Older Women are no longer a part of the Blue-Rinse Brigade
Once you hit your forties, you’re apparently middle aged, and once you hit 60 it’s time to roll out the bus pass! At least, that’s how we were supposed to think about ourselves, as little as two decades ago. It was perfectly acceptable to start wearing frumpy frocks, choose the latest style in ‘old age’ haircuts and pretend you didn’t know what foundation and eyeliner was. Not anymore. It’s not that older women are pressurised into looking good, although it’s true that the older female celebrities do set a very high standard for us to model ourselves on. It’s more that older women retain the right to remain attractive and desirable. Older women demand the right to look as young as they feel, and it’s working. Many women just do not conform to the stereotype of their age group, and many women simply do not look, act or feel their ages.
Age catches up with all of us
So what lets us down as we age? For many women it isn’t so much their bodies, as the health conscious modern woman can remain as fit and toned as she was in her twenties. It certainly isn’t our minds, as the modern woman is youthful in outlook. But sadly for all of us, time does take its toll. Wrinkles and lines on the face are inevitable, and so are the effects of gravity and age on the rest of our bodies. We sag. We suffer the consequences of having children and some of us suffer with the feelings that parts of us have always been inadequate. The cosmetics and cosmetic surgery industry rely heavily on the older woman for their revenue, as it is the older woman who buys anti-aging products and seek age-reversing treatments and procedures. Older women are the greatest clients of the beauty industries!
Breast Augmentation for Mature Women
Now, here’s the interesting fact. In the United States in 2010, the most commonly performed cosmetic surgery for women of pensionable age was breast augmentations. Many women find that the one part of themselves which doesn’t shape up to expectations as they get older is their breasts. Gravity takes a hold, bearing children takes its toll, and for some, a breast shape that was merely satisfactory to begin with becomes the biggest let-down when they view themselves in the mirror. Changing the breast shape and size is not a big deal for the cosmetic surgeon, regardless of age. Your age simply is not a major determining factor in your suitability for a breast augmentation procedure.
Does my age set me apart?
It will not set you apart at all. Exactly the same health checks are required for women of all ages prior to breast augmentation surgery. Exactly the same criteria apply when selecting a suitable breast implant size and shape. A consultation is required with the surgeon who will carry out the breast augmentation. He or she will very carefully assess your breasts in relation to your body frame and will also determine what the existing tissues of the breasts can adequately accommodate. The surgeon is able to tell you what can be realistically achieved from a breast augmentation procedure. He or she will also discuss the types of implant available, and the procedure itself.
Are there any Increased Risks to consider with Older Women and Breast Augmentation?
The health checks are generally the same checks that are performed for all surgical procedures involving anaesthesia, and although there may be an increased risk to such procedures as we age, for almost all women this risk is not a hindering factor. Any other risks from breast augmentation surgery are the same regardless of age.
Breast implants do have their draw-backs as well as their positives. Modern silicone implants are designed to feel as natural as breast tissue, so apart from a slight scar which is positioned to be as unobtrusive as possible under the breast, the new breasts should look and feel natural. All breast implants carry a risk of triggering the formation of something called a capsule, which is a scar tissue around the implant. This affects women of all ages, and all women who have breast implants will have some capsule formation. For a tiny minority the capsule formation can contract and cause the implant to become misshapen, requiring further surgery to rectify this.
For older women the biggest drawback to breast implants is their interference with mammograms. A mammogram is type of x-ray which is carried out routinely on older women. It checks for changes in the breast tissues which could possibly indicate breast cancer. The implants are very opaque (dense) on the mammogram and can affect how well the natural breast tissues can be seen. Fat transfer techniques are now being carried out in place of implants; this procedure uses the woman’s own fat to increase breast size by maybe just a cup size or so, and can reshape the breasts as well. It may be a good alternative for women who are worried about the decreased effectiveness of mammogram screening.
Age should not deter any woman from having breast augmentation surgery. Why should it?