Bodies change. One of the most significant times of bodily change for women is menopause, a normal part of aging that—despite its universality—still brings a lot of physical (and emotional) surprises.
But the reality is that women don’t have to stop feeling and looking like themselves simply because they’re entering another stage of life. It’s one of the reasons what’s known as the “Menopause Makeover” has become a growing trend in cosmetic procedures. To understand why more and more women of a certain age are embracing their options, we talked to Dr. Clair Duggal, a board-certified plastic surgeon and co-owner of Sandel Duggal Center for Plastic Surgery of Annapolis. Here’s how she explained it to us:
When we hear about the trend of a “Menopause Makeover,” what does that entail?
It looks different for everyone. It’s not dissimilar from the concept of a “Mommy Makeover,” which refers to a personalized set of surgical or nonsurgical procedures we do to address changes created by pregnancy. Menopause represents another major hormonal shift in a woman’s life that leads to physical changes a lot of people aren’t happy with. A “Menopause Makeover” can refer to a variety of procedures that address some of those changes.
What has made more mature women reluctant to have cosmetic procedures done in the past and why do they feel more empowered to do it now?
In the past, I think there were likely several factors leading to reluctance. There certainly was a social stigma associated with cosmetic surgery in the past. Pursuing plastic surgery was viewed as vanity, and women who did so appeared to be trying too hard to look young. We had fewer options to achieve natural outcomes. There also may have been safety concerns for some patients, because our techniques were not as refined in the past.
Now we find there is a shift in people’s overall viewpoint of cosmetic procedures. We see cosmetic procedures as part of our wellness and self-care. It’s become overall more acceptable to invest in your physical presentation, and people in general understand how that affects confidence and mood.
What kinds of procedures are common as part of a menopause makeover?
During menopause, there are predictable hormonal shifts which have significant physical implications. A drop in estrogen, for example, leads to a reduction in collagen. This contributes to less elasticity in the skin which applies head to toe. The hormonal shift also changes body contour, leading to more fat on the abdomen and hip regions. Abdominal muscles may become more lax. Some women find this is a time to seek body contouring, like an abdominoplasty (tummy tuck) to improve core strength, reduce fat, and smooth abdominal skin.
For other women, menopause may be a time that their breasts are changing size. They may gain breast tissue that they’ve never had and seek a breast reduction for comfort. Other women notice the sagging of the skin and seek a lift. And there are also women who lose volume overall and have a breast augmentation to improve shape.
It’s all of the above. Menopause represents a physical change creating incongruity between how women feel and view themselves compared with how they look in the mirror in a variety of ways. A “Menopause Makeover” refers to whatever individualized procedure or set of procedures helps to restore their physical identity.
What’s the difference between a Menopause Makeover and a Mommy Makeover? Is there a lot of overlap, or are they usually very different?
I think there is overlap, at least, from my perspective. Patients are often seeking the same types of procedures. With Mommy Makeovers, people are frustrated with how their body has changed as a result of pregnancy. With a Menopause Makeover, it’s really just a couple of decades later, and again we face hormonal shifts leading to physical changes in the same body areas.
There are also many women who might have considered these procedures after their children were born but the timing wasn’t right. If you’re balancing a career and raising a young family, you’ve got a lot of other obligations! Menopause then exacerbates those same physical changes during a period when a woman may have more time to focus on herself.
It sounds as if a Menopause Makeover isn’t so much about “I’ve reached a certain age and don’t care about stigma anymore” as much as it’s about reversing natural changes that are a result of aging. Is that correct?
I think you’re absolutely right. It can be very frustrating for people who continue to embrace a healthy lifestyle—they’re working out, they’re eating a balanced diet—but these physical changes still occur because they are independent of your lifestyle choices. When we work hard and aren’t able to see the results of those efforts, sometimes plastic surgery can be a worthwhile piece of self-care.
And when you look good, you feel good?
I tell patients frequently—because I think there is always going to be a concern that this choice stems from vanity, and there is that stigma still associated—we are mammals. The rules of evolution apply. We want to present our best selves, and our mood is elevated when we feel good about our physical presentation. It’s not necessarily a conscious decision to feel that way—it’s in our biology. It won’t ever be the right thing for everyone, but for many women it can be life-changing to restore an aspect of their appearance that they cannot change themselves.
What advice would you give to women who think they’re too old for a makeover or are worried about “trying to hard” to look young?
I do think this sort of idea of chasing youth or trying to look too young are somewhat antiquated ideas as well. Our approach to surgery, as our techniques have advanced, is much more nuanced. What we are trying to achieve isn’t some idealized version of an abdomen or breast, but rather a natural, restored, improved version of your own contours.
We are all trying to feel more confident in our own skin. We’re trying to be healthy and vibrant on the outside to reflect how we’re feeling inside. A lot of that can be very empowering, especially as you are entering middle age or later decades. I don’t think there’s necessarily age cutoffs for the procedures that we’re talking about. It more has to do with overall health and each case is highly personalized to take that into account.
What are some positive impacts of this kind of makeover that most people wouldn’t consider?
We have done quite a bit of research over the course of the last few decades looking at the psychological advantages of having cosmetic surgery. It really does enhance self-image, and we found that can boost self-esteem. It increases confidence, and it does overall translate to a better quality of life for many people. You can address things that you are not able to do through lifestyle changes alone.
That’s not to say we shouldn’t embrace the changes we are going through as we age and as our weight fluctuates. I think that’s all part of having realistic expectations. These procedures aren’t a magic wand to look however we want to. And that’s the other important part of an individualized approach—I want to make sure that together our expectations are lining up, because that’s what leads to great outcomes where people are really happy and fulfilled.
