Face & neck life in less than a week, after reading these posts, I'm terrified

sosorryididthis 21 Mar 2013

You should be terrified. Even the BEST surgeon can make a mistake. I have tried every kind of pain medication, including morphine to try to ease this pain with no success. Nerve damage I suspect, but my Dr. will admit to nothing. I am unable to work, or do the things I used to enjoy like scuba diving. It has been a nightmare. I have had several other cosmetic surgery procedures over the years with great success. Some people reading this may think because this was done in Bangkok that is the reason for this result. I actually spoke to a woman in the U.S. who had used the Dr. I did in Bangkok. She couldnt speak highly enough of him. 500,000 tourists a year visit this hospital for everything from heart surgery to hip replacement because the prices are far less then in North America. Bumrungrad Hospital Bangkok..........wish I had never walked through their doors. As I type this I am unable to bend my head back any more then an inch. So so sad. Cheryl

sosorryididthis 21 Mar 2013

3 years after a midface and neck lift, I am in horrible pain. I researched also extensively and went to Thailand to one of the supposedly top 10 hospitals in the world. My face and neck looked better before. I am a 57 year old woman (was 54 when I had this done) Everyone told me I didnt need it, but I went ahead anyhow. I have the dreaded pixie ears that continue to pull down and are attaqched to my jawline and my neck somedays I am unable to turn it. So regretful. Have been clinically depressed since this surgery and I returned to Bangkok fall 2012 (my daughter lives there) and went back to see the Dr. He rolled his eyes at me and said "I gave you the Best neck in the world" I could not believe what I was hearing,. 6 times he rolled his eyes at me and looked at his nurse. This Dr. had a God complex and I will never be the same. Unable to do even simple things, walking bending everything makes the pain worse. Feels like my ears are being ripped off my face and a noose arounbd my neck. Vanity has a price. a HUGE one for me. Cheryl

Lilacs 22 Mar 2013

reply to sosorryididthis -- I'm so sorry to hear of your terrible nightmare, and it makes me realize mine could be worse. I continue to be in a true state of shock that so many apparent psychopaths are drawn to be surgeons in this "profession." Are they just in it for the money and have nothing but contempt for their victims? I'm not saying that all pss fall into this category, but the ones who do are thousands of times worse than Bernie Madoff, & he ended up in prison where he belongs. When will victims of these crimes get the protections & justice that other victims can access in this society?

DashedHopes 24 Mar 2013

I think trying to pursue a legal case for a botched procedure can be extremely difficult to judge. Unless there is irrefutable evidence of malpractice, there is often no definitive medical evidence either way. It is scientifically reasonable to assume some people may have rare and unexpected complications or allergic reactions through no one's clinical fault which (IMHO) lets the mavericks in this industry 'off the hook'. Because plastic surgery is a lucrative business anyone with a MD can carry out a cosmetic procedure. It is not illegal even if the doctor is not trained specifically in cosmetic/plastic surgery.. As ALL the risks appear to be weighted against the consumer and none against the doctor when things do go wrong (unless as I said there is irrefutable evidence of malpractice), it is not surprising that more mainstream medical professionals are offering cosmetic surgery in addition to their general practice. and the unsuspecting consumer who is unaware of the importance of the training required for cosmetic procedures cannot tell the difference. The more savvy consumer may think to double checking their credentials and accreditations to rule out the possibility of falling prey to unscrupulous doctors who rely on people's ignorance or their 'patient's 'trust in them,fully aware that should things go wrong, the majority of consumers do not have the resources to pursue a legal action against them. Many will simply give up the fight feeling they're on a 'dead horse' and that the best thing to do is to get off it and try to live with the consequences as best they can. I have no doubt that there are many good and honorable plastic surgeons but finding them seems to be the problem. The risks are still there but chances are that they are minimized because of their training and experience and should complications happen despite their best efforts can be better handled. The same complications in doctors not trained in plastic/cosmetic surgery may result in a less desirable outcome. Regardless of the outcome, from all the posts I have read of surgeries gone wrong, I have yet to see one post where a surgeon admits liability.

PLM11 13 Dec 2012

As "need a facelift now states" it all comes down to a matter of risk. Granted, I'm in the minority. I'm very happy with my visual results but now at almost 7 months, I'm still struggling every day with the consequences of the surgery (some days better than others but still...) I've spent thousands of dollars on massage therapists, acupuncturists, medical specialists, etc. (I thank God I have the resources.) If I had to do it over again, I would have run the other way. By the way, there's only so much you can do to minimize the risk. I'm an extremely healthy, non-smoker 60 year old who thoroughly researched my doctor-- double board certified ps, 20 years experience, excellent reviews, affiliated with one of the top local hospitals, etc, etc. So anyhow my point is, if you hate your face so much that you're willing to risk living with chronic pain or nerve damage, then go for it. Even though the risk may be only 1 in 100,000, it really doesn't matter what the statistics are if you're the 1.

sosorryididthis 21 Mar 2013

TOUCHE I also was the 1. Cheryl

needafaceliftnow45 12 Dec 2012

I understand how you feel. My face has aged horridly, and I was planning to get a facelift in a few month to help restore my confidence and self-esteem. But reading all these stories, I'm not sure now if the risks are worth it. My sense from reading the reviews is about 85% are quite happy with the outcome and 15% are not. Of the 15%--again this is only my take--I estimate most are unhappy with the physical appearance/outcome --sometimes quite poor, much worse than before sugery, and a smaller percent have some permanent pain/numbness, etc. Then another group are happy with the outcome but have a difficult recovery period of about 1 year. So I guess it all comes down to whether one is willing to take these risks, knowing one may fall into the 15% unhappy group as well as being willing to endure a year-long recovery in many cases. Right now I'm still leaning toward doing the facelift because I am so very, very unhappy with my facial appearance secondary to aging and weight loss issues -- I wish I could just accept that I don't have a pretty face anymore, but it doesn't seem I can.

