How would you feel if your mom or grandma said they were
going to get breast augmentation or a facelift?
Would you be shocked, disturbed or supportive? Whether you like it or
not, the older generations like the Baby Boomers are having plastic surgery to
maintain or revamp their appearance. They’ve thought about it long and hard,
they have disposable income and they’re sure about their decisions.
While a lot of media attention has been on teenagers and
plastic surgery lately, we can’t overlook that older generations make up a
large chunk of those who get plastic surgery. In 2014, people between the ages
of 51-64 made up 24% of the total surgical procedures performed in the U.S. That’s 433,517
procedures performed on this age group. People who were age 65 and up accounted
for 7.9% of total surgical procedures. That’s 138,612 procedures.
Why Baby Boomers Want
Plastic Surgery In The First Place
Dr. Mulholland, a Toronto plastic surgeon, says that Baby Boomers (those who were born in 1946-1964) are an interesting generation.
“Their mothers and grandmothers were the descendants of a religious work ethic.
They were more accepting of life and aging. It was a matter of what God had
dealt them in life,” he says. The Baby Boomers are totally different from their
mothers in terms of attitudes. He says these women want a certain quality of
life and will achieve it on their own if they have to.
Dr. Mulholland sees many female clients in their 40s at
SpaMedica. “They’re far less likely to be manipulated by the media—and the
media’s idea of beauty—than women who are a generation younger,” he says. They’re
not coming in for treatments because they want to look like a certain
celebrity. It stems from their dissatisfaction of their looks compared to the
rest of their lives. Simply put, they want the whole package. They have an
active life, family and fulfilling career; they want their appearance to
reflect how they feel inside.
Dr. Mulholland appeared on Global news to talk about women in their 60s getting breast augmentation.
Which Plastic Surgery
Procedures Are These Women Having?
Some of the most popular procedures amongst this group are
breast augmentation and liposuction. After having children, a lot of women deal
with stubborn fat or a loss of volume in their breasts. For these reasons, they
seek procedures that can enhance their bodies. For non-surgical procedures, the
Pan G lift is another common treatment that’s performed. The Pan G Lift
provides similar results that a facelift would give without surgery.
After seeing so many career-oriented women at SpaMedica, Dr.
Mulholland knows the main reason why these women are making appointments. It’s
not about trying to look good for their partner. “They want it for themselves.
They want to look the way they feel.”
Does this image look familiar to you? It probably does. The Dove
Campaign for Real beauty which was launched in 2004 is meant to challenge
limited notions of what beauty means and empower women of all ages, colours and
sizes. Sure, this social movement for women is important for discussion on body
image and perceptions—but what about men? Do they even have body image issues? Do they even get plastic surgery?
Of course they do. We just don’t talk about it very much.
By
focusing on female bodies so intensely, men and body image issues are easily
overlooked. There’s insane pressure for women to look a certain way, and some
men feel this pressure to a certain degree as well. The standard created by
society for men is to be at least six feet tall and muscular but lean—which
pretty much describes Ryan Gosling. As a woman, even I know that’s unfair.
However, not all women would agree with this ideal.
The study below reveals that men think women like a muscular body when they actually prefer an ordinary body.
Men and
Women Don’t Agree on the Ideal Physique of a Man
According
to the study “Body Image Perception Among Men in Three Countries”, the authors
found that men in their 20s in Europe and the U.S desired a body that was about
28 pounds more muscular than themselves. They also assumed women preferred a
male body about 30 pounds more muscular than themselves.
Fascinated
by these results, the authors presented images of male bodies to 43 college
women in Austria. They asked them to choose which body they preferred. Instead
of picking a muscular body, they chose average-looking bodies. As noted by the
authors, the men think women like a certain body type when they actually prefer
an ordinary body.
Men and
Body Image Disorders
Men aren’t immune to body image disorders. Muscle dysmorphia is
a disorder in which a person worries about looking too frail or weak. Even if
they are already muscular, they constantly fear they look too weak and
compulsively exercise. This disorder can interfere with a person’s job,
studies, friendships and relationships as they obsessively worry about what
others think of their “small” bodies.
