best age for a facelift

For so many health issues like heart disease, certain cancers, and adult onset diabetes, any doctor will tell you that the best course of action is to take preventative measures before the condition appears. In a way, aging is no different. It’s not possible to completely prevent your appearance from aging, but there are certainly ways to delay its progress and keep it to a minimum. As a double board-certified plastic surgeon, I’ve helped tens of thousands of patients fulfill their dreams of keeping or attaining an appearance they’re confident in, and I have a few tips to help you do the same.

Sun Protection

Everyone knows that sunscreen and sun-blocking clothing can help you prevent skin cancer, but sun damage is also one of the primary culprits of premature and accelerated aging. Collagen and elastin, two proteins that make young skin firm and smooth, are broken down by UV exposure. This leads fine lines, wrinkles, and sagging skin to develop faster, and it also causes age spots to appear. Being knowledgeable and protecting your skin from a young age (particularly throughout childhood and your teen years) can make a dramatic difference in your aging process.

Preventative Botox® or Dysport® Injections

Certain common wrinkles, like crow’s feet, forehead creases, and vertical lines between the eyebrows (“frown lines” or “number 11s”), are formed when the facial muscles become tense after years of repeated facial expressions. You may already know that these types of wrinkles can be treated with injections like Botox® and Dysport® injections, which relax these muscles for months at a time. But what you may not know is that by relaxing the muscles, these injections also keep the muscles from contracting, which keeps the wrinkles from worsening. If they’re started at a young age, Botox® and Dysport® injections may be able to keep specific wrinkles at bay from the start.

Start Early with Minimally Invasive Procedures

Some of my facelift patients let aging take its course until their 60s or 70s and then decide to get a facelift. While the surgery produces excellent results, the amount of tissue repositioning it requires at this stage does lead to a rather lengthy recovery period. However, I advise my patients to start thinking about their aging at a younger age. For instance, some patients start having nonsurgical procedures in their 30s to fight the earliest signs of aging, then progress to a Band Aid Mini Facelift in their 40s or early 50s. By addressing aging every several years with minimally invasive procedures, many patients can avoid a more extensive surgery altogether while consistently feeling happy with their youthful look.

Looking as young and vibrant as you feel is truly more of an art than a science. Every person’s anatomy and body chemistry is unique and requires different types and degrees of anti-aging treatments. That’s why it’s so important to find a skilled, experienced, and board-certified plastic surgeon with a great eye for evaluating your needs and identifying the best way to address them. To start discussing what you can do to enjoy a younger look both now and in the future, schedule a cosmetic surgery consultation with me, Dr. John L. LeRoy. For more anti-aging tips and plastic surgery information, follow me on Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.