kaytee1 13 Dec 2012

Please don't be terrified. I went through a difficult healing with complications but after a month was able to resume my normal life. Numbness and tightness are part of it but if you are truly unhappy with your face you will gladly trade that. I wouldn't go back to the way I looked before for anything. It was worth it! It's probably more likely people that start looking on the internet and posting have had something go wrong. If I can offer any advice as someone who has been through it: Research your doctor. He should take the time BEFORE the surgery to talk with you about concerns. If he's also one of those people that runs in and out he's probably going to do that after the surgery. Go with a doctor near you. I know some have gone out of the country/state for their surgery, but what if you do have a complication? Who's going to handle that? Follow your doctor's post op instructions no matter how great you feel! The skin needs to to "stick." Be conservative in your activity. Rest rest rest, get help, plan ahead and if you are in a lot of pain or have abnormal sudden swelling insist on being seen. And finally don't stare and pick apart your face every day post surgery. It will go through a lot of changes. You can drive yourself crazy. Also be realistic in the outcome. You will still be you, but the saggy jowling stuff will be gone.

needafaceliftnow45 13 Dec 2012

Thanks Kaytee1.

kaytee1 10 Dec 2012

give yourself a month in case and you will be fine.

PSCE 5 Dec 2012

I would give every cent I have left, give up my job, start over with nothing... If I could only go back to the minute before I went under for FL surgery. Are you going to one of the top FL surgeons in the world? The top don't necessarily cost more and, if so, barring a few celebrity surgeons, are only nominally more expensive. Even with the very best this is a high risk procedure in terms of what you can lose. You can cover your body, but you must use your face to interface with everything in our social environment. Only when this is severely damaged do you understand the cost. You could get lucky and be fine at a demanding job in 5 weeks, or you could feel ill and ashamed of your appearance for months. If you have any concerns err on caution. This cannot be un-done. If you proceed, do so only after having done more research and preparation than you have ever done for anything in your entire life - degrees, work, parenting, buying homes, starting businesses, choosing life partners... Because everything can be lost with a mis-step here, don't short-cut. Research the procedure and the phsycian as if you were some sort of paranoid manic. If you have questions within, go see a therapist and discuss what you are trying to accomplish, what risks you are willing to take. I hope you never have to know what some of us have found out the hard way. Here is just one tiny example: Google facelift and the word scars = on the surface all you will hear is, 'area highly vascularized, scars not an issue, incisions placed in inconspicuous areas...' Only AFTER you are one of the many many many patients with FL scarring will you realise that it was a HUGE obvious risk. You'll dig a bit deeper than the surface level in your rsearch and find that so many FL patients are living with these horrible scars. I would LOVE a saggy wrinkled jowled natural unscarred face! In fact I wake up dreaming of this and then the reality hits me.

Lilacs 21 Mar 2013

PSCE -- Everything you said mirrors my experiences! I'd give anything to have never had a lift of any kind. I looked good for my age & just wanted to look a little better. Everything was lost in 2 hours as a narcissistic sociopath ruined my face. As I was forced to become more educated I found that he was an ENT surgeon but totally unqualified to do any kind of lift (Eugene Bortnick in Kansas City), and just pranced around fancying himself to be an "artist"! Then a qualified, board certified ps (Philip Gutek) did my (2) facelifts and made everything much worse! Long story short, he had violent extreme mood swings and he acted on them, in my case, by pulling my face DOWNWARD! (He also never told the truth!) You're right -- research like a paranoid maniac! This is your face for the rest of your life! If you think it can't look worse -- think again. And, yes, my face is also the first thing I think of every morning, and it starts each day with a black cloud. This has literally devastated my life.

PLM11 29 Nov 2012

I went back to work after 6 weeks but at a reduced schedule. (I had a mini-lower facelift & necklift; I'm a very healthy 59 year-old nonsmoker.) I'm still struggling everyday even after 6.5 months although just recently it seems to be getting a bit better. Believe me, recovery time is MUCH longer than doctors let on. There also are a lot more risks than they discuss up front. My visual results are good but if I had to do it all over again, I definitely wouldn't. Good luck whatever you decide.

DashedHopes 8 Dec 2012

I am 8 weeks post a mid face lift and upper and lower eyelid surgery. Like you I as terrified and had been researching doctors 4 years before deciding to take the leap this year believing I had done everything possible to ensure a possible outcome. I did not expect anything to go wrong and expected to be living my life with more confidence and self esteem. WRONG! My expectations were realistic and I was not looking for perfection. I got neither. Looking at the left and right side of my face, I actually believed and still do that two different people performed the procedure. I am hoping that these differences will resolve over the next months as I do not recognize myself and don't care for the face staring back at me in the mirror. Needless to say, Iike PSCE I would give anything to have my old face back for all its imperfections. You could of course have a good result. Many people do. I would only say this: unless you can live with the consequences of a less than expected outcome at best or a total botched up procedure, I would advise against it. Beauty comes at a price and unfortunately no surgeon can guarantee that andy therein lies the dilemma. I wish you the best whatever you decide.