“Dissatisfied in denver - lsl fiasco”
Lifestyle lift: NOT worth it
Pain: Severe
I had wanted to have a facelift for some time. I went to several consultations and finally decided on LSL. I wish I had known about realself prior to my surgery. I decided on a lower facelift, chin lipo and upper and lower eyelids.
My procedure was scheduled for noon on 1-16-09. I arrived and was taken to the room. The technician took my blood pressure. She was concerned because it was 188/120. I was really surprised it had been pretty normal for months. I waited to speak to the Dr. about whether to reschedule when my BP was lower. The Dr. came in, never said anything to me about the BP, but handed me 2 pills and said it would help with my BP. I wasn't told what I was taking but it knocked me out.
I awoke to him finishing up my right side, he had already done my chin and the left side. I felt him injecting the anesthetic into my brow area as he began working on my eyes. It was not pleasant. I could smell the flesh burning as it was being cauterized. As he finished my eyelids, I could feel a lot of pressure on my left lower jaw area. Apparently, a blood vessel had burst and the lower left side of my face was filling up with blood. He had to open up the sutures, sop up the blood and find the leak so he could stop it. I could feel the blood on my throat and chest. I was writhing in pain, but he said he couldn't give me any more anesthetic because he had already used the allotted amount. It was excruciating! I was trying to lie still because I did not want anything worse to happen, but I did kick my legs a lot. I was so worried about bleeding to death in that chair. There is no emergency equipment in those rooms.
He finsihed up and they wrapped me up. He explained to me that he had to put a drain in behind my left ear to allow for fluids to escape and to avoid more swelling.
It was after 5PM when I left the clinic. My friend who picked me up overheard the doctor saying he hadn't even had time yet to eat lunch and he had more surgeries to go.
Updated on Nov 8, 2009:
Aug 13, 2009Comments and replies (13)
89 posts
14 Aug 2009
Sorry to say YOU WERE NEVER a CANDIDATE for the LSL. You, from the photos, needed, in my opinion, a Full Face/Neck SMAS lift. Plus a hypertensive patient with that preoperative bp SHOULD have NEVER been operated on. The sad fact is you had other consultations. I bet they were more in tune with a more expensive and aggressive face lifting? But the old adage is you get what you pay for, but you really over paid! LSF saw you coming. I wish you would go see a Board certified Plastic surgeon to help you. Get a realistic opinion. Than try to understand the choices you made and maybe help others in understanding facial cosmetic surgery is not like buying a dress. Do research, see 2 or 3 boarded surgeons in their own practices (not working for a company), check out internet sites like realself.com, etc, Call the American Society of Plastic Surgeons or Facial Plastic Surgeons. This can help determine who really can safely preform a facelift (mini or full type). Regards and sorry for your problems. Dr. Blinski, Miami
18 posts
14 Aug 2009
I did consult with a Board Certified Plastic surgeon, after the fact. He basically told me exactly the same thing. I feel lucky, in some respects, that the surgeon who did perform the procedure used small sutures and the scarring is minimal. That surgeon, too, is a Board Certified Plastic surgeon, who was in private practice and has since returned to it.
378 posts
15 Aug 2009
Thank you for posting your pictures. I agree with everything said about seeking out 2nd opinions and really comparing apples to apples. The thing about the LSL marketing machine is that they will tell you that their lift WILL address all of your problems. That is the sad FACT of it all. I do hope you find some relief in knowing you are not the only person who fell for the hype. Best to you, Chrsytal Eckes.
2 posts
18 Aug 2009
Thank you so much for sharing your story. I was so intrigued by their commercials, I was starting to research having this done. I almost got physically sick after reading what you went through. I will not be looking into this any further. Thank You for saving me this torture.
55 posts
20 Aug 2009
Thank you for sharing your story. I cannot believe the cost of these LSL and the pain they cause. Anything foreign going into my body signals "Red Flags", but woman are trusting and believe in these Doctors. They really should be held accountable, before someone dies. I can't believe a couple of pills for this type of surgery was expected to get you through. What a nightmare. Dr. Blinski is correct. You should of had a conventional face-lift. I was just quoted a price,along with reversion eye lid surgery and it's only few hundred more.Plus this is with an Anesthesiologist to put me under and monitor my breathing. A very important task. I must say,I think your eyes look good and he did a good job from what is shown. Wasn't aggressive. Unfortunitly, it appears you will have to go under the knife again if you want this corrected. That's what frightens me the most. A good plastic Surgeon will also have you take an EKG, and chest X Ray to make sure you are a good candidate for any surgery. With you B.P. as high as it was, your lucky you woke up, my Dear. But I'd get that wire or whatever it is, taken out of your face. The long term affects of this type of lift is not good and why it was banned once before. I've said it time and time again, and won't stop until these pictures and stories stop. Do your homework on all procedures,and all that's involved. Homework your doctor too. If nothing comes up keep trying. Usually if the doctor has negative ratings,it will appear. Positive not so much.There are testimonials on those sights too, with pictures to tell there story.Like here, some good ,some unimaginable. There is just too much information out here today for this to keep happening. There are some fine, experienced and skilled physicians,that take pride in there work. However, it is still your responsibility to make a wise choice. If you don't, these are your consequences. I made my mistake 7 years ago,and I'm still paying today. Best wishes to you, and hope things work out. This is a good place to start.
18 posts
26 Aug 2009
I should have done more research. I checked a few sources and liked what I found, so I went ahead. I too believe I was lucky that I didn't die on that table. I was shocked that he went ahead with the procedure. After speaking with the nurse, I was ready to reschedule, but was not give that choice.
1 post
13 Sep 2009
Wire in your your face? What's that all about?
1 post
17 Sep 2009
Good God.. You should sue!
1 post
4 Nov 2009
Thank you for the courage it took to post this story. I was intrigued by the infomercials and quite astonished by the results of the "models". The procedure seemed easy enough and I was truly considering having it done by a doctor in Denver. Your photos were a blessing for me as I will probably save some more money and see a board certified surgeon for the work I desire.
18 posts
5 Nov 2009
I am glad I could help someone make a more informed decision. What happened to me probably won't happen to everyone, but had I known prior to undergoing the procedure, I would have gone with a private surgeon. Incidentally, the surgeon who worked on me is in private practice in Denver and is board certified.