Gen X Is Getting Plastic Surgery Right

Nevertheless, this group is uniquely positioned to pursue cosmetic treatments, notes Dr. Williams: “A lot of Gen Xers are done having children, their careers are established, and many are looking to do something for themselves.” But not before they do their research. This generation is educated, not influenced. They “consider these procedures to be an investment, so they’re willing to spend time and money finding the right surgeon,” says Ashley Gordon, MD, a board-certified plastic surgeon in Austin. What’s more, “they’re willing to wait for that specific doctor,” knowing that some outshine others (and have the waitlists to prove it).

But that’s not all Gen X is getting right….

“I call Gen X the oil-and-foil generation,” says Dr. Sunder, a Florida native. “We were tanning like crazy and we did not do skin care growing up. A lot of us didn’t get into sun protection and skin care until 10 or 15 years ago,” she points out. “Now, we’re trying to reverse the damage, so we’re doing more laser and skin treatments than the generation before us—and that’s allowing us to look younger than they did at our age.”

Lasers are to Gen X what facials were to Boomers, she tells me. Many midlifers are loyal to fractional resurfacing lasers (some popular brand names are Halo and Moxi) and light-based devices (IPL or BBL). “For those seeing lines and discoloration, we’re using “strong nonablative options”—like the Fraxel and newer Miria laser—usually twice a year, says Robert Anolik, MD, a board-certified dermatologist in New York City. These tools don’t demand as much downtime (usually, a week of looking pinkish-bronze and puffy) as, say, the heavy-duty CO2 laser, so patients “can integrate them practically into their lives and still get a great impact.”

After resurfacing the full face, Dr. Anolik frequently targets discrete sunspots and broken capillaries with Q-switched and vascular lasers. Since sun damage is rarely limited to the face, he often extends treatment to the neck, chest, and backs of hands. “At this point,” he says, “I feel like I’ve treated every part of the body with these lasers.”

If your social feeds aren’t replete with menopause content, are you even a Gen Xer? Thanks to the proliferation of menopause advocates online, you may already know how dwindling estrogen affects your period, sleep, mood, waistline, heart health, sex life, and yes, your appearance. You’ve likely read that women lose up to 30% of their collagen within the first five years of menopause. As estrogen wanes, skin also gets dry and lackluster. Less buzzed-about but equally consequential, adds Dr. Byrne, “many women experience a loss in facial volume and bony support after menopause, partly due to declining estrogen.” Meaning: not only is our skin getting thinner and less resilient, but so, too, is the foundation that gives it shape and structure. When Dr. Sunder operates on postmenopausal patients, she finds their skin is “not as supple” and their muscles “not as bouncy” as those of patients who still have estrogen to spare.