Grandma is getting a makeover.
More mature women — who previously dismissed cosmetic procedures or limited them to face- and eye-lifts — are increasingly going under the knife and needle for dramatic full-body overhauls.
“We have had mommy makeovers for years, but esthetic surgery is more accepted in general, so we are seeing heightened interest from an older population who used to just give up on their bodies,’’ said Dr. Paul Jarrod Frank, a cosmetic dermatologist with offices in the West Village and on the Upper East Side.
Dr. Lyle Leipziger, the chief of plastic surgery at both North Shore University Hospital and LIJ Medical Center, agrees, noting he just performed a breast reduction on an 81-year-old
“There is now a spike in women coming in for procedures later in life — 50, 60s, 70s — including breast improvement and tummy tucks,’’ he said. “Over the last two years I’ve seen a 20% increase. This is an age group that came to me primarily for facelifts [before], but now they are doing everything for themselves.”
When Gina Nagel recently got divorced after 33 years of marriage, she decided it was time for a new life.
The 62-year-old, who owns an agricultural supply company, sold her New Jersey house and decided to visit one of her sons and her 3-year-old granddaughter in Florida.
There was just one problem: She was uncomfortable with how she’d look on the beach.
“I wanted to go to the ocean and not be mortified,’’ Nagel told The Post. “I’m more fun and spontaneous than when I was married, but the way I looked didn’t authentically represent who I am.’’
So, she went to Leipziger for a breast life and tummy tuck. The recovery was fairly painless — she said she didn’t even take Tylenol — and she’s been thrilled with the results.
“I just went into the ocean for the first time in 40 years, and if not for the surgery, I would have missed out on that moment with my granddaughter,” she said. “I never had a body that looked this good — even when I was in my 20s.”
For Lisa, a a 63-year-old with a PhD in international education and global politics, it wasn’t divorce that led her to the office of Dr. Anetta Reszko, a Park Avenue dermatologist. It was seeing how youthful her 77-year-old friend Pam looked after getting some work done.
“It was a game changer for her,” the Upper West Sider, who declined to give her last name for privacy reasons, told The Post. “I am thin, but what bothered me was the loose yuckiness of my arms and crepiness of my legs … Dr. Reszko said she could get me into sleeveless shirts and skirts above the knee in a couple of months.’’
After injections with a diluted form of the filler Radiesse (prices start at $1,100), which stimulates collagen, along with Morpheus ($2,200 per session; four sessions recommended), a microneedling machine that uses radio frequency, she has seen a drastic improvement.
“I had dimples on my legs and now they are smooth, and I don’t have to think about how to strategically cover up the crepiness,’’ said the mother-of-three and grandmother-to-one. “It’s a massive difference.’’
Brooklyn grandma Olga Smirnoff wanted to feel more confident at her son’s wedding.
“I had gained weight after menopause, no matter what I did I couldn’t control those changes, and I didn’t want to go on medication,” the 62-year-old told The Post.
She paid about $28,00 for “MicroLipo” — a version of liposuction done under local anesthesia using tiny holes that close-up without stitches” — and a skin tightening device called BodyTite. In the end, she felt fabulous in the snug purple “mermaid dress” she wore to the wedding. .
Dr. Darren Smith, a Park Avenue plastic surgeon, has seen a 20 to 30% uptick in patients 50s and above. He swears his tummy tucks can make a woman’s body look decades younger.
“You would not be able to differentiate the abs of an older woman [after surgery] from someone in her 30s or 40s,” he said.
He is also now performing less invasive “mini brachioplasties” to reshape flabby arms without the huge scar of the traditional procedure.
Meanwhile, cosmetic dentists say they’re seeing an influx of more mature women wanting to upgrade their smiles.
“In previous decades, women in their 60s and 70s would say they are too old to put veneers on their teeth, but today the same group are outnumbering younger women in my practice, wanting younger looking smiles with porcelain veneers,’’ noted top Manhattan cosmetic dentist Marc Lowenberg, who has improved the smiles of Julianna Margulies, 58, and Kelly Ripa, 53.
Lana Rozenberg, who counts 67-year-old Kim Cattrall among her patients, reports a 40% increase in esthetic work for those over 60.
“I just did a full makeover on an 86-year old,’’ she said. “When people age, their lips drop and it can look like they have no teeth, so this really helps. Several women have said they are doing this as a retirement gift to themselves.’’