The Voice Lift

Plastic surgeons across the country have started getting more and more requests for a type of cosmetic surgery known as the "voice lift." Dr. Robert Thayer Sataloff of Graduate Hospital says that people sound old due to "the wobbles, the tremors," and hoarseness in the voice. "There are people who pay $15,000 for a face lift and as soon as they open their mouth, they sound like they're 75," said Dr. Sataloff.

In addition to improving the quality of the voice itself, surgeons are exploring other ways to make patients sound even more youthful. "We're performing surgery on the parts of the brain responsible for making a patient choose old-sounding ways of speaking," Dr. Sataloff said. Martin Clark, a 73-year-old retired public utility worker who underwent the voice and brain surgery several months ago, believes that he really does sound younger. "Like, you know, I think the surgery was a wicked success," he said, in a rich, smooth voice. Dr. Sataloff said of Clark's improvement: "His relatives say he has stopped constantly bothering them with stories from 50 years ago. And he has stopped beginning every sentence with the words, 'Back in my day...'"