Plastic surgery blunders grab headlines, but successful procedures can transform people's lives for the better. For some Boomers, an exterior that matches their youthful disposition can be just a few cosmetic procedures away.
For Mary Winstead of Roxboro, NC, a face lift, neck liposuction and eyelid surgery gave her "a new life."
Winstead, 69, had the procedure two years ago, "because I would look in the mirror and see the sagging under my chin and neck. I'm amazed at what the difference is between before and after. It's just unreal. People couldn't believe the difference, and I have people say today there is no way I look 69."
Her advice to others considering cosmetic surgery is to consult a qualified plastic surgeon and discuss your concerns.
Sandi Hammock, 59, of Halifax, Va., wasn't happy with what depression had done to her face, so she had upper and lower eyelid surgery in Durham last year.
"I'd had some tragedy in my life, and my face was showing it," she said. "I just looked so old and depressed, and it made me feel that way."
Before the procedure, Hammock said, she looked older than 59 but now looks "as young as my daughter, who is 38. People say all the time we look like sisters. That really boosts your ego."
Now, she rides a Harley-Davidson motorcycle with her husband, whereas before, she usually stayed indoors. "Now I go out all the time."
Hammock said her husband "thinks it's great. He's glad to go with a woman who looks younger than he does -- and I'm older than he is!"
"When people tell you that you look so much younger and so great, you begin to feel that way."
She said she had no complications from the surgery, and advises anyone considering a cosmetic procedure to "research it and be sure it's what you want and need."
