People in general are no longer willing to become old at age 50, and they spend freely on supplements, gyms, equipment, trainers… and surgery. There is no problem getting funding for research on this topic, so we know more now about the effects of healthy eating, supplements, exercise, stress-reduction, and a positive attitude than ever before. We also know about plastic surgery and procedures to make the outside match how we feel inside.
The implication for singers is clear–slowing aging prolongs a career. History has shown that singers’ voices last well into their 60’s and beyond, but this type of longevity has usually applied to men, not men. Once women hit menopause, their voice seems to lower and darken, and they age rather quickly. Full-time careers are often over for a woman by her mid-50’s.
It is very possible that this is about to change. Because aging is such a prevalent concern, there is a lot of money being thrown into research at such institutions as Harvard University and the National Institute of Health, which can benefit singers immensely.
THE LATEST RESEARCH
Supplements and Diets
Singers interested in long careers don’t have time to research and keep up with everything happening in the field. For that reason, we are recommending a book which spells out exactly what to do and the reasons why, with excellent footnotes pointing to scholarly publications for further study. The book is entitled Stop Aging Now, by Jean Carper, published by HarperCollins/1995. $15 in paperback at Amazon.com.
Carper’s Supplement Recommendation: a multivitamin with 100% of the RDA. In addition, vitamin E (100-400 IU); vitamin C (500-1,500 mg); beta carotene (10-15 mg); chromium (200 mcg); calcium (500-1,500 mg); zinc (15-30 mg); selenium (50-200 mcg); magnesium (200-300 mg); coenzyme Q-10 (30 mg). Ms. Carper also recommends a B-vitamin, ginkgo (40 mgX3); glutathione (100 mg); glutamine (2,000-8,000 mg); fish oil (1,000 mg) unless you eat fish such as salmon, sardines or mackerel three times a week; garlic (3-6 caps); and l-carnitine (1,000-2,000 mg).
Carper’s Diet Recommendation: Eat fruits and vegetables (no surprise), eat fish three times a week, drink green tea, eat soybean foods (three to seven times a week), restrict calories and stay at a lower than normal weight. Restrict fats by avoiding meat and dairy fat, polyunsaturated and partially hydrogenated fats; go easy on meat and learn to cook it right; learn about alcohol; curb sweets, eat garlic.
For information on why, how, when–read the book! (Recommendations reprinted by permission from HarperCollins Publishing Inc., New York, NY.)
Cosmetic Surgery
Another temptation in the fight to keep singing is plastic surgery. This may change nothing about how you appear onstage in a large house with lights, wigs and make-up. But when dealing up close with a manager, doing auditions, business meetings, and on television, singers want to look marketable.
At the outset, I want to say that, to my knowledge, no one has done research into the effects of cosmetic surgery on the classical voice. I have tried for months to get doctors, singers and teachers to talk about it, but have only found anecdotal evidence, or evidence I can’t use without causing harm. For instance, Teresa Stratas is suing a well-known voice doctor because she claims her career was ruined by a procedure on her nose. She gave a wonderful keynote address and talked about this very openly at the National Association of Teachers of Singing (NATS) Convention this year. Tapes of the event were made. Shortly thereafter, urgent requests were made by NATS to trade the original tapes for different versions. In the litigious environment in which we live, it is unlikely that any singer or doctor will be allowed to speak openly.
We heard of one teacher who reports that, without consulting her, one of her students with an international career had several cosmetic procedures done shortly before an important performance. When she came for her next lesson, the voice was not working well at all. It had been in great shape prior to surgery, according to the teacher. A full third was gone off the top of the range and this role was extremely high. The end result was that the singer had a disaster in this very visible performance. The teacher speculated that the problem was from increased pressure on the larynx from tightened skin. A doctor I spoke with said this was impossible, and suggested that perhaps the singer wasn’t singing well to begin with, or there may have been a problem with intubation used during surgery. Without being able to talk openly to the singer or the doctor, it is hard to know.
Another anecdote from this same teacher concerns a singer who also had a facelift and lost a third of her range. After six months of hard work, it returned. This teacher is now very firm with her students–you have a facelift, you no longer have a teacher.
One procedure we know may cause problems to singers is called an endoscopic forehead lift. There is a publicized risk that there may be a resulting loss of strong facial expression; that alone could be harmful to a career. However, one teacher reports that a student who had this done showed no vocal changes. According to the 1996 national average of surgeons’ fees provided by the American Society of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons, the procedure costs $2,500, lasts five to 10 years, and takes two weeks to recover from, normally. But being able to sing a full opera? Again, until we can get singers to talk about their procedures, it would be hard to say.
Chemical procedures are another matter. One internationally-known soprano, who had severe acne growing up which pitted her face deeply, routinely goes through chemical peels, particularly before a photo session. It works well and she shows no vocal problems afterwards. The reported cost for these is about $1,500 with recovery in five to 10 days, and the procedure lasts from several months to years. There is also the carbon dioxide laser, where outer skin layers are resurfaced with a pulsating beam of light, removing crow’s feet, cheek lines and other wrinkles. Treated skin generates new collagen and elastin, which can act like a facelift in some cases. The cost is $2,600, recovering in14 days (but able to sing?), and results last months to years.
More Research Needed on Singers
Until more research is done on this, and more singers come forward, we suggest that singers think long and hard about possible effects on their voices. If singers are losing their voices from these procedures, it needs to be talked about. If you are a singer who has had age-reduction procedures done, please contact me directly at 973/378-9549 ext. 19 or go to the forum at http://www.classicalsinger.com/forum and tell singers about your experience. As always, you can be completely anonymous.
