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Plastic Surgery in the Elderly

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Surgical Decision Making in Geriatrics

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Abstract

As the population of the United States continues to age, there is an increasing demand for plastic surgery among the elderly population. The American Society of Plastic Surgeons reported a year to year 2% increase in procedures by patients over the age of 55 to 4.2 million cosmetic procedures in 2018 alone [1]. By 2050, the United States is expected to accelerate its elderly population growth of people 65 or older to 88.5 million people from its current 50 million today [2]. With age, there is an increasing demand for reconstructive surgeries such as wound care, tumor removal, and cancer reconstruction. ASPS statistics reveal a 29% increase in breast reconstruction alone with over 101,000 cases performed in 2018 [1]. The fastest rising trend in plastic surgery is the demand for post-bariatric body lifts with arm and lower truncal lift accounting for 5000% increase in numbers over the past two decades. With a third of Americans obese, there is no doubt these interventions will continue to rise. Furthermore, media and global access drive the celebrity culture and medical tourism which in turn have created a disproportionate demand for “minimally invasive” procedures that have made “60 is the new 40 years of age” culture and have contributed to the $40 billion plastic surgery global market. Therefore it is important to understand the plastic surgery principles surrounding the aging needs of the elderly population as it pertains to economic impact, improved outcomes, and the health of our society.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Westchester Medical Center, Valhalla, NY, USA

    Kaveh Alizadeh & Ashraf Elzanie

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  1. Kaveh Alizadeh
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  2. Ashraf Elzanie
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Correspondence to Kaveh Alizadeh .

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  1. Department of Surgery, New York Medical College, School of Medicine and Westchester Medical Center Health Network, Valhalla, NY, USA

    Rifat Latifi

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Alizadeh, K., Elzanie, A. (2020). Plastic Surgery in the Elderly. In: Latifi, R. (eds) Surgical Decision Making in Geriatrics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-47963-3_25

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-47963-3_25

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