According to a blog post from the The American Society for Aesthetic and Plastic Surgery blog, more people are electing to have plastic surgery procedures at later ages. Of course, the success and safety of plastic surgery at later ages depends upon the individual’s overall health.

Here’s a bit from the article:

Americans are living longer than ever. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the average life expectancy for Americans is now 78.5 years. And with this increased rate comes new questions concerning lifestyle, fitness and beauty.

“The most noteworthy aspect about all this is not just that people are living longer but living better,” Dr. Gary Kennedy, director of geriatric psychiatry at Montefiore Medical Center, told the New York Times. “At the same time, people are living a longer active lifespan. Seniors are healthier, more active and economically better off than they ever have been.”

The fact that people are living longer may mean more seniors are opting for plastic surgery procedures in order to maintain a youthful appearance. Doctors say that there isn’t a magic number on how old is too old for various cosmetic procedures. Some people choose to improve their appearance in their 70s and 80s, according to KESQ-TV News. However, patients who wish to undergo surgical procedures in which general anesthesia is necessary must get medical clearance first.

Read the full article here: “No Age Limit for Plastic Surgery?”

If you’re older and are considering plastic surgery living in Colorado Springs, be sure to consult with a board-certified Colorado Springs plastic surgeon. Your doctor will discuss the benefits and risks of your procedure in great detail. In most cases, consultations are provided free of charge.

Dr. Greg Liebscher, of Colorado Springs, is a board-certified and Mayo Clinic-trained plastic surgeon. You can contact Dr. Liebscher’s office to schedule a complimentary and private in-person consultation. Procedures may include facelift, breast augmentation, liposuction, forehead lift, eyelid lift, and more.

» More about: Dr. Greg Liebscher, Colorado Springs Plastic Surgeon

Breast implants are big business in the United States, with nearly 300,000 breast augmentation surgeries reported in 2010 and even more performed in 2011, according to the website PlasticSurgery.org. Breast augmentation has been the most popular cosmetic surgery procedure since 2006 and the numbers continue to rise.

Chances are that you or someone you know is considering breast augmentation surgery. One very important aspect of this procedure is determining the desired breast implant size. Several factors may affect the selection of the breast implant size.

Physical Characteristics

During a standard breast augmentation consultation, the doctor will evaluate your breast size, the dimension of the breasts and the characteristics of the overall breast tissue.

Other factors that the doctor will consider include your body type and skin elasticity, as well as the base diameter of each breast. In addition, the doctor will evaluate where the breast implant may be inserted in the breast, as this will affect the overall appearance of the breast after surgery and may play a part in the implant size decision.

These are all factors that will affect how the breast will look after breast implant surgery that may be impacted by breast implants of different sizes. Always ask your doctor’s opinion about the best breast implant size for your body and discuss the approximate size that you are seeking to achieve.

Personal Preferences

Of course, the decision to undergo breast augmentation surgery is a very personal one and chances are very good that if you have chosen to get breast implants, you have a certain idea of how you would like to look. Discuss your goals and the vision of how you would like to look once recovery is over with your doctor and remember that certain sizes may not work with your specific body type.

Overall Appearance

As part of the breast surgery consultation, a staff member will help you try on different breast implant sizes. You will wear a special bra and can insert different types and sizes of breast implants into the bra to see how you would look with each specific size.

Before you decide to move forward with breast implant surgery, it is very important to be realistic about the surgery, any potential complications and how you may look or feel after surgery. Select a physician who is board certified in plastic surgery and remember to ask and listen carefully when it comes to the surgery and your desired breast size.

Colorado Springs Breast Implants
If you want to know more about breast implant sizes, you can schedule a consultation to discuss your breast implants procedure with Colorado Springs plastic surgeon, Dr. Greg Liebscher, Colorado Springs plastic surgeon.

According to an American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery article, it’s important to know that you might eventually need more care if you’ve had breast implants surgery.

