Much more important than the physical age is the general condition of health of the patients. Thus, old age is only a relative contra-indication for plastic surgery. Of utmost importance also is the anaesthetic techniue used. The elderly are as a rule much more sensitive to anaesthetic agents and tolerate these much less than their younger counterparts. This is why our progressive sedation techniques limit the anaesthetic risks to such an extend that we may perform surgeries under Local Anaesthesia, whereas a general anaesthetic would be out of the question for reasons of patient safety.
NEVER TOO OLD
SPECIFIC INDICATIONS
BOTH PATHOLOGY AND VANITY
 I have operated very successfully on patients of 90+years of age. Evidently, a number of skin diseases appear specifically in the elderly, of which a large number are malignant. The advantage of surgery under local anesthesia and mild sedation is particularly important in the elderly, who as a rule, cannot tolerate long general anesthetics with the same impunity as the young. Furthermore, old age doesnot appear to be a barrier to a certain vanity. In particular skin wrinkles of the face and hand are popular, but also eyelid surgery (often also for functional reasons) and the correction of redundant skin folds is an often aired request. |
