I Am 73 Years Old and in Good Health - Am I Too Old for a Facelift?

There is no ideal age for a Facelift and there is no age that is too old. Last week a I did a Facelift on a healthy 72 year old that had better skin than most 60 year olds I see. If you are healthy and have reasonably good skin you may be a great Facelift candidate. If you have heart disease or other medical issues or have very sun damaged, weak skin you may not be the ideal patient for a Facelift.  Hope this helps....

Every patient is different and health status is more important than chronological age.  I request that all my patients see their primary care physician for clearance prior to a surgical procedure requiring anesthesia.  We do our best to optimize every patient's physical condition prior to surgery.  It is also necessary to carefully assess the expectations for the desired procedure and make sure your expectations meet those of the plastic surgeon.  With careful planning, older patients can safely have plastic surgery and achieve their goals.

I have done many facelifts in patients your age with no problems and excellent results.  As long as you are in good health, you should be able to proceed. 

Hello! Thank you for your question! Age alone is not a contraindication
to a surgical procedure. There are a few medical
comorbidities that contribute to a higher risk during any surgical
procedure including infections, wound complications, delayed wound
healing, bleeding, anesthetic risks, etc. Factors such as diabetes,
hypertension, coronary artery disease, heart problems, lung problems,
etc are more common in the elderly. However, if you are healthy, or
these conditions are well-controlled, you would certainly still be a
candidate for a surgical procedure. If your complaints or desires are
great enough to consider the surgical option, I would seek a
consultation with a plastic surgeon to discuss your complaints and go
over the options as well as risks and benefits of the procedure.You
should obtain medical clearance from your primary care physician that
you
are at an acceptable risk for undergoing a surgical procedure. For
elective or aesthetic procedures, your surgeon may want to get you to a
reasonable health status prior to consideration for a procedure.
Discuss all of
your medical comorbidities and medication with your surgeon prior and
discuss these risks. Also, discuss this with your anesthesiologist as
proper monitoring and medications will be watched closely. This
procedure should still be very safe for you and hope for an
uncomplicated course with an excellent result! Hope that this helps!
Best wishes!

It isn't a matter of your  age, but your overall health. That is, physiologic age is more important than chronological age. Whether you can have a face lift or not will depend on your general health, which will need to be assessed by a doctor. If you  are not healthy enough to undergo a full face lift, she may be a candidate for a "mini facelift" such as the LiteLift™, which is a simpler facelift procedure and does not require  general anesthesia.

When evaluating patients for facelift surgery we’re far more concerned about biologic age than chronologic age.  There are many patients who are biologically much younger then their stated age.  These patients have taken good care of themselves by eating right and exercising regularly.  Not only are they more healthy, but they seem to be younger at heart.  They lead very active lives and have busy schedules.  For these reasons, an age of 73 is not necessarily a contraindication to proceeding with surgery.
It’s obviously important for anyone older then fifty to have a comprehensive medical evaluation before proceeding.  This should include a physical examination, EKG and laboratory studies.  Clearance from their primary care physician is a requirement.  Facelift surgery in this group is associated with high satisfaction rates.