Source: bodybuilding.com
In another study, 24
men with muscle dysmorphia answered questions related to their habits and
behaviour. Half of them said they spent more than three hours a day thinking
about their muscularity. One man said he missed his high school reunion because
he was afraid people would mock his “smallness.”
Men Demand Cosmetic Procedures Now More Than Ever
More men are willing to change their looks through cosmetic
procedures now. For the longest time, it was generally assumed that men don’t
feel compelled to get plastic surgery like women do. That’s not the case now. Since
2010, there have been dramatic increases in these procedures for men:
blepharoplasty, male breast reduction and facelifts. Since ASAPS started collecting statistical data in 1997, they’ve seen a 273% increase in
the number of procedures performed on men.
While we don’t talk about men and body image as often as we
should, it doesn’t mean it isn’t a problem. The lack of attention on this topic
indicates that we as a society don’t see this problem significant—yet. Who
knows, maybe there will be a campaign for men and masculinity in the future? It
may be a stretch but it would certainly be refreshing to see.
Dr. Mulholland makes many media appearances throughout the
year to talk about the latest trends and news on cosmetic plastic surgery. He recently
was live on air with Newstalk 1010 with Barb DiGiulio to answer callers’ questions
regarding plastic surgery.
The segment was nearly an hour long and was jammed with interesting
information—they talked about if a person can be too young for plastic surgery,
advice on how to pick the right surgeon, and provided answers to questions
about different surgical and non-surgical procedures. Dr. Mulholland also
shared that when he first opened SpaMedica in 1996, he only saw two men for
treatments that whole year. Now men make up 20% of the clientele. “Men are
extremely vein and we just don’t about it,” he says.
Below are just a few tidbits of what Dr. Mulholland, the host
and callers discussed that night. You can also listen to the full show here.
Kelly, the first caller of the night, mentioned she had been
researching on how to reduce the bags under her eyes. She says she’s aged
prematurely because of many difficult life events that have happened over the
years. Her main concern was how long recovery time would be after blepharoplasty.
Dr. Mulholland of SpaMedica in Toronto
Dr. Mulholland: Non-surgical options like soft tissue
fillers and some laser treatments can help reduce the appearance of eye bags.
Get these treatments done on a Friday afternoon and you can return back to work
on Monday looking much more rested.
For more permanent results, consider having a lower lid
blepharoplasty. It removes the fat pads under the eyes and tightens the skin
around it. Bruising will occur, so having 7 days off from work to
recover would be suggested.
Would I be okay to do
bending or lifting at work after surgery?
Dr. Mulholland: In the first 3-4 days, there are
some delicate blood vessels that are sealed. If you bend over and strain, it
raises the blood pressure around your eyes which could cause some bleeding.
Generally, as long as you’re not a world-class bodybuilding who deadlifts 180
pounds, you can carry office space boxes within a few days.
Source: SpaMedica. This patient had lower lid blepharoplasty to remove the fat pads under her eyes.
How much would lower
lid blepharoplasty cost?
Dr. Mulholland: There’s a range in the city and in
the country. In general, two lids—whether it’s two upper lids or two lower lids—is
going to start at about $2,500.00 and might go as high as $6,000.00 depending
on how aged that lower lid is and the practice in the city.
Let’s say you do the upper and lower lid combination, it’s
called a quad bleph or four lid blepharoplasty. That’s usually in the $4,000.00
to $8,000.00 range depending on the practice in the city.
Another caller asked about scarring after surgery as a person
of colour.
Are there usually any
scars that are seen after any kind of plastic surgery for people of colour?
Dr. Mulholland: Dark skin individuals are prone to
pigmentation disorder like brown discolouration and scars that are usually much
darker than their surrounding skin. Whether it’s breast augmentation, a
facelift, liposuction or a tummy tuck, things need to be hidden extremely well
when you have darker skin that you know is not going to heal favourably.
Caucasian skin is often prone to scars that are red and
raised. Attention to placement is one of the tricks of plastic surgery school. One
of the first steps to plastic surgery is deciding with your plastic surgeon what
procedure, approach and incision is going to work best for you.
Thinking
about surgery seriously? Dr. Mulholland shared advice on how to start research.
