Tuck ‘N’ Stitch

YourNewBodyBlog.com features two eminent Beverly Hills plastic surgeons, Dr. Stuart Linder and Dr. Robert Kotler.

Here, we know Dr. Kotler as the “FaceDocBlogger” because his work as a surgeon is devoted to plastic surgery of the face and neck. For instance, Dr. Kotler has performed over 4,000 rhinoplasty procedures. Meanwhile, we call Dr. Linder our “BodyDocBlogger” because he has a plastic surgery practice limited to only bodily plastic surgery, such as breast augmentation and tummy tuck surgery.

Exclusive to YourNewBodyBlog.com, doctors Linder and Kotler appear here most weeks as the ultimate plastic surgery insiders with unique takes on the news, trends and practices in cosmetic plastic surgery.

This Week:

What to Do if You are 60 — and Want to Look 45

When the Beatles sang, Will You Still Need Me….When I’m 64, they were not thinking about plastic surgery. But many 60-something people are thinking about it and go under the knife and, after healing, look like 45-year-olds….as long as they have observed a healthy lifestyle.

Here, Tuck ‘n’ Stitch tell which surgical rejuvenation procedures 60ish people often request to help keep them looking youthful. The doctors also include a few pointers and pit falls to watch out for while undergoing plastic surgery.

BodyDocBlogger: I’ll defer to you, doctor, because most people in that age group are interested in facial procedures.

FaceDocBlogger: Thank you, doctor. Most people approaching, or already in, their 60s and 50s are interested in face lifts. However, make sure your surgeon not only trims away excess skin but also lifts the tissues under the skin up toward the crown of your head. Otherwise, if only the skin is tightened, the end result is a “wind blown” look that does not look natural.

BodyDocBlogger: Tell them about those-oft maligned nasolabial creases on the older face, doctor.

FaceDocBlogger: Gladly. One feature that makes a person look older is the deep crease that runs from the corners of the nose to the outside edges of the mouth. It is a real mistake for a surgeon to try and pull the facial skin tight to make that crease go away. In some cases, the skin is pulled so tight, the patient’s eyes almost look Asian! A better answer is using facial fillers to plump out the nasolabial creases.

BodyDocBlogger: In the world of plastic surgery body procedures, the companion to the overly tight face lift is the overly tight tummy tuck. So beware of the surgeon who takes too much skin from the lower tummy. That can make the belly button almost disappear and cause the skin look like it is made of wax.

FaceDocBlogger: Let me add a little more about the nasolabial fold. That facial crease is hugely disliked so it has been the plague of cosmetic surgery for many years. In fact, the reason many facelifts have been pulled so tight is to get rid of that one feature. But the arrival of so many types of facial fillers has been a boon to cosmetic surgeons and their patients. Some fillers remove the nasolabial fold permanently. (Read more about ArteFill.)

BodyDocBlogger: It is very common to see a 60ish patient who wants her large 20-year-old breast implants removed and replaced with something smaller. Usually, her older implants made her look too matronly. Smaller implants — and perhaps a breast lift — make the woman look smaller, thinner, trimmer and, overall, more youthful.

FaceDocBlogger: I don’t want to sound like a broken record here, but I have more to say on overly tight face lifts: In some cases, a wrinkled face is the reason a surgeon has pulled the skin too tight. However, wrinkles are a different condition than sagging flesh and need a different treatment, which is usually a chemical or laser peel that resurfaces the skin.

BodyDocBlogger: Getting back to the body, many women approaching their sixth decade show up in my office asking for liposuction of the hips, often along with the inner and outer thighs. That procedure improves the figure and lessens the matronly look.

FaceDocBlogger: Yet another technique to turn the clock back from a 60ish appearance is upper and lower eyelid surgery. The skin of the upper eyelids become loose and saggy with age, while the wall that holds the fat back in the lower eyelids becomes weak and allows under eye bags to form on the face.

BodyDocBlogger: Doctor, I understand you have a special procedure for repairing loose necks, double chins and jowls that tend to become loose around the 60th birthday.

FaceDocBlogger: Yes, indeed. I make a small incision under the chin and perform some liposuction of the fat that creates the jowls. The body structure that causes a double chin is a loosen muscle known as the platysma. I liposuction any fat there, make the muscle tighter by shortening it and then suturing it like a corset. Patients who respond the best have skin that will spring back into place when the excess tissues under the neck are removed.

Have a question for FaceDocBlogger or BodyDocBlogger? Let us know and we’ll do our best to have it answered. Feel free to leave your comments below!