Lipo for 59 Year Old, is it Worth it?

As we age, many people can accumulate a bit of extra around the midsection. When considering body contouring surgery, we must evaluate your skin elasticity. If your skin elasticity has remained good, then liposuction may be an option, but if there is excess skin or the skin elasticity is poor then a tummy tuck may be a better option. I recommend that you consult with a board certified plastic surgeon who will be best able to make a recommendation for you.

We see many people at the age of 59, who are healthy and have the same problem you are describing.  Each person is an individual and must be assessed for liposuction.  Usually, if a woman has undergone pregnancies or weight fluctuations, the skin has laxity and possibly thinned.  One must be careful with liposuction for this reason because the surgical area may thin the skin more and skin laxity be worse.  You would be trading one troubled area being excess adipose, for another, increased skin laxity.  Although, your skin could be good, with minimal laxity and you may be willing to except a decrease in inches for laxity.  Also, if the skin is lax, you may need to consider a tummy tuck for the best result.  As long as you are in good physical health and understand the expections of the result, you should be able to procede with an elective procedure.

   Liposuction can produce a good result if the skin elasticity is good.  There are a number of factors that play into this.  Only a physical exam will be able to determine if liposuction or tummy tuck is more appropriate.  Kenneth Hughes, MD Los Angeles, CA

Liposuction can be done starting at age 18 and it doesn't have an age limit.  As a person ages, however, the skin does not tighten as well as before.  That might result, depending on your exam, in the need for a tummy tuck to have an optimal result.  There are safety precautions that many doctors will follow after a certain age.  Surgeons usually require patients to have an EKG after the age of 40, just to determine if the heart is healthy enough to undergo the procedure.  When you go in for a consultation with a board certified plastic surgeon, make sure you voice any concerns, and the surgeon will advise you on the perfect option.

Dear historylover- depending on the amount of loose skin you have, liposuction may be very effective, especially if some dimpling can be tolerated.  I would need to see photos to give you a better recommendation.  Small cannulas such a 3 -4 mm are the norm these days.

If you are healthy you can do a lipo, you need blood test and cardio exam.            

 

Spanish translation provided by the doctor: 

Si usted es saludable, pueden hacerle una lipo, usted necesita analisis de sangre, y estudio cardiologico. 

Stand in front of a full length mirror and lift up hard on your abdominal skin just below your ribs and above your belly button.  If you still see a bulge down below, you may be able to benefit from liposuction.  If it mostly goes away, what you think is fatty tissue is actually loose skin, in which case you would do better with a tummy tuck.

That said, plenty of women over 55 still have good elasticity and can get results from liposuction, if the problem is fatty bulges.

Liposuction technique has continued to improve since your last surgery. Irregularities from liposuction, in the hands of an experienced and qualified plastic surgeon, is unusual.

See a qualified, board certified plastic surgeon to get an exam and advice about your best option.  Good luck!

 

Skin elasticity will be the issue. It is pretty reliably good up to age 35, unpredictable between 35 and 50, and unreliable beyond 50, but that is just an average guideline. If your skin elasticity is good, you can expect a nice outcome with liposuction. If not, you accomplishment may be compromised by added loose skin. 

An appropriate consult would be with a plastic surgeon whose toolbox is not limited to liposuction alone. All the best. 

The critical criterion is skin elasticity. If your skin is stretched out, then liposuction will not produce an acceptable cosmetic result. Dimpling could reflect poor elasticity or less than optimal surgical technique so you would really need to see a board certified plastic surgeon in consultation to determine whether lipo is an option for you.

As long as you are healthy, you should have no problem with abdominal and flank liposuction regardless of your age. Your skin is older and has less elasticity so it is likely, given your prior history of some skin irregularities, that you will have some more again. But if this is acceptable, then you are likely to experience the same good results again.