Last summer a friend from Northern Europe (Latvia) visited and I was intrigued when I asked him how old he was.

Now this particular friend, (His name is Janis, pronounced Yah’–nis), like many persons from this geographic area, is highly active. He boats, swims, (he even cuts a swim-lane in the ice in the winter followed by a hot sauna, of course….we are talking the north country here), hikes, rides motorcycles, practices as a marksman, skis (with his 89 year old mother. I happen to know her age), flies a seaplane, flies a jet, is a businessman, has sat on the City Counsel of Riga (the capital), is a prolific surgeon,… .well you get the picture. To say he is energetic is an understatement.

So when I asked him his age, he paused for a moment. “I don’t really know,” he replied. Turns out, he knew the year of his birth and the month. He stated the day of the month he was born, but quickly corrected himself to a different day. But he did not keep track of the numbers of years he had been alive. He did not know the exact ages of his 3 sons, either. I doubt he knows how old his wife is.

Years ago, Dr. Michael Roizen and his team put together a list of factors to calculate a score for determining “your real age”, or physiologic age. The concept was wildly popular. So the whole thing got commercialized, sold, then resold, to profit off all the attention.

Elderly, long-lived people in the Blue Zones came to the public’s attention, too. Theories on the source of their longevity were advanced, and we started to reshape ourselves to fit the Blue Zone parameters.

In the other studies, mice fed using the condition of semi-starvation proved to have extended life spans. Soon people followed suit, restricting calories to the extreme until they looked like concentration camp victims, all in pursuit of a long (but starved) life span.

All this got me thinking. Maybe we are better off, like Janis, not too focused on how old we are, chasing the elusive magic key to extreme longevity. His attitude and practice have given me a new perspective. Maybe the smart thing to do is just completely live in the beauty of every day and fill each day with the richness of unusual and everyday experiences, the love and appreciation for all the people around us, and the wonder of our world,…and lose track of how old we are.

So… How old would you be…and how would you live… if you did not know how old you are?

Preparing to take off with Dr. Janis Zarzeckis, for an aerial tour of Riga, Latvia and surrounding countryside.

Exploring Gotland, Sweden by bicycle, with Dr. Janis Zarzeckis and his wife, Indra. I’m 72 but how old are they? I guess it really does not matter.

We want you to feel as good as you look. We are currently offering free bioidentical hormone pelleting to all of our facelift patients – to allow them to feel as good as they look after surgery!

There is no secret that my favorite type of surgery involves facial rejuvenation. Over the last 40 years, many facelift techniques have emerged, each with passionate advocates. One point of agreement among surgeons is that the underlying SMAS (superficial musculoaponeurotic system) and platysma muscle layers must be addressed. However, how to handle these structures—whether by elevating the SMAS, entering the deep plane, or simply plicating the SMAS—remains a subject of debate. The truth is, in skilled hands, these techniques will always produce similar results in comparable patients. But the problem is that not all surgeons are equally skilled at this rather complex procedure.

So how do surgeons decide which approach is best for each patient? It all depends on the individual’s unique anatomy and the findings during their pre-operative examination. What makes facelifts so fascinating to me is that no two patients have the same needs or expectations. The key to a successful outcome lies in customizing the procedure to suit each patient’s anatomy, skin type, and aesthetic goals.

By tailoring the facelift to address each person’s specific concerns, we can ensure the best possible results, delivering a refreshed and natural look. Remember, the most important factor isn’t necessarily which technique is used, but rather the experience and skill of the surgeon in creating a result that harmonizes with your individual facial structure.

Sometimes it in not necessary to do a facelift to give a patient the look they desire. This female presented with early signs of jowling and neck laxity (many surgeons would have offered her a facelift but I thought that would be overkill). After discussion of her concerns and objectives, a minimally invasive chin augmentation and neck liposuction was offered and gave her these pleasing results.
Procedure performed by Juris Bunkis, MD, FACS.

This lady in her late 40’s also had a weak chin, which accentuated her neck laxity, but her drooping was to significant to expect a great profile without combining her neck liposuction and chin augmentation with a facelift, brow lift, a rhinoplasty, and a blepharoplasty.
Procedure performed by Dr. Juris Bunkis of Orange County Plastic Surgery in Newport Beach.

This active author was 79 years old, expected to look in her 50’s and required a facelift, brow lift, blepharoplasty and a full face resurfacing. She is shown in the after photograph as a very happy 81 year old!
Surgery performed by Dr. Juris Bunkis.