Marie Kolstad is just your average, 83-year-old Californian, with one small exception: her cans. Yes, in her old age, Kolstad recently underwent breast augmentation surgery — without any medical complications.
The complications she did face, however, were largely concerns from her children. Though she is quoted in the New York Times as saying “I want my children to be proud of what I look like,” she told Good Morning America that her children were deeply concerned over the risks associated with sugery at her age. Her doctor said Kolstad told him of her daughter’s quip that she would “die right on the table” before her surgery (which actually went very well).
A widow for over 20 years, says the thought first occurred to her because “It’s a time in my life where I felt like I needed a change to make myself feel good.” She says she didn’t do it to improve her love life, saying, “If that’s in the cards, I’ll take it. If it’s not, that’s good too.” Set described her thoughts about her body before the surgery as such:
“As you get older everything goes down, and you know, you have to look up. I saw kind of an old lady’s body [when I looked in the mirror] and I wanted to look a little younger, and feel a little younger, and feel good about myself. And that kind of helped.”
Kolstad originally was considering a tummy tuck, but “decided it was too dangerous” at her age. But despite the risks involved, cosmetic surgeries among people over the age of 65 have increased, with breast augmentations nearly quadrupling. As for the health risks associated with surgery elderly people, Kolstad’s surgeon thinks of it this way: “There’s risk with babies having surgery, so who’s more fragile?” And if Marie died during the surgery? She quipped, “Well, then I’d probably look good in my casket. They don’t have to stuff it.”
Grandmother, 83, Gets Breast Implants [ABC News]
The Golden Years, Polished With Surgery [New York Times]