Here’s a bit from the article:

A well-informed consumer will have the best results

Whether you’re wearing a tank top, bathing suit or cocktail dress, there’s no better accompaniment than well-shaped breasts. Though an “A” bra cup size will not qualify you for disability insurance, those that go forth with a flat chest sometimes feel like they’re operating with a handicap. To prove this point, since 1962, between five and ten million unendowed, poorly endowed or otherwise dissatisfied women, worldwide, including an estimated 1.5 to 2.5 million in the United States, have undergonebreast implant surgery.

But, it’s not like you can get breast implants and walk off into the sunset. Just like your BMW, roof or pacemaker, breast implantshave no lifetime guarantee and are likely to need maintenance or replacement. Breast implants recently made headlines in Europe when it was discovered that silicone implants manufactured by Poly Implant Prothese (PIP) had an abnormally high rupture rate. According to Reuters, December 27, 2011, “That risk, though typically low, is present in all implants.”

In Britain and the United States, breast enlargement is the most commonly performed cosmetic procedure and there’s nothing to suggest that will change. With the recent PIP health scare, there will probably be increased efforts to make sure that consumers are well informed.  The British Implant Information Society says on its website, “Breast implants do not last a lifetime; they will need replacing at some point in the future.”

» Go to: Read the full article

About Dr. Greg Liebscher, Colorado Springs Plastic Surgeon

Dr. Greg Liebscher is a Mayo Clinic-trained and board-certified Colorado Springs plastic surgeon. Plastic and reconstructive procedures include breast augmentation, breast reduction, breast lift, tummy tuck, liposuction, eyelid lift, forehead lift.

» More about: Breast Augmentation

» More about: Colorado Springs Plastic Surgeon – Greg Liebscher, MD, FACS

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TRANSCRIPT: BREAST AUGMENTATION

By Gregory J. Liebscher, MD, FACS, Plastic Surgeon, Colorado Springs

Breast augmentation is basically the surgical enhancement or enlargement of breasts. In this day and age it is typically done with a couple of different types of implants and in a couple of different places. So we are usually talking about underneath your chest muscle or underneath the gland itself. For the vast majority of patients it usually ends up being somewhere underneath the muscle. It’s a procedure that’s done here at the surgery center. It takes us about an hour to do it and then you’re here for a good 3-4 hours but you go home. It is an outpatient procedure. Recovery for most women is a relatively quick thing. It’s a lot like when milk has come in for them. It’s a lot like lactation. It’s a tense, tight, irritated, swollen feeling for a couple of days and then settles down pretty quickly. So most people are taking pain pills for a day or two and then back to work somewhere around a week would be the standard affair. Looking back to normal in the 6 week to 2 month range and seeing the final result is going to be somewhere around 3 months. In general it is a very well tolerated procedure but it usually is a full 3 months until they see the final result.

WHAT IS ACTUALLY IMPLANTED?

What you are putting in is actually a breast implant which today you’re using either a silicone implant which is what this is or a saline implant which is the same bag just filled with salt water. Why we choose one or another, you have to go into great detail after we examine a patient. Certain patients are a candidate for one and not the other so that’s all settled at the time of the consult. Typically it’s just a silicone implant that is placed underneath their chest muscle and it fills out the whole breast.

WHAT ARE THE RISKS?

Well it is surgery to start with, number one. It’s not coming to get your hair done or something like that. It’s a real procedure. It has all the risks attendant with any surgery, so infection, bleeding, anesthetic issues…all very low, but still very real and we go through those in great detail when the patient comes in. The specific ones for augmentation we always talk about are what is involved with a foreign body, putting a foreign body in you, what’s involved with having an implant in you and what special risks that brings. It changes what an infection is. It changes things down the road. We have to spend a good 15-20 minutes with each patient just covering those issues at the time of consultation.

WHAT ARE THE LIKELY OUTCOMES?

