As we get older, the body has a reduced ability to produce estrogen that increases oils and collagen in the skin. When women reach their 50s, they usually enter menopause, when the skin’s collagen levels start to fall.
When it comes to looking our best with cosmetic surgery after 50, there are many options. Women who want to look years younger often choose various plastic surgery procedures to turn back the clock.
Below are three of the most popular options for women over 50 – the facelift, eye lift, and rhinoplasty.
Facelift
A facelift, also called rhytidectomy, is a popular plastic surgery procedure for women over 50 because it can dramatically reduce lines and wrinkles on the face and neck. A facelift also can do the following:
- Relaxation of the facial skin over the years that causes drooping and sagging
- Deepening fold lines between the corners of the mouth and nose
- Facial fat that has fallen to the lower face or has disappeared
- Development of jowls in the jaw and cheeks
- Extra fat and loose skin in the neck that may create a ‘turkey neck’ or double chin
Losing that youthful look in the face can be caused by many things, including thinning skin, losing facial fat, gravity, sun exposure, stress, heredity, and smoking.
During the facelift procedure, your plastic surgeon pulls back a skin flap on each side of the face. Next, tissues below the skin are changed to improve facial contours to make the patient look younger. Finally, excess skin is removed before suturing.
Some patients may also consider a neck lift during a facelift to reduce sagging neck skin.
According to Beverly Hills plastic surgeon Dr. Nicholas Lahar, “While a facelift can make a substantial difference in a woman’s face, please remember it won’t change your general appearance or slow the aging process.” However, he adds, a facelift’s results can last for 10 years or more.
Also, note that a ‘liquid facelift’ using dermal fillers can reduce some signs of aging. However, you need a surgical facelift for the most substantial and long-lasting results.
Eyelid Lift
As our skin ages, it loses elasticity. That issue combined with gravity can cause extra skin to form on the upper and lower eyelids.
An eyelid lift, also known as blepharoplasty, is another popular plastic surgery procedure that enhances the appearance of the upper and lower eyelids. Some of the reasons women opt for eyelid surgery are:
- Sagging or loose skin that makes folds or changes in the contours of the upper lids, which may interfere with vision. This issue also can make you look tired all the time.
- Fat deposits on the lower eyelids, leading to bags under the eyes.
- Drooping lower slides that show the whites of the eyes below the iris.
- Fine wrinkles and extra skin on the lower eyelid.
If you decide to have eyelid lift surgery, your plastic surgeon will remove extra skin and fat through small incisions with specialized surgical instruments. Fat in the lower eyelids may be redistributed to reduce puffiness, as well.
The result of eyelid surgery is a brighter, more awake-looking appearance that can take years off your face.
Rhinoplasty
Rhinoplasty also called a ‘nose job,’ optimizes the proportions and shape of the nose. It also can address breathing issues caused by a deviated septum.
Some of the reasons patients choose this procedure include:
- Reduce the size of the nose to provide a more balanced facial appearance
- Change the width of the nose at the bridge, or the position and size of the nostrils
- Profile of the nose if it has humps on bridge depressions
- An enlarged or bulbous nasal tip
- Large, upturned, or wide nostrils
- Nasal asymmetry
In a rhinoplasty, your plastic surgeon will make several incisions inside the nose and remove cartilage and bone as they change the supporting nasal structures. Next, your surgeon can perform a tip graft with cartilage to remake how the tip looks to provide a more aesthetical appearance.
Your surgeon may perform an open or endonasal rhinoplasty. Open rhinoplasty features incisions made on the outside of the nose with a small incision under the nose between your nostrils.
Surgeons prefer this option because it provides more access to the internal nasal structures and an easier route to manipulate bone and cartilage. There is a small scar at the base of the nose that is difficult to see once it has healed.
Endonasal rhinoplasty uses incisions made on the inside of the nose only. These incisions are hidden, so there is no visible scar.
Surgeons who prefer this method say it allows better dissection of the tissues in the nose and better visualization of the internal structure.
If you’re a woman over 50 and decide to have a facelift, eyelid surgery, or rhinoplasty, your face will regain some of its youthful appearance, which can give you a boost of self-confidence. For more information, talk to your board-certified plastic surgeon today.