What is the process somebody goes
through if they want to do a consultation with you?
Dr. Mulholland: The first step is to start your research online.
Make some searches on Google on who you should see and then
pick three practices. Look on websites like RealSelf or Yelp and see what
people are saying about these physicians and practices.
Go on websites like The College of Physicians and Surgeons of
Ontario and make sure there’s no complaints and the physician’s in good
standing.
Interview the doctors as much as you can since you’re going
to have a history and physical. You want to ask certain questions:
How long you been in practice?
How many of these procedures have you
done?
What complications have
happened?
If a complication happens to
me, how is it managed?
Make sure there are good before and after photos. Make sure you can talk to patients. At the
end of the day, you just got to feel right.
You should have a good sense that this is the right physician and team
for you.
Kylie Jenner
has made headlines for months because of her notably larger lips. She’s
recently admitted that she had lip injections to plump them up (after repeatedly
denying it). The host asked Dr. Mulholland what he thought about teenagers and
plastic surgery.
We’re seeing a lot of stuff happening
with teenagers, how young is too young?
Dr. Mulholland: Every plastic surgeon would have a
different answer to that, but as a father of six children, it’s tough enough to
be a teenager and come to terms with your sense of self without complicating it
with cosmetic surgery and without succumbing to peer pressure and paradigms of
beauty.
It can be quite unhealthy so I’m a big believer that you
should be a voting adult and that you should be at least 19 before considering
plastic surgery. You should have carefully thought these things out and it
shouldn't be a spontaneous decision.
Now, having said that, there are always exceptions to the rule. If you’re a young woman and you have a
pathological condition like Poland Syndrome (where you don’t form a breast on one
side and you do on the other) It’s really a hereditary congenital abnormality,
so that might be a situation of circumstance where you might consider it.
Or maybe you’ve had trauma and you broke your nose or you
were born with an extremely large bump and it is way outside the spectrum of
what would be considered normal variant, you might consider those extreme
circumstances. But I think as a rule, it’s a bad idea to mix teenagers and
cosmetic surgery.
Countries in Europe, Asia and South America attract thousands
of visitors from around the world to get cosmetic work done. Why is that? One
reason is because people are drawn to the competitive prices of the plastic
surgery procedures these countries offer. Instead of paying full price for a
facelift (that would cost between $6,000-$12,000 in Canada), a facelift would
start from $1,900 in Brazil. That’s a big difference in cost and it’s just one
of the factors why we’re seeing so many people travel abroad for surgery. Below
are some countries that have seen an increase in foreign tourists mainly for
plastic surgery.
Brazil
Did you know that Brazil has the most cosmetic surgeons in
the world? While getting plastic surgery here in North America is oftentimes
met with stigma, that’s not the case in Brazil. Getting a procedure here and
there in Brazil is really no big deal.
The Brazillian government has even made cosmetic surgeries
deductible from income tax, according to an ABC
News article. Discounts are backdated for surgeries that go far back as
2004. Brazil has also flourished economically in the last ten years—salaries
and disposable incomes are higher. A lot of people choose to spend that money
to enhance their looks. As for medical
tourists, they’re treated well and aren’t met with any judgment. Cosmetic
surgery is culturally accepted and is even regarded as a symbol of status.
Colombia
Colombia started to build facilities strictly for medical
tourists after they saw their safety and tourism improve. Right now, about
20,000 tourists visit the country each year for plastic surgery procedures.
This number is expected to increase. To sweeten the deal for foreigners, there
are packages that include an apartment, chef, housekeeper and a combination of
three surgeries for $10,000.
Source: allkpop.com. Psy's huge hit "Gangnam Style" went viral in 2012.
South Korea
South Koreans are the most cosmetically enhanced people in
the world. Like Brazil, getting plastic surgery is really common. The Gangnam District
in Seoul has 500 clinics closely located to each other—it’s like walking in a
plastic surgery wonderland. The country sees thousands of visitors from
countries like China or the U.S strictly for surgery. South Korea is well-known
for its highly skilled and innovative plastic surgeons and clinics.
Out of all foreign patients, Chinese patients accounted for
26.5% of them. They also spent the most money in the Korean medical industry in
2013 (1.02 trillion won). By the end of this year, it’s expected that 400,000 people
will visit South Korea just for medical procedures.
