My Mother is 80 Years Old and Wants to Have a Facelift. Is She Too Elderly for Plastic Surgery?

Age in and of itself is not a contraindication to cosmetic surgery. Many patients also have high blood pressure which is not a contraindication either. The pacemaker is more tricky. 
1. Any surgery must be done in close communication with your cardiologist and anesthesiologist
2. there are certain limitation to depth of anesthesia when performing office based surgery on pacemaker patients
3. Usually a magnet is placed on the pacemaker to prevent it from depolarizing during bovie electrocautery
4. when the magnet is removed the pacemaker functions normally
5. You can see the pacemaker firing when monitors are attached to the patients

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!

   A facelift in an 80 year old with a pacemaker may be more risk than most plastic surgeons want to take.  Kenneth Hughes, MD Los Angeles, CA