I am 67 years old and thinking of having Smart Lipo on my lower and upper abdomen. Is there a higher risk for my age group?

Thank you for your question. When trying to identify what is a patient’s level of risk for surgery and anesthesia, the best classification system is done by The American Society of Anesthesiologists. Basically what this says is that patients who have medical conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes or kidney problems or heart problems are at a higher level of risk for surgery, also depending on if they are obese or if they smoke. Age is actually not one of the criteria that is looked at as part of this classification system.  However, more medical problems are more common within increasing age, but if your doctor has ruled you out for all those and said that you have no medical problems or if you do that they were well controlled, then you are not in a higher risk for surgery based on your age. Good luck!

Age is not an absolute contraindication to any elective cosmetic procedures. Whether or not a patient is a candidate for surgery is a function of a myriad of factors including (but not limited to):-Overall health (Weight/BMI)-Medical history-Social History (Smoking?)-Skin quality (increased age means loss of skin elasticity)-Goals/ExpectationsIt is important to understand that surgical risk profiles increase as one ages, however, this elevated risk often correlated to those conditions that typically accompany aging. Patients in good health can be a surgical candidate irrespective of age.With respect to liposuction, an ideal candidate is at a healthy stable weight (within 15 lbs. of goal). They are not seeking weight loss but rather an improved contour in one or more areas which have proven resistant to traditional diet and exercise regimen.As always, discuss your concerns with a board certified plastic surgeon.