Face Forward

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I was at the park this weekend trying to enjoy watching my children play sports, but the South Florida heat made it a little difficult to focus and concentrate on the game.  My inattention to the game suddenly turned to interest in a conversation by a group of women who were obviously more interested in this years fall fashion than the score of the game at hand.  This conversation quickly turned into a discussion on one of their "friends" (who was not present), less than perfect face lift.  At this point I had to turn to look at this group of women, as they are mostly my age, and I am no where near needing a face lift, so I thought.  This got me thinking about the thoughts and decision making process that must go through peoples heads as they contemplate cosmetic surgery.  Is it ever too early or when is it too much?  Over time as surgical techniques have evolved, it has certainly become a lot easier to start earlier.  In my own practice I have had to adjust to the needs of the modern cosmetic patient.  Patients now want minimally invasive and little to no down time.
 
There are always going to be those people that are completely against cosmetic surgery no matter what the procedure.  As long as they don't judge, everyone is entitled to their opinion.  So when is it to early to visit your friendly neighborhood cosmetic surgeon?  I think the number one question that first has to be answered is a personal one.  Am I mature enough to have realistic expectations of the particular procedure I am contemplating?  Believe me, I have had the pleasure of treating patients in their 60's that unfortunately are less mature than my 2 year old, who is now a "big boy," by the way, since he got potty trained.  If you can answer "yes" to that question, you might be ok to have something done to make you feel better about yourself.  The average patient in my practice seeking some sort of cosmetic improvement for the first time is in his or her late forties and early fifties. It seems that's the age most people start to look in the mirror and  stop recognizing their youthful self.  Why not just age gracefully?  My answer to that is to ask another question, why not age gracefully and look good doing it?  There's nothing wrong with loving yourself as is with no intervention, but if you would feel better with something as simple as a few injections, why not?  To answer why not, though, you need to go back to answer my original question, are you mature enough?
 
So what are your options if you think you got it together and are ready to take the first step towards holding on to your youthful appearance as long as possible?  There are so many wonderful procedures that can be done in a few minutes and make a great difference.  Procedures as simple and effective such as Botox and fillers can help you turn back the hands of time and can usually be done during your lunch break.  These types of procedures are usually the stepping stones towards a more permanent intervention like a face lift.
 
The youngest person I have performed a facelift on was in her mid to late forties.  Why so young you ask? Well, this particular patient actually had realistic expectations and was a busy professional who was looking for a more long term improvement.  Thankfully, the newer techniques we use are so minimally invasive that we can now do a mini-face-lift while you're awake! No, my name is not Dr. Frankenstein and I don't get pleasure from torturing patients, but I do love to be able to make an impact on someones life with very little risk at all and allow them to go to lunch after the procedure.  While I do practice in a city that was once voted the countries vainest city, there's no need to advertise to the world, "look at me, I just stepped out of the "wind tunnel," and with the new procedures you look more natural and refreshed as opposed to looking like a few celebrities out there that shall remain nameless.  So this patient was a perfect candidate and instead of trying to catch up to her youthful face in the future she decided to maintain it. 
 
In future blogs I'll go into more details about each individual procedure and what to expect, but for now, if you think you're ready to take that next step towards looking and feeling great, make an appointment to speak to your favorite cosmetic surgeon and put your best face forward.

C. Gonzalez-Rivera M.D.

Practicing physician, educator and leader in regenerative medicine