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CNN Live Today

Cosmetic Surgery Soars Among Retirees

Aired August 16, 2002 - 10:22   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

MARTIN SAVIDGE, CNN ANCHOR: You're as young as you feel. That adage has aged along with the rest of us and now resounds with new meaning for older Americans. More are seeking a youthful boost from cosmetic surgery. The number of retirement aged folks undergoing a tuck or a tightening has nearly quadrupled in the last several years.
CNN medical correspondent Rea Blakey explains.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

REA BLAKEY, CNN MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): Seventy-six- year-old Gladie Sargeant had her first cosmetic surgery in 1988, an eye lift, a face lift, a nose job and a chemical peel all done at once.

GLADIE SARGEANT, HAD COSMETIC SURGERY: I was so excited. I could not wait to do it. And as they were wheeling me down to the OR, I said to myself, boy, this is the greatest adventure of my life.

BLAKEY: Gladie says she did it to boost her sagging self-esteem.

SARGEANT: It was a kick, really, and it's carried me right through.

BLAKEY: Plastic surgery for the senior set, is it the result of ageism? Gray Panther Patricia Ireland thinks so.

PATRICIA IRELAND, GRAY PANTHERS: To have the risks of general anesthesia for somebody else's idea of what's beautiful is a little frightening.

BLAKEY: Yet the number of cosmetic surgeries performed on people age 65 and older has more than tripled in four years, up from 121,000 in 1997 to 425,000 in 2001.

DR. SHELDON SEVINOR, BOSTON PLASTIC SURGEON: Can you frown for me?

BLAKEY: Boston plastic surgeon Dr. Sheldon Sevinor specializes in nipping and tucking those in their sixth decade and beyond.

SEVINOR: So I tell my patients, it's OK, you don't have to apologize to want to undergo cosmetic surgery, assuming you're healthy, if you're in your 60s, 70s or even in your 80s today.

BLAKEY: Dr. Sevinor says advanced age itself is no reason to avoid having cosmetic surgery, but it does pose additional concerns. One concern, skin elasticity. Healing can take longer than with younger patients. Another, older patients may have systemic illnesses or conditions that put them at greater risk from surgery and they're more likely to be on medications that might interfere with an operation. So he's more compulsive about safeguards with the 65-plus group.

SEVINOR: By getting medical clearance with their own personal physician, getting clearance from the anesthesia department and have it in a safe setting, that is in a hospital environment.

BLAKEY: Gladie Sargeant's recovery took almost three weeks, but she says she'd do it all again in heartbeat.

SARGEANT: I'd say to every woman, go for it. Anyone who wants it, you go for it.

BLAKEY: More plastic surgeons are up for the challenge but only if the older patient is healthy and properly motivated.

Rea Blakey, CNN, Boston.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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