Generally the patients are very, very satisfied. Nationwide, you’ll get satisfaction rates in the 93-95% range. I do not use computer-aided things to show you and promise you what this is going to be but I think I have enough photos of patients over the years to be able to show you that here’s someone that looks like you do now and here’s what that person went to. It will give you a pretty good guess as to what you are going to look like when it’s all done. And we also spend a fair amount of time just measuring you and putting you into sizing bras that actually give you a pretty good sense of what you will look like when it’s all done.

According to BreastImplantSafety.org, breast augmentation can enhance your appearance but may not necessarily give you an ideal appearance.

Before electing for breast augmentation plastic surgery, you should think carefully about your outcome expectations and discuss them with your plastic surgeon. According to breastimplantsafety.org …

The best candidates for breast augmentation are women who are looking for improvement, not perfection, in the way they look. If a woman is physically healthy and realistic in her expectations, she may be a good candidate for this surgery. It is important to discuss your individual expectations regarding the change you seek in the shape and size of your breast with your doctor who will be able to consider the optimal surgical approach to satisfy your desired outcome. Breast augmentation may be a good option for you if you have at least one the following conditions or traits:

• you consider your breasts to be too small or under-developed
• you believe your figure is out of proportion due to small breasts and in turn, make your hips appear wider
• you feel you have limited choices of flattering clothing or swim wear styles due to small breasts
• you are dissatisfied with your breasts losing shape and volume after pregnancy, weight loss, or with aging
• you are unhappy with the upper part of the breast appearing empty
• your breasts have asymmetry or vary in size or shape from one another
• you currently have breast implants, and are experiencing problems with them
• one or both breasts failed to develop normally, or have an unnatural, elongated shape

[source: breastimplantsafety.org]

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Dr. Greg Liebscher is Mayo Clinic-trained, ASPS Member and ABPS board-certified plastic surgeon in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

»More about: Dr. Greg Liebscher, ASPS Member Plastic Surgeon
»More about procedures for: Breasts • Body • Facial

Important Message: When considering plastic surgery, cosmetic or reconstructive, there is no substitute for an ASPS Member plastic surgeon.

»More about: Dr. Greg Liebscher, ASPS Member Plastic Surgeon
»More about procedures for: Breasts • Body • Facial

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Why Is an ASPS Member Surgeon the Best Choice for Me?

Members of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons:

• are certified by The American Board of Plastic Surgery® or The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada®.
• have at least six years or surgical training and experience, with at least three years in plastic surgery.
• operate only in accredited medical facilities.
• adhere to a strict code of ethics.
• fulfill continuing medical education requirements, including standards and innovations in patient safety
• are your partners in cosmetic plastic surgery and reconstructive plastic surgery.

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Form and Function

Plastic surgery is about a lot more than vanity. In reconstructive cases, ASPS Member Surgeons help people get their lives back and feel more comfortable with themselves. ASPS Member Surgeons are trained in the following reconstructive procedures: burn; wound and trauma repair; tumor removal and cancer reconstruction; correction of birth defects and acquired deformities; hand surgery; maxillofacial and craniofacial surgery; and microsurgical reconstruction.

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Looking Good, Feeling Great

The popularity of plastic surgery is soaring and more and more doctors are trying to meet the demand for this specialty that has become an integral part of mainstream medicine. Any licensed physician can call himself or herself a cosmetic surgeon, so the importance of finding a properly trained and certified provider is paramount.

Choosing a doctor who’s a member of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons® (ASPS) is the first step. Founded in 1931, ASPS is the largest plastic surgery organization in the world. ASPS Member Surgeons are certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery®, which is the only board dedicated to plastic surgery of the face and entire body. Unlike other specialty organizations, ASPS requires each member surgeon to have a minimum of six years of surgical training, with at least three years of those years specifically in plastic surgery.

