By Rosie Wilson
Age does not have an effect on the risks and complications associated with cosmetic surgery, according to a recent study.
Max Yezhelyev, M.D. P.H.D of Vanderbilt University Medical Centre, Tennessee, has conducted the research, analysing data from more than 129,000 patients during a five-year period. He has found that the rate of complications for patients under the age of 65 differs very little to those aged 65 and up.
The average rate for post-op complications for the under 65s was 1.84%, compared with 1.94% for the older patients. The average age for elderly patients was 69, with the younger patients averaging at 39-years-old. Patients over the age of 80 also showed little variation, with a complication rate of 2.2%.
The one exception to this seems to be abdominoplasty, which showed a statistically higher rate of complications amongst older patients (5.4%) when compared with younger patients (3.9%).
“An increasing number of elderly patients are undergoing cosmetic surgery every year,” said Mr. Yezhelyev. “Older patients can safely undergo cosmetic procedures with a similar complications rate to younger patients when surgery is performed by a board-certified plastic surgeon.”
