Where are they now? Even supermodels get old like the rest of us

There's a really interesting demonstration of facial aging you can see in a "Where are they now?" slideshow in former supermodels of the 1970's, 1980's and 1990's you can see here. Here's a representative sample of a few different "vintages" which I think show some of the signs of aging that creep onto all of us as we age. The lifestyle of many models in terms of diet, sun-exposure, smoking, drug use, and depression clearly play a role in some of the exaggerated changes you might see in some of these beautiful people.

Christy Turlington, (age 43) multiple Vogue cover model of the early 1990's.You see the early loss of midface volume of the cheek and hollowed areas around the lower eyelid.

Janice Dickinson, (age 56) one of the 1st supermodels of the late 1970's early 1980's. You see a striking loss of volume of the face with sun-damage related changes to the skin. She's also had a number of well-publicized issues with substance abuse and depression which are known factors in early facial aging. Animation lines and fine wrinkles around the eyelid and mouth become more prominent.

Twiggy (age 62) the waif-like icon of mid 1960's swinging London fashion scene. Twiggy demonstrates the fact that it's hard to grow old when you're frozen in time in pop culture as the "It" girl of 1966. Her interval photos demonstrate all the changes you see from volume loss, sun damage with discoloration, and a gradual change of the heart-shaped "Ogee" curve of the youthful face and cheek to a flattened and round shape.

The women in the story are still striking, but do show some exaggerated changes of the aging face that we see in consultation in the office frequently. The single biggest things you can do to slow down facial aging are common sense steps like to avoid sun, not smoke, and maintain a steady weight and diet.

Rob

Cosmetic Surgery at age 83: 'Enhancing' the Golden Years

We all want to look our best right? So why should that be any different for senior citizens? Just ask Marie Kolstad, the 83 year old Orange County woman who recently had a breast augmentation procedure.

The great-grandmother has garnered national attention after going public with the details about her desire to look and feel younger, and her surgery has sparked a debate about cosmetic surgery and whether there may be increased potential health risks as we age.

Dr. Walden's article in Culture Map provides a well rounded look at the topic and clears up the controversy:

http://austin.culturemap.com/newsdetail/09-04-11-10-45-how-old-is-too-old-for-cosmetic-surgery-granny-got-breast-implants/

So if you happen to be getting older, worry not about squeezing in your last nip or tuck before your 65th Birthday. As long as you are in good health, you could still have years and years of visits to your plastic surgeon to look forward to.

This Year's Most Stressful Job: The Weather Person!

There is one thing I can say for sure about 2011 so far: Mother Nature is not a happy woman! She has been wrecking havoc all over the world and these days no one is safe from her wrath. I never thought I would be telling my kids one day that I saw a hurricane and an earthquake (AND in the same week) in New York but it's true. Records are being broken all over with temperatures, rain fall (or lack thereof), and magnitudes and directions of storms. It is a crazy world these days so we all should be watching the news and weather channels to be prepared, no matter where you live.



Dr. Walden, the true Texan woman that she is, wrote an article this week to help educate people in Texas (especially Austin) on how to handle that terrible heat safely:



http://austin.culturemap.com/newsdetail/08-28-11-20-28-goodbye-irene/



I hope for everyone's sake that Mother Nature gets a nap, or chocolate, or something to make her happier!

Victory for Common Sense: FDA drops MRI suggestion for patients with silicone implants

BREAKING NEWS: A fairly significant announcement by the USFDA was in the paper today re. silicone gel breast implants (see NYT summary here). Based on testimony and evidence presented, the FDA has finally agreed that the suggestion that patients need routine MRI screening of their implants is no longer one they support. This is bringing the United States into line with the rest of the world on being more pragmatic on the issue and reserving workup for symptomatic patients only.  Recent papers in the surgery literature have been reporting that MRI has been associated with overestimation of rupture rates, particularly when applied to asymptomatic patients. The panel also concluded that no new evidence has been presented to change prior determinations that silicone implants are not causally linked to any known systemic illness.

Rob