Every seven minutes in the U.S., a Baby Boomer is turning age 50. Boomer women are the healthiest, wealthiest and most active in history. And it’s no longer enough to be young at heart—Boomer women want their faces and figures to follow suit.

What do you see in the mirror?

Are you starting to notice early signs of facial aging?

• Deepening of the nasolabial folds from your nose
  to the corners of your mouth
• Crow’s feet
• Frown lines
• “Marionette lines” from your mouth to your chin
• Loose, sagging skin along your jawline
• A “turkey neck”

The good news is that there are non-surgical and surgical procedures that can diminish the signs of facial aging and help you look as young as you feel.

Look younger without surgery

Minimally invasive treatments can help rejuvenate your face in minutes,with little or no downtime.

• Botox is an injectable treatment that can visibly smooth and soften moderate to severe frown lines between your eyebrows, as well as crow’s feet and the lines on your forehead. It works by blocking the release of acetylcholine, a chemical that would otherwise signal muscles to contract.

  Botox is the most popular minimally invasive cosmetic treatment in the U.S. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, women and men received 4.1 million Botox treatments in 2006—a 420% increase since 2000.

• Juvéderm and Restylane are injectable facial fillers that smooth out the nasolabial folds, add fullness to thin lips, fill in lines between the eyebrows, smooth out acne scars or pits and diminish vertical lip lines or “smoker’s lines.”

  These fillers are made of hyaluronic acid, a naturally occurring substance in your skin that helps add volume and restore moisture. Research published by the American Medical Association in the Feb. 20, 2007 Archives of Dermatology shows that Restylane appears to stimulate facial skin cells to make their own collagen, a basic skin protein. (This research was conducted before Juvéderm was introduced on the U.S. market in January 2007.)

When you’re ready to consider surgery

Women who have Botox or hyaluronic acid facial injections in their 40s may find they’re ready for a facelift when their skin becomes more lax in their 50s. Today’s facelifts give natural-looking results—not the over-operated,“windswept” look of years ago.

When a patient comes in for a facelift consultation, Dr. Parungao looks at the degree of sagging, loose skin, jowling and the depth of the wrinkles and nasolabial folds. Then he advises the patient whether a non-surgical approach can achieve what she is looking for, or whether a mini-facelift or full facelift would be more appropriate.

• A mini-facelift offers same-day results and costs up to 75% less than a full facelift. This outpatient procedure may be for you if you have early signs of facial aging, but don’t want the cost or downtime of a traditional facelift. A mini-facelift focuses on the bottom third of the face as well as the jowls and neck. There is minimal bruising or swelling and recovery takes only 2-5 days.

  Mini-facelifts are called “S-lifts” because the incision is shaped like an S, as shown in the top photo. Because this procedure is less extensive than a full facelift, a mini-facelift cannot achieve as great a degree of lift.

• A full facelift may be a better choice if you have a greater degree of sagging, jowling and wrinkling. This procedure frees more of the facial skin from its underlying tissues and lifts it to a greater degree than in a mini-facelift. The incision for a full facelift is longer than a mini-facelift incision, as shown in the bottom photo.

  Because of this longer incision—particularly the extension to the back of the neck—a full facelift is much more effective in correcting a crepe-y “turkey neck” as well as sagging and wrinkling in the upper face.

News releases related to “Erase years from your face, with or without surgery, Chicago, IL”

August 22, 2007—IPL Photofacials, Microdermabrasion, Tri-Luma(R) Cream Enhance Baby Boomers' Facelifts

A facelift may lift and tighten Baby Boomers' aging skin, but it can't improve the condition of the skin itself. Board-certified plastic surgeon and author Allan Parungao, MD FACS, recommends improving the skin's texture and reversing sun damage and melasma with IPL photofacials, microdermabrasion and Tri-Luma(R) cream.

PDF version of IPL Photofacials, Microdermabrasion, Tri-Luma(R) Cream Enhance Baby Boomers' Facelifts

July 25, 2007—Facelifts Help Aging Baby Boomers 'Reinvent Themselves'

Many Baby Boomers in their 50s and 60s are turning to plastic surgery to help them look as young as they feel. Oak Park, Ill. plastic surgeon and author Allan Parungao, MD FACS, notes that according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, 65% of patients who had a facelift in 2006 were age 55 and older.

PDF version of Facelifts Help Aging Baby Boomers 'Reinvent Themselves'

May 30, 2007—Mini-facelifts Make Baby Boomers Look Years Younger with Minimal Downtime, Cost, Plastic Surgeon Notes

Oak Park, Ill. plastic surgeon and author Allan Parungao, MD FACS, notes that although American Society of Plastic Surgeons statistics show the number of traditional facelifts dropped 22% between 2000 and 2006, there was a 66% increase in minimally invasive procedures. More and more Baby Boomers are opting for less-invasive mini-facelifts.

PDF version of Mini-facelifts Make Baby Boomers Look Years Younger with Minimal Downtime, Cost, Plastic Surgeon Notes