“55 years old, lifestyle lift made me look fabulous after divorce”
Lifestyle lift: Worth it
Pain: Uncomfortable
I've wanted to get a face lift for a few years, but I thought I couldn't afford it. Last year my husband told me he wanted a divorce, so a few months ago I decided I deserved and needed to do something for myself so I can start feeling better about myself. I had heard about the Lifestyle Lift and thought it would be something I could afford.
After I read all the reviews, both negative and positive, about Lifestyle Lift on Realself.com, I made the decision to go ahead and get a Lifestyle Lift. I think my experience was very good because I participated responsibly in the process. I did my homework and researched my doctor who is a certified plastic surgeon. I wrote down all the questions I had and took that list to my initial consulation. The staff was friendly, helpful and professional.
During the consultation I met with a physician's consultant who explained the cost of the procedures and then I met with the doctor. Between the two of them, I was given all the information I needed, and all my questions were answered to my satisfaction. My doctor invited me to call if I had any more questions, and I left with a folder containing a ton of informational literature and pre-operative instructions.
On the day of surgery, my only complaint is that my surgery was scheduled for 11:00 o'clock but was postponed until 2:00. I'm not sure what caused the delay, but my doctor did apologize. The delay didn't bother me, but it was inconvenient for my sister who sat waiting in the back waiting room, wondering what was taking so long. She said she got worried because no one told her what was going on and she was afraid to leave to get something to eat. I can't put the blame fully on the staff for not keeping her informed because she could have easily gone to the front desk and asked.
The surgery itself for the most part was painless. The prescription medication that I was given prior to the surgery was very effective and I didn't feel any pain during the initial injections given to deaden the area. There was, however, one place along my jawline that I felt some pain during the procedure and the doctor stopped and tried another shot to deaden it. For some reason the area was resistant to the medication. My surgeon apologized for my discomfort and asked me to please try to hold on because she was almost finished. It was an "owee!" moment, but it wasn't even bad enough to bring tears to my eyes and the pain only lasted for those few seconds.
After the procedure, my head was wrapped in some tight bandaging and I was sent home with the aftercare procedures and an appointment to return the next day. The bandages were fairly tight and uncomfortable, but not painful. I took the prescribed pain medication and slept through the night.
During the follow up appointment my doctor removed the bandages, checked to make sure everything looked as it should, asked me if I had any questions, and a med tech wrapped my head in another bandage that I was required to were for one week, and then at night for three more weeks. I only took pain medication the first two nights and never needed anything, not even Tylenol, since then.
After one week I returned to the office for suture removal. At that time I spoke with my doctor about a concern I have with my ears. It seems like my ear lobes have been sewn back at slightly different angles and therefore one appears shorter than the other. My doctor asked me to be patient and wait until the swelling goes down. She said if I am still unhappy with the appearance of my ear lobes in a few months, she will make any needed adjustments at that time.
So, I don't understand some of the complaints I have read. Lifestyle Lift is a face lift. No where did I read of hear that it is a "lunch time" procedure. Some Lifestyle Lifts can be done in an hour, but my doctor told me that my procedure would take longer because I had the basic lift plus a neck lift and liposuction. She said she would take as long as she needed to take to do it right. She is under no pressure to speed things up or to accomplish some type of quota.
It has been nearly four weeks since my surgery, and I had my final post-op appointment today. I look and feel great. My sister said I look more like 35 years old than 55. My niece said I look fresh and natural, and not pulled too tight.
I had so little bruising I could have returned to work in one week after surgery with just a little cover-up if I had needed to. I have scars in front of and around my ears as expected (my doctor told me exactly where the scars would be) and they are healing nicely.
I can't speak for anyone else, but I had a very good experience. I have to say, do your homework, and have reasonable expectations when it comes to cosmetic surgery. Speak up, ask questions, and don't do anything if you don't feel comfortable and have 100% confidence in your surgeon.
