 per cent of our patients are above the age of 65. They commonly want anti-ageing treatments like Botox, fillers, thread lifts, skin tightening with HIFU, Ulthera, lasers which would reverse the signs of ageing, and give them a natural appearance. Some of them are also willing to go for liposuction, body contouring, tummy tuck, breast and butt augmentation,” explains Dr Sthalekar.

First want non-surgical options

Dr Mohan Thomas, Senior Cosmetic Surgeon, Cosmetic Surgery Institute and Breach Candy Hospital says while there is a rise in this number in India, it’s nowhere near the statistics from the US. “Over the last five to seven years we have seen the numbers increase partly because people live longer. There’s a saying — Nobody minds having grand children but nobody wants to be a grandmother. Looking better empowers grandparents. A fair number come to us, not only above 65 but a few over 75 as well. Their first choice are non- surgical procedures and non-surgical skin tightening procedures like Ultherapy. Skin lightening procedures like peels and Glutathione therapy are on the rise. Those who have had significant ageing changes want surgery around the eyes and face lifts.”

Various face lifts are popular

Dr Geeta Mehra, dermatologist and founder of Skin and You clinic, Nariman Point says that they do non-surgical facelifts for many patients in the 60 to 65 years age group. “There are various kinds. The Endoscopic face lift, also known as the anti-gravity lift, is a surgical procedure able to provide a natural, more youthful and refreshed appearance to the face. The procedure involves introduction of an endoscope through the hair line which helps guide the surgeon to help reposition the tissues. A liquid facelift — hyaluronic acid is commonly used to fill wrinkles in the face and neck areas and also as a facelift treatment by using it for hydration for full face. Vampire facelift is popularly known as skin saviour at old age. It is long lasting, improves collagen production, works on pigmentation and gives a youthful refreshed glow.”

Wrinkles and age spots of concern

Plastic/cosmetic surgery for older people is fairly routine in most developed nations and is catching up in India, says Dr Sanjay Parashar, Consultant Plastic Surgeon, Cocoona Centre for Aesthetic Transformations, Dubai and India.  “Ageing causes a lot of changes in the face of a person. The years of sun exposure causes pigmentation, wrinkles, age spots etc. Often people complain of looking tired and haggard despite living healthy. They want their undereye bags reduced, fewer wrinkles, skin improved. Women undergo more procedures than men. Depending on the individual’s problem, there are procedures to reduce wrinkles such as fillers, neuromodulators, lasers and finally face lift, neck lift and eyelid lift that can take years of their face,” he says.