The question of age and abdominoplasty seems to come up frequently, and more specifically people are asking at what age abdominoplasty procedures are usually performed. The disappointing response is that it’s nearly impossible to answer this question with any sort of accuracy. The reason being, is that there is no “normal” age or time frame for a person to have an abdominoplasty procedure performed. Many surgeons report performing the procedure on patients ranging from their early twenties to their late sixties, and even into their seventies in some cases. Most often, the decision is made irrespective of the patients’ specific age and based on other factors instead, some of which we can discuss now.

There are a few common life events that may cause drastic changes to a person’s abdominal area and may spark the desire to have abdominoplasty performed. We’re talking about events such as childbirth or losing a significant amount of weight. These are probably the most common reasons that someone may choose to have an abdominoplasty performed.

Additionally, as a person ages the skin naturally loses some of its elasticity and the muscles beneath slowly weaken. Of all the areas of the body, the abdomen experiences some of the most visually dramatic effects of aging. Many people also report that they notice the signs of aging in their body before other places, like their face. The abdomen can often become, what patients describe as, saggy, flabby, and loose. This observation, for some patients, becomes a newfound source of self-consciousness and many patients no longer feel comfortable doing things they used to love, like swimming in public, or sunning on the beach. These changes can all be deciding factors when someone is thinking of having an abdominoplasty, and can occur at various ages in a person’s life. This means that all that can be said for certain is that the changes are, in fact, a result of the body wearing down and that they will inevitably happen to everyone in varying degrees at varying ages.

There are a number of completely viable reasons a person may choose to have an abdominoplasty procedure performed, regardless of their age. The decision to pursue more information on abdominoplasty procedures, and more importantly to go through with one, is more dependent on body changes than anything else. Beyond that, as long as you are a good candidate (which will be determined in your consultation and pre-operative workup) then you are the right age for an abdominoplasty procedure. With general health in mind, it should be stressed that your doctor may recommend against going under general anesthesia for an abdominoplasty procedure if you are not in excellent health and if your body may not tolerate the procedure. This is more likely to happen in patients who are older than those who are younger, and may be the one time that age truly plays a very direct role in the decision to have an abdominoplasty procedure. Don’t worry though, your doctor will run all the necessary pre-anesthetic testing before giving you the go ahead for an abdominoplasty procedure.

If you are considering having an abdominoplasty procedure performed and have any concerns, or have questions in general, please contact Edelstein Cosmetic. The skilled and welcoming surgeons would be more than happy to arrange a private consultation with you to address your specific questions or concerns about what procedures are available to you and your specific goals.