July/August 2009

Geriatric Aesthetics
By Alison O’Neil, BS, ME, ARS
Aging Well
Vol. 2 No. 3 P. 10

In the developing field of geriatric aesthetics, healthful grooming may be considered as important as healthful eating, as our quality of life fades with lack of either.

Geriatric aesthetics focuses on the specific physical and emotional needs of older adults. There is a critical demand for specialists in geriatric aesthetics who can recognize conditions specific to aging bodies and minds, respond proficiently without exacerbating existing conditions, and possess knowledge of professionals for referral for appropriate advanced care.

From the time we’re young, we learn the importance of brushing our teeth and bathing. Maintaining hair, skin, nails, general grooming, and hygienic care for our bodies begins as soon as we enter the world. We learned about the importance of protecting our bodies from germs as children when our immune systems were developing. Such protection is equally important as we age and our immune systems don’t work as well as they once did.

We’ve learned that we feel better after a haircut, taking a shower, or even dressing. That becomes even more vital as we age. Positive feelings are derived not only from looking our best but also from the resulting sense of self-worth. Good grooming promotes both physical and mental health. If you paint a picture, build a house, or write a paper, you experience a sense of accomplishment, pride, and self-respect. Those are material results that you see and feel.

So is managing your personal appearance. When you look good, you feel better. When you feel good about yourself, others feel good about you. When others treat you well, you feel your best. It’s really that simple.

 It’s not vain for older adults to think about their appearance if the thoughts are not compulsive. If appearance is all they think about, they may have a psychological condition known as body dysmorphic disorder. Frequently seen in patients with anorexia and bulimia, it is also diagnosed in individuals who have an unusually high number of plastic surgery procedures based on their belief that their appearance is distorted and needs to be fixed.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder—it’s a well-known saying. Due to our life experiences, we all see the beauty in things differently. This is true even when we look at the same things at the same time. Some people look for total perfection while for others, imperfection represents perfection.

The rapid increase in the older adult demographic has given rise to a new field called geriatric aesthetics. This specialty in grooming relates to the specific aesthetic changes and their required care related to aging, including concerns from head to toe.

Starting at the toes, pedicures are on the rise. Among older adults, the inability to reach their feet is common, and maintaining healthy feet is imperative. When diabetes is involved, avoiding foot and lower leg issues is particularly critical. Even if elders don’t have diabetes, foot care and cleanliness are important. The feet require specialized, gentle care. Their distance from the heart prevents fast healing, and small injuries to the feet can cause serious consequences to older adults who are unable to reach their feet.

Never use cutting tools called credo blades, which are outlawed in many states, nor should older adults allow their cuticles to be cut. Elders can safely and gently push their cuticles back. However, cutting the cuticles opens the pathway for infection. Effective callus and cuticle removal products can safely remove thickened skin and leave feet soft and smooth.

If elders’ legs are dry, flaky, or very sensitive, it’s important to care for dry skin. If it is a condition that has existed for more than two or three weeks and has become uncomfortable, it may be more than dry skin. Medications and certain illnesses can have dermatologic characteristics that appear to be just dry skin. But if an annoying itch persists, encourage elders to check with their doctors to determine the right course of action.

Itching on the lower legs is a common complaint as people age. Sometimes, such itching occurs without evidence of a particular cause. This can result from a condition related to nerves in the skin and not the skin itself. It may require medical attention to settle the sensation.

Each part of an older adult’s body has its own special needs. Common areas requiring specialized care to maintain cleanliness are the feet, groin, and underarms. When feet are enclosed in shoes, the body’s midsection is covered by clothing, and skin lacks proper ventilation, these areas tend to become moist or damp and are susceptible to rashes related to yeast and other bacteria.

Bacteria thrive in hot, damp climates. So, not only do older adults need to wash their bodies and dry them well, but they also need to extend careful cleanliness to their clothes, including socks and support stockings. Powder, which absorbs moisture, helps in areas where skin touches skin. It’s also helpful in shoes and even with socks. Various stores carry socks made for wicking moisture away from the skin. Baking soda can be substituted for powder in a pinch as an antiperspirant. It is especially effective when odor is evident from incontinence or perspiration.

Concerns about personal aesthetics are important among the geriatric population because it helps older adults socialize when they receive services at salons in their communities, and more importantly, it literally keeps elders in touch with other human beings as a result of their disconnect from society and their families. Failure-to-thrive syndrome is now observed more frequently in older adults.

The importance of being touched by professionals who provide a sense of worth that isn’t conveyed in other ways becomes paramount. Being touched less frequently reinforces thoughts of unimportance or diminished value. The perception of reduced personal value leads to disinterest in self-care and deterioration of health.

We recognize the importance of finding the right hairdresser who understands an individual’s hair. The value of a professional who’s familiar with an elder’s life stories and listens with an empathetic ear is quintessential.

The impact of personal aesthetic maintenance on older adults has yet to be empirically determined. It’s important to investigate the inherent benefits of these seemingly simple interventions for improving elders’ quality of life relative to the effect on health prevention and mental health considerations.

— Alison O’Neil, BS, ME, ARS, practices medical aesthetics and aesthetic rehabilitation in Atlanta and is the founder of the Beauty Becomes You Foundation, an elder-focused nonprofit based in Norcross, GA.