Safety and Risks
Safety is a real risk factor to think about when travelling
abroad for cosmetic surgery. “Sometimes unqualified surgeons, or people that
aren’t even doctors, try to do procedures without the expertise or the
credentials which increases the risk for patients,” says Dr. Lina Triana,
president of the Colombian Plastic Surgery Society, who was quoted in Colombia Reports. Just about anyone can create
a website to advertise skills and services they might not even be capable of.
Another possibility to consider is the possibility of
something going wrong after your surgery. If you return home and an infection
or medical concern arises, it’s not like you can easily drop by your doctor’s
office. They may be thousands of miles away. If you don’t speak the native
language, communicating with the medical staff could be difficult. Keep these points
in mind and remember that it’s never a bad idea to research extensively before
agreeing to go under the knife, even if it’s at a cheaper price.
We’ve all got our vices. Maybe you like to unwind after work
with a glass of wine or a pint of cold, crisp beer. Or you sneak in a cigarette
here and there (there’s no judgment here at all!) But if you’re fresh out of a plastic
surgery procedure like a rhinoplasty or tummy tuck, you’re going to have to cut
out these habits for at least a few weeks. That’s because these habits can
prolong your recovery and increase your chances of complications which is
something you and your plastic surgeon don’t want.
It might be tempting to cave in and enjoy a drink after surgery, but you'll have to wait a few weeks.
Drinking
After a successful procedure, perhaps you want to celebrate
with a glass of bubbly but unfortunately, you really shouldn’t. Drinking
alcohol is known to cause problems when you’re recovering after a procedure.
First off, you’ll be dehydrated after surgery. Alcohol is known to cause
dehydration, and if you drink, you’ll just lose more fluid from organs that
need it.
Drinking alcohol also increases your risks of swelling because
your blood vessels widen. If your cheeks or nose tend to get red and flushed
after drinking—and you just had rhinoplasty—you could be susceptible to swelling
if you drink after your operation. You might be seeking a buzz or craving to
let loose, but drinking after rhinoplasty will only cause pain and prolong your
recovery time.
So when can you drink again? That all depends on what
procedure you had, your medical history and what your plastic surgeon recommends.
Plastic surgeons often tell their patients to stop smoking several weeks before and after surgery.
Smoking
Many plastic surgeons will tell their patients to quit
smoking at least a month before and after certain procedures. These common but
complex procedures where surgeons would tell you to stop smoking beforehand
include: breast lifts, breast reductions, tummy tucks and facelifts. This is
because skin and tissue is moved around, thus changing the blood supply of the
tissues. When performing these procedures, surgeons have to ensure there’s enough
blood flow through blood vessels—cigarette smoke negatively affects blood flow.
The nicotine in cigarettes causes blood vessels to
constrict, which affects your blood flow. Nicotine can also cause blood clots
which all factors into a decrease of blood supply to tissues, poorly healed
wounds and serious complications.
Smoking before your surgery has many known side effects like
dealing with a longer recovery time and worsened scars.
Avoid vigorous exercising like running and heavy weight lifting after surgery.
Exercising
You probably didn’t expect to see this habit after reading
the first two. Even a “good” habit could be a hindrance to your procedure results
and recovery period. You might be anxious to start hitting the gym, but that
will have to wait for a few weeks. Intense exercise soon after surgery can
cause serious complications like swelling, inflammation, infection or
post-operative scarring.
Depending on the procedure you had, most plastic surgeons
will recommend that patients wait at least six weeks before getting back into
their regular exercise routines. You don’t have to quit exercising altogether
though; light exercise such as short walks during the day is fine. Over the
weeks, you can ease into your regular routine and increase the intensity of
your workouts once you’ve hit the sixth week after surgery.
It might be hard to resist that drink or cigarette when
there are different parties and occasions happening, but it’s just not worth
risking your health or results.
Everyone always says it every year, but 2014 has really gone
by so fast. In a matter of hours,
we’ll be ringing in a new year. Have you accomplished some of your resolutions?
