“Good results with face-lift”

I had a face/neck lift and upper eyelid surgery two years ago at age 51. Prior to surgery I was getting jowly and had a lot of neck wrinkling. The surgery has taken at least 10 years off my face. I would caution people to plan at LEAST three weeks off from work and most responsibilities. I had a great amount of swelling and a huge blood clot on one side of the neck that needed to be drained several times in the surgeon's office. As bad as it sounds, this is a rather common occurrence. I had horrendous looking blood "pockets" under my eyes and lots of bruising--all of which went away without treatment. I was really not presentable for about two weeks, and then it was with makeup, sunglasses and a scarf on my neck.

Pain was non-existent and I did not need any pain medications, either in the hospital (where I stayed just one night) or back at home. The scars behind my ears are "ropey" and thick rather than flat. Other than that there is no visible scarring, except in the crease of the eyelids, which is hidden for the most part. The sides of my cheeks near my ears are still half-numb and I expect will always be. They were very numb the first 6-9 months.

All in all, I am happy with the results, but don't be fooled into thinking this is a minor surgery. It's a huge step and recovery can't be rushed. Get the best surgeon you can find, and stock up on pretty scarves and make-up to cover the scars for a couple of weeks. Be advised that no makeup, no matter how thickly applied, really covers bruising, but if you must get out of the house it's better than nothing. Good luck!