Jun 26, 2009Comments and replies (27)
17 posts
2 Jul 2009
Well, I had the same procedure in Sept 08 by the same doctor, looked great (my face area)for about 6 weeks, then BAM - all the swelling was gone and everything back where it was before the $6300 dollars, except my earlobes and neck. She sewed my earlobes to the side of my face! Uneven, 1/4 inch difference and turned them up; my face is uneven, still a big "lump" of fat, skin,or something on right side of my neck. She told me that if I am unhappy she would redo my earlobes and neck in 6 months but she couldn't see anything wrong with them! Went back in March (6 months), she will redo them in a year! I know how you feel, I thought she was great, didn't have that much pain at the time of the surgery - but I have pain now in the area of my ears and neck. I also had the eye lift - left eye nerve damage, wearing glasses is very uncomfortable because if I rub or touch the left side of my nose, my left eyelid jumps and tingles. She messed me up and a lot of others then uses excuses to get out of doing any corrections or giving money back. And there was not a "Ton" of information - I got and still have the same packet. I do hope you continue to do well, but I doubt it. Post again in a few months.
374 posts
5 Jul 2009
Pictures sure would go a long way in backing up your story. I would have to say you are either the luckiest woman in the world or you are an "OTHER". You state that you don't understand the complaints that you have read. And no where did it say it was a lunch time procedure. Maybe not now, but in the past it has been touted as a One Hour Lunch Time Lift. They (LSL) even had commercials showing women going out to lunch with hubbie after the procedure. I too had the surgery in Atlanta and I too am familiar with Dr. W. She did not do my surgery by she did do the follow up and if I were you, I would get everything that is said and promises made about when this and that will occur in writing. You see, I am still trying to recover from what LSL did to me. I don't believe that I will ever be able to fully trust a doctor again, not fully. Doctors take an Oath to "Do No HARM". If you read more on LSL here and at infomercialscams.com you will see the harm that they have done fully outweighs the "Good". Very few women have the nerve to post their pictures when they say that they have good results. Why is that? I have NO CONFIDENCE in any surgeon that works for LSL. I will have to refer back to Stephen Prendiville, MD Ft. Myers Facial Plastic Surgeon This facial plastic surgeon is a member of the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS), the world's largest association of facial plastic and reconstructive surgeons. Learn more I agree with previous posters that Lifestyle Lift is essentially a heavily marketed commodity that promises a "breakthrough." I agree that it is a breakthrough in marketing but definitely not a breakthrough in technique. I encourage viewers of this website to view remarks made by patients with actual experience with Lifestyle Lift. I think that the remarks really speak for themselves. A quick procedure for a patient with major aging changes can be a recipe for an unhappy patient. This is not the entire answer, it can be seen here: http://www.realself.com/question/how-long-lifestyle-lift-last Anyway, good luck with your 20 year update. Chrystal Eckes (& I did post my pictures)
5 posts
6 Jul 2009
I'll post my pictures as soon as I get them from my sister who took before and after pictures. By the way, Dr. W is a member of AAFPRS. The "breakthrough" is that the procedure can be done without putting the patient to sleep under general anesthesia. I would also like to say that no DR. would ever say a face lift will last 20 years. Both my sisters have had face lifts done by AAFPRS doctors (not LSL). The first was done 8 years ago and she said she thinks she will be going in for a freshening up soon, and both are amazed at how good I look after my LSL. All I'm saying is each person reacts differently to surgery and each person will heal differently, and I look better than I did before. My sister said I look great because I don't look different, just like me, but younger. And, now that the swelling is nearly gone my left ear has dropped and is nearly even with the right. I asked both my sisters and they said it isn't noticeable unless I pull my hair back and they look for the unevenness. One of my sister's is still unhappy with some of her scars even after eight years and her MD was a AAFPRS that was featured on Oprah! I have never met a single perso who was 100% happy with the results of plastic surgery. We all look at ourselves under a magnifying glass and notice things that no one else would notice. I'm very sorry for those who have had unhappy results or have had on-going pain, but all surgery cuts through nerves and nerves don't always regenerate, and who's to say a face lift from another MD would be any better? It's all speculation. I know that most people write on sites like this when they are unhappy with their results and few write when they are pleased. I just want to say, it's been 5 weeks and so far I am pleased.
