In a recent edition of the “Social Q’s” advice column published in The New York Times, columnist Philip Galanes answered a question posed by a woman in Los Angeles regarding her sister’s facelift surgery. The reader, Wendy, wrote she’d not seen her sister in over a year but, “judging from her Facebook profile, I think she may have gotten a facelift for her 50th birthday… she looked all tucked and botoxed and nothing like herself. What should I say?”
Galanes advises Wendy to avoid jumping to conclusions as photo editing software is easy to come by nowadays. If her sister did undergo cosmetic procedures like a facelift and wanted Wendy to know about them, she would have told her. “She may feel judged or self-conscious, though if I am reading between the lines correctly, a part of you may want her to feel that way,” says Galanes.
While reports are suggesting that anti-aging cosmetic surgery procedures are becoming more socially accepted by both men and women, there are still many people who feel that undergoing even non-invasive anti-aging procedures like skin resurfacing are considered “cheating” Father Time. Celebrity news websites constantly report on the latest star assumed to have gone under the knife, perpetuating the notion that procedures like blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery) and forehead lift are grounds for criticism.
What many people may not realize is that no two people age the same way. Photographs of twins placed side by side show that while heredity does determine certain elements of how your skin ages, lifestyle and environmental influences are also important. Factors like sun exposure, smoking, stress, lack of sleep, and an unhealthy diet all contribute to how old you look. Some individuals choose to age naturally, foregoing anti-aging procedures, while others want to look as young as they feel.
Many people believe that cosmetic surgery is about changing your appearance or the facial features with which you were born. However, most board certified plastic and reconstructive surgeons can attest that changing the patient’s overall appearance is often the exact opposite of their goals. Instead, surgeons like Dr. Fernando Burstein work to enhance patients’ features, helping them to look younger, but still look like themselves. The best results mean that those who know the patient will notice something different, but won’t be able to pinpoint exactly what has changed. Dr. Burstein and his medical team work to provide patients with optimal care to achieve their desired plastic surgery results.
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