That’s great if you did, and it’s still fine if you didn’t. New Year
resolutions are always about improving yourself or your circumstances. It’s a
good time to try to set goals to live and look better than the year before.
Why not start with making beauty resolutions to have even
better skin for 2015? Whether that means getting rid of wrinkles, hair or
tattoos you don’t want, we have a list of treatments you should try out. Below
are non-surgical treatments that can firm and clear up your skin so you look
awesome all year round.
Botox
Source: SpaMedica. Before and after photo of a patient who had Botox
When Botox first emerged a few decades ago, many people were
skeptical of the treatment. “Is it safe?” “Won’t it just make my face look
frozen?” Patients and the media frequently asked these questions. There’s no
doubt that some people are still reserved about Botox, but the attitude towards
it is much more relaxed today with so much information available now. And plus,
it’s the most popular non-surgical treatment year after year.
Botox, a purified protein named botulinum toxin A, relaxes
muscle areas by blocking nerves impulses which trigger contractions. This helps
to soften wrinkles on your face. Results usually last up to 6 months.
It’s like maintenance—a few injections of Botox here and
there will keep unwanted wrinkles and lines away. It’s pretty common for people
in their 20s to get Botox to prevent wrinkles from showing up in the first
place. These treatments have been called “pre-juvenation”.
Laser Hair Removal
Source: SpaMedica. Before and after photo of a patient who had laser hair removal
Who doesn’t like smooth skin? It’s a hassle to constantly
shave and wax every couple of days and weeks. Maybe you’re frustrated with always
busting out the razors to scrape away hair during the summer. Laser hair removal is a way to quit that routine for good.
With faster and better lasers,
men can get the hair on their backs removed within 20 minutes. Hair on a
woman’s whole body could be removed within that same amount of time. To
permanently remove 80% of the hair, patients should expect to have 4-5 laser
hair removal sessions. Different lasers and wavelengths are used depending on
your skin and hair type.
With age and genetics comes droopy skin. Maybe you’ve noticed
that your neck or cheeks don’t look as firm and tight as they did before.
SpaMedica is equipped with several non-surgical treatments that combat loose
skin. These treatments can treat your face or different areas on your body.
Source: SpaMedica. Before and after photo of a patient who had non-surgical liposuction
Body
Exilis is one of the available non-surgical fat reduction
and skin tightening treatments to firm up your body. It’s a device that uses
radiofrequency to contour your body and reduce fat without surgical
intervention. Drop in the clinic once a week for 4-6 weeks and after that,
you’ll see improvement in your figure and skin. These treatments are great
alternative options for people who don’t want to deal with recovery time or
surgery like liposuction and tummy tucks.
Face
If a facelift is out of the question for you, then be happy
that the Pan G Lift is an amazing non-surgical alternative to firm up your skin.
It’s a series of treatments that uses radiofrequency energy, ultrasound and
more to lift your face and neck without any need for cuts.
The Pan G Lift lifts
up droopy brows, cheeks, jowls and neck—it also targets other skin concerns
such as wrinkles and spider veins. Each treatment lasts for one hour. Right
after your appointment, you can go back to work or normal activities. It’s that
simple.
Laser Tattoo Removal
Source: SpaMedica. Before and after photo of a patient who had laser tattoo removal.
So what if wrinkles or droopiness isn’t even your concern?
Maybe getting rid of a tattoo is on your mind. Starting off the New Year by erasing
an embarrassing or poorly designed tattoo is a pretty good way to renew
yourself in 2015. Long gone is the idea that tattoos are forever; that’s far
from the case now with the booming laser tattoo removal industry.
The PicoSure
laser is the latest laser in the industry that’s annihilating tattoos better
and faster than before. With the PicoSure, the amount of treatments you’ll need
is cut dramatically compared to other lasers. After 4 treatments, you can see
90% of your tattoo cleared. Compare that number to older lasers that require up
to 16 treatments for tattoo clearance.
Start The Year With Enhanced Skin
If enhancing your skin and appearance is on your mind as
beauty resolutions for the New Year, we hope we’ve provided some good options
and insight for you to look into. Leave a comment or book an appointment online
if you have any questions! Happy New Year and best wishes for all you lovely people.
