Dr. Miami and Age Limits in Private Practice

The famous Dr. Miami admits that he has a seemingly odd requirement for his budding practice: no patients over the age of 50. What does the age of 50 represent for plastic surgery, and is this really a requirement based on any science and history? Dr. Bill Adams discusses with board certified plastic surgeons Dr. Cliff Clark and Dr. Dan Del Vecchio on the latest episode of No Spin Live.

What is 50 Anyway?

Dr. Miami hails of Internet fame as the king of Snapchat when it comes to plastic surgery. His practice routinely makes headlines and has a robust social media presence, pointing to why he may limit his patients to those under 50.

“It’s shocking really,” says Dr. Cliff Clark, also a surgeon in Florida. “Firstly it’s just overt age-discrimination. Maybe it’s because i’m 57 now – I might be a little more sensitive to these issues! It’s clear that this gentlemen has a very internet-driven practice. He has a lot of younger fans. I think if you go further in his article to see how he tries to make things safe and have people appropriate for his out-patient surgery center, there is some logic to it. But 50 is an arbitrary thing, and if he’s worried about people having heart disease, high blood pressure, that’s why we rely on our colleagues in cardiology and family practice to make sure that they’re safe for outpatient surgery.”

Private Practice Means Private Rules

While 50 doesn’t necessarily fit any person into a certain category, surgeons operating in a private practice do have the right to set whichever rules they deem fit for what they do. It’s absolutely true that in this day and age a 55 year old may be in the shape of a 25 year old, and likewise a 40 year old in the shape of a 60 year old. Dr. Miami surely understands these considerations, but his practice may simply cater to his younger base.

“He’s got the right to operate on whoever he wants or not, but I do agree it’s kind of strange,” admits Dr. Dan Del Vecchio, a surgeon in Boston who routinely performs buttock augmentation procedures on patients over 50. “We always have to make the distinction between cosmetic surgery that’s age-related and cosmetic surgery that has nothing to do with age. If you think about rhinoplasty, buttock augmentation, breast augmentation, those are typically operations that have nothing to do with age. They have to do with somebody wanting something shaped differently. As Cliff said, eyelids and facelift patients are different patients. They’re typically older and it’s a different set of circumstances.”

“Dr. Miami’s practice is a younger practice and it’s totally his right to do that, although it is a little strange. I would also tell you that there are a lot more women that I’m seeing who over 50 that want their butts done. So, hey, good for him. Have those 50 year old butts come my way.”