5 posts
8 Jul 2009
I'm truly sorry you underwent so much pain. Maybe some of what you have done as far as fighting back has made things better for those of us who are dealing with LSL now. I was told that the basic LSL usually takes about an hour, but since I had moderate aging, Dr W told me the procedure would take longer and that it would take her as long as she needed because she didn't intend to rush. She told me she was not under any pressure to meet any quota. Sure, she may have not been telling me the truth, but I have no reason to doubt her word, and I know the surgery took at least 2 hours so I don't think she rushed through the procedure. BTW, I didn't say you needed a magnifying glass to see what was done to you, I said we look at ourselves under magnifying glasses and we see things that other people don't see. You obviously are not happy with your results, and it's terrible that you endured and are still in pain, but looking at your after pictures, I don't see any horrible results. You almost make me feel guilty for not having a terrible experience. I had very little pain, I never felt the shots ( I did hear the needle break through my skin on the first shot) there were no terrible smells, and I had no pain after the procedure, just some discomfort from the bandaging. Take care, Suzie
3 posts
15 Jul 2009
You must work there.
unregistered guest
18 Jul 2009
Like this entry wasn't written by a marketing intern at Lifestyle Lift. Pleeeeease.
1 post
19 Jul 2009
I agree - just read how the original entry was written and you'll see how it oozes of the same claims Lifestyle Lift makes on its infomercials. This has to be written by an employee of theirs. There is nothing revolutionary about having the procedure done without anesthesia -- it's flat-out DANGEROUS. There are way too many negative posts on here for any sane person to actually having this procedure done. Beware.
5 posts
20 Jul 2009
I'm not employed by LSL. Doing the lift without anesthesia is actually less dangerous. And by the way, there are other doctors in private practice doing their facelift procedures now without anesthesia. Same thing with lipo, it used to be that lipo-suction was always done under general anesthesia and now many doctors are doing it using local anesthesia. It is more likely that someone with a complaint will report it on a blog like this. Usually if someone is happy with a product or a procedure they won't take the time to say so. And again, I'll post my before and after pictures once my sister emails them to me. She's not computer literate and has to find some one to get them off her camera for her. than
3 posts
28 Jul 2009
Thank you all for your posts... I will follow my husbands advice and research for quite a while, then and only then find a "Board Certified Plastic Surgeon", Research him also. My husband has a saying about facelifts. "If you have to ask how much it costs, you can't afford it." This is your FACE! you will never get another one.
2 posts
13 Oct 2009
I have to admit that I saw the commercial on TV and was immediately hooked. However after reading the posts on this site - I'm not so sure I want to take a chance. Even though you seem to have had a satisfying exprience. You also mentioned that your sisters have had facelifts - obviously successful and satisfying also. When it comes to face/skin, etc. we are at the mercy of our genes, so to speak. Obviously your family carries genes which help the skin to heal quickly. Not everyone has success stories with elective plastic surgery and the negative results are not always the fault of the surgeon, procedure or post-op negligence. Any elective surgery has to be considered and the benefit:risk ratio has to be weighed very carefully. I had what you might call elective surgery this summer for stress incontinence. I was PERSUADED to opt for an epidural instead of GA which was my first choice up until minutes before being wheeled into the OR. That resulted in a week long headache, pain at the injection site, subsequent (although now diminishing) back spasms upon doing the most innocuous moves (lifting my legs while sitting in a chair or sneezing) and now I have urinary urgency problems while the stress incontinence is definitely gone! All of that to say - if you DON'T have to have the surgery then don't. EVERY surgery has risks - some you would never even think of. Save your luck for that time when you may have to undergo surgery for a life-threatening condition. As for you Suzie, lucky girl.