By Mary N. DiZazzo

Happy Birthday --Or is It?

Ciao bella,

Those big birthdays keep rolling in while Mother Nature is rapping on our door. Another wrinkle here, another blotch there, a new sag here is the inevitable state of the aging process.

But do you dare to have it surgically repaired to obtain youthful qualities once again? At a price for sure! And I don’t mean dollars.

More that 8.7 million people in the United States underwent cosmetic plastic surgery last year. Those statistics rose up 32 percent from 6.6 million in 2002, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

Included in these statistics are two million of us who took it a step further, going under the knife for procedures like face lifts.

The ASPS was established in 1931. It is the largest plastic surgery specialty organization in the world. They suggest never have surgery by anyone other than a qualified, board-certified, experienced surgeon. Apparently, according to plastic surgeon Z. Paul Lorenc, “people have a skewed vision of what exactly happens in the O.R.”

Surgical procedures can be extremely painful. Also, an untrained eye may be able to pick up on asymmetry. If you see a face is somehow “off,” it most likely is. Use caution and choose a surgeon who can answer all your questions. Make sure you view his before-and-after procedures and possible recommendations from other patients.

All in all, aging is certainly better than the alternative! So take care of your skin now. Z. Paul Lorenc also quotes that people who moisturize their skin now have a better success rate when they do plan a surgical procedure.

So, enjoy your cake!

P.S.: The answer to the question in my prior column? Sophia Loren is the Italian beauty with the enviable vitals of 38C-24-38.

Buona giornata

--Mary

Have you missed any of Mary's columns in the Post-Gazette? Read prior weeks' "All That Zazz" columns on her website www.mary4nails.com. She is a third-generation cosmetologist and owner of Mary for Nails, etc. natural nailcare salon in Andover, and a Massachusetts distributor of Kosmea brand rose hip oil products. She may be contacted at (978) 470-8183. She also sees select clients by appointment in Boston at (617) 742-6881.