Breast enhancement, body contouring, liposuction, facial contouring and nose surgery are among the most popular procedures performed by ASPS Member Surgeons. Plastic surgery procedures like breast reduction and breast reconstruction can improve quality of life by positively impacting self-image and self-esteem. ASPS Member Surgeons also use reconstructive procedures to restore a more natural look and function in cases where the patient has been compromised by disease, accident or disfigurement. Regardless of the reason or motivation for undergoing plastic surgery, ASPS Member Surgeons are your partners in looking and feeling great.

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Did You Know?

Plastic surgery can slow the aging process and improve the visible signs of aging. ASPS Member Surgeons are trained in cosmetic procedures of the face and all areas of the body to help you look naturally younger.

Among the procedures used to turn back the effects of time:

• surgical rejuvenation of the aging face
• injectable therapies
• laser and light-based rejuvenation
• breast lifts and body lifts

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What Can I Expect?

Before you have plastic surgery, you meet with your ASPS Member Surgeon® for a consultation. During the consultation, you will want to discuss your goals. Your surgeon will examine you and advise the best procedure to achieve your desired goals

Your Plastic Surgeon Should:

• should answer all of your questions thoroughly and clearly.
• ask about your thoughts to recommended treatment
• offer alternatives, where appropriate, without pressuring you to consider unneeded or additional procedures.
• welcome questions about your procedure and his or her professional qualifications, experience, costs and payment policies.
• make clear the risks of surgery and possible outcomes.
• give you information about the procedure you want.
• leave the final decision to you.

Step 1: Questions to Ask When Choosing a Plastic Surgeon

1. Are you an ASPS Member Surgeon? (If he or she answers “yes,” you can rest assured that your surgeon is board-certified in plastic surgery, has hospital privileges and only performs surgery in accredited facilities.)
2. Are you board-certified by The American Board of Plastic Surgery or The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada?
3. Do you have hospital privileges to perform this procedure? If so, at which hospitals?
4. Is the surgical facility accredited?
5. How many procedures of this type have you performed?

Step 2: Questions to Ask Your ASPS Member Surgeon

It’s important to talk to your ASPS Member Surgeon about your goals and your treatment. Feel confident asking about your doctor’s credentials, experience, outcomes or safety record. It is your body, your safety and your life.

1. Am I a good candidate for this procedure?
2. What will be expected of me to get optimal results?
3. What are the risks involved with my procedure?
4. How long of a recovery period can I expect, and what kind of help will I need during my recovery?

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»More about: Dr. Greg Liebscher, ASPS Member Plastic Surgeon
»More about procedures for: Breasts • Body • Facial

[Source: American Society of Plastic Surgeons®]

The success and safety of your breast surgery procedure (such as breast augmentation, breast lift, breast reconstructive surgery) depends very much on your being completely candid during your consultation.

By being actively involved in your consultation about breast surgery, problems, concerns and questions you may have can be addressed by your ASPS Member Surgeon®. You’ll be asked a number of questions about your health, desires and lifestyle.

»More about: Dr. Greg Liebscher, ASPS Member Plastic Surgeon
»More about procedures for: Breasts

Be prepared to discuss:

• why you want breast surgery, your expectations and desired outcomes
• medical conditions, drug allergies and medical treatments
• use of current medications, vitamins, herbal supplements, alcohol, tobacco and drugs
• previous surgeries
• family history of breast cancer and results of any mammograms or previous biopsies

Your surgeon may also:

• evaluate your general health status and any pre-existing health conditions or risk factors
• examine your breasts, and may take detailed measurements of their size and shape, skin quality, placement of your nipples
• take photographs for your medical record
• discuss your options and recommend a course of treatment
• discuss likely outcomes of breast surgery and any risks or potential complications
• discuss the use of anesthesia during your breast procedure

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»More about: Dr. Greg Liebscher, ASPS Member Plastic Surgeon
»More about procedures for: Breasts

[Source: American Society of Plastic Surgeons]