Thinking of a menopause makeover? Here’s what you need to know

The bottom line: A menopausal rejuvenation is when a woman in her 40s or 50s receives cosmetic treatments to lift, smooth, brighten and tighten her face and body to reverse the effects of menopause.

What are these effects? Does Menopause Ruin Everything?

The surgeons we spoke to focused on three issues: fat, skin laxity and breast shape.

“First, with the loss of estrogen, women often experience changes in their body fat distribution,” says board-certified plastic surgeon Evan Garfein, MD, co-founder of 497 Greenwich Street. (If you’ve ever tried to push fat from your legs back to your cheekbones, then you’ve succeeded.) A typical menopausal facelift aims to “address excess fat, most commonly around the waist,” says board-certified plastic surgeon Oren Tepper, MD. MD, its other co-founder 497 Greenwich Street. “And then, I might transfer just a little bit of that fat to deficient areas, like the cheeks, the hollows under the eyes, the temples, or the backs of the hands.”

It’s also common for the back to have excess skin and tissue: “I’ve heard more than one patient refer to ‘menopause handles’ to describe the new accumulation of fat in her ribs and lumbar regions,” says Kolker. To address this, surgeons may perform liposuction, abdominoplasty or, for more significant skin and fat removal, a body lift.

Sagging skin is also a result of the decline in estrogen. Your eyebrows and eyelids begin to droop, as do your lips. These can be treated with brow lift, blepharoplasty and lip lift. A facelift does the rest, “bringing the skin and fat settled in the lower face back to the cheek and gently repositioning the skin so it’s youthful and taut, never tight,” says Kolker.

Meanwhile, your breasts may sag and look deflated. Or they may become larger and wider. Or they can be bigger, wider and droopier. Whatever the situation, surgeons can treat it with a breast lift, implants or breast reduction.

Can you do a bunch of these operations at once?

It depends. You may be able to have a breast and/or body contouring procedure with facial fat transfer, says Kolker. Or you can have facial surgery that includes a face lift, eye and brow lift, and lip lift.

On a scale of “Dear God, make it stop,” how bad is the pain after these surgeries? And how long does recovery take?

Everyone is different, as is every surgical case, but plan to be uncomfortable and look very bruised and swollen for a few weeks. And you may not feel or look healed for a few months.

Is there an ideal age to renew at menopause?

“There is no perfect time, but there is always an advantage to treatment sooner rather than later,” says Kolker. “The younger you are, the more collagen and elastin you have, making your result more effective and longer-lasting and the surgery less invasive – think a mini-lift versus a face-lift.” She says, however, that a better gauge is to ask yourself how much something bothers you: “When you notice changes in the mirror every day rather than occasionally, then you’re probably ready for a consultation.”

Does menopause makeover have to involve surgery?

Usually, yes, but you can do non-invasive treatments and get a result that makes you happy. I get Nurse Jamiecelebrity cosmetician in Los Angeles: “I was thinking about getting a thigh lift—the sagging skin on my legs was driving me crazy—until I decided to try Potenza treatments.” Potenza is a non-invasive device that uses radio frequency microneedling to tighten the skin. She treated her full legs twice and then canceled the surgery. “It made a pretty dramatic difference. From always being covered up to wearing a swimsuit without a wrap,” she shares, noting that she was also glad to skip post-surgery recovery and scarring.

Ballpark, what do these things cost?

The national average for a facelift is approx $10,000. A blepharoplasty (or blepharoplasty) costs an average of $3,339. For the body, the price of liposuction is over $4,000 on average. a tummy tuck, over $7,000; The national average for a breast reduction is $6,771, while a breast augmentation averages $4,294. But note that these are only the surgeon’s fees. you may have more expenses, such as hospital bills, anesthesia, and post-surgery care. And unless your concern is debilitating (ie, your droopy eyelids are affecting your vision), insurance won’t cover them because they’re optional. As you compare prices, remember to prioritize your surgeon’s skill and experience. Look for a board-certified plastic surgeon, ask for typical examples of their work, and check their references. This surgeon finder is a good place to start.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. It should not be considered a substitute for professional guidance from your healthcare provider.