SECOND-TIME FACELIFTS
AS SAFE AS ORIGINAL PROCEDURE, ASPS STUDY SAYS OLDER PATIENTS
SPECIAL NEEDS CONSIDERED FOR SUCCESSFUL SURGERY.
November 3, 2002
Facelift recipients have yet another
reason to smile while looking younger thanks to a study finding
that a person's second facelift is as safe as the original procedure.
The study was presented today at the ASPS/PSEF/ASMS 71st Annual
Scientific Meeting in San Antonio.
The 101 study participants, ranging
from 40 to 81 years old, with an average age of 60, experienced
a 2 percent complication rate. This is comparable to first-time
facelift patients who on average are younger and healthier. Also,
despite 75 percent of the participants choosing to have additional
procedures during the facelift, such as laser resurfacing and
eyelid surgery, the second-time facelift patients experienced
no additional significant complications.
"With the increasing population
of facelift recipients, the plastic surgery community has started
to see not only older patients, but also patients coming back
for a second facelift," stated Alan Matarasso, MD, in practice
in Manhattan and clinical associate professor of plastic surgery
for Albert Einstein College of Medicine. "Through this study,
we found that secondary facelifts in older patients combined with
added cosmetic procedures are safe. However, we also found there
are special considerations with older patients such as medical
conditions and surgical techniques."
A more extensive medical evaluation
prior to surgery is the first step to ensure a safe procedure
with older patients. Patients older than 60 often have medical
conditions that could require alterations in the surgical plan
- the most common condition being high blood pressure.
Another consideration for older patients
is how surgical techniques differ from first-time facelift patients.
Often, a second-time facelift patient's skin is thinner and the
elasticity of the tissue has diminished as a natural progression
of aging, according to Dr. Matarasso. Older patients also are
more prone to lose hair and an incision within the hairline could
generate hair loss. In addition, he says less correction is needed
with the deeper layers of the tissue because they were already
rejuvenated in the first facelift.
"As the population of facelift
recipients ages, it stands to reason that more patients will be
not only seeking out their second facelift, but perhaps a third,"
said Dr. Matarasso. "Age, once perceived as a potential barrier
to cosmetic surgery, no longer has to be. Patients of all ages
now can feel confident having facelifts with board-certified plastic
surgeons, allowing them to look and feel younger."
ASPS, founded in 1931, is the largest
plastic surgery organization in the world and the foremost authority
on cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgery. ASPS represents
physicians certified by The American Board of Plastic Surgery
(ABPS) or The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada.
For referrals to ABPS-certified plastic surgeons in your area
and to learn more about cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgery,
call the ASPS at (888) 4-PLASTIC (1-888-475-2784) or visit www.plasticsurgery.org.
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