My own mother, who is a grandmother, has been feeling “left out” as she keeps reading about my famous Toronto mommy makeovers. And she is right, of course; she is my mother.
She is right because I should also discuss what is available to our healthy, young-hearted grandmothers.
Humour aside, there is no doubt that grandmothers are younger and healthier nowadays, and that, combined with our safer and less-invasive techniques, means they are seeking rejuvenating aesthetic treatments.
Our patient who are grandmas (I personally do not like the word “granny”) range in age from early 60s to late 70s, with a few regulars in their 80s who enjoy a light dose of BOTOX® or fillers to plump up their lips, “au naturel,” biensûr! Young grandmas will often seek the traditional mommy makeover — the combination of tummy tuck, body contouring (liposuction) and breast lift (with or without implants) — at my Toronto practice.
The biggest difference between mothers and grandmothers, when prioritizing their aesthetic concerns, is a shift in focus from the body to the face, hence an increased interest in neck lift, eyelid lift and facelift in my population over age 60.
Although some patients will enjoy “a few” facelifts in their lifetime and will therefore start in their mid-to-late 40s with the mini facelift, a large number of ladies — and men — will opt for one single facelift in their early-to-mid 60s. I will often recommend either a neck lift, a lower facelift, a mid facelift, a forehead lift, or a combination of those. The repair of the neck bands is crucial in reversing signs of aging, and while at it, I will commonly perform some liposuction under the jawline to improve its definition. I almost always do a double-layer facelift as the concomitant lift of deeper SMAS muscle layers is crucial for the longevity of results.
I also often recommend a chin implant with my neck lift and facelift to compensate for the loss of bone and muscle mass with aging; it helps to restore nose-chin harmony and helps the jowls tremendously.
It is also common to add some fat grafting to the face — in moderation of course — in my patients who come regularly for fillers, and some facial skin resurfacing to address the small fine lines (crêpey lines) that are very superficial (in the dermis) and which are not fully addressed with a facelift alone.
Finally, the eyelid lift is a simple add-on that will not add to the recovery.
The length of the surgery is obviously important, and I will evaluate the safe amount of time under anesthesia for each patient, with the help of our board-certified anesthesiologists. If the planned procedures are too long, then we will stage them. Conveniently, the VISAGE clinic is also accredited for overnight stay, so I routinely keep my grandmothers overnight under nursing supervision.
Cost for the grand-mommy makeover varies depending on the procedures chosen. The recovery will also depend on the procedures, but the good news is that pain is minimal with all facial procedures; the downtime in recovery is more “social”.
And for those grandmothers not interested in surgery, we still provide beautiful facial rejuvenation with BOTOX, Dysport®, VoluDerm microneedling, profractional lasers and fillers such as Restylane® and JUVÉDERM®.
Dr. Marc DuPéré, aesthetic plastic surgeon
