Lower Face Lift: Stories

Hi Forlorn -- Here are a few reviews for Dr. Pontell. You can read recommendations for other doctors here (sorted by those closest to you). Hope this helps!

Tara is not a "nurse" unless she has obtained her LVN or RN recently. I hope she has, she's a nice person and I think would make a very good nurse.

I think you look amazing! The cost is high, imo, but the jawline is fantastic. I would prefer to fix everything at once rather than keep having to return. Why did you choose to not do a brow lift or eye lift at the same time as the lower face lift? Why did you choose botox which is temporary over a permanent fix?

I think you just lucked out or maybe he took his time and was more gentle. I'm so glad for you. I too am very happy. I had very little swelling, 2 small bruises, one under the eye and one on the chin. The whole experience was TOTALLY different than the one I had with Burns all the way from the surgical team to the bandages to the hotel to the nurses, I can't tell you how different. I'm going to write a detailed comparison with pics to compare the 2 experiences as soon as I have time. I'm going to lunch today with friends (before I didn't go out for months because I looked like a monster. Dr. Rohrich and his staff are amazed at how fast I'm healing. I'm seeing them about every 4 days. Even after your post, I still would not recommend Burns. There are some of his former patients still trying to get corrections/revisions from him so they aren't posting publicly what they really think because they don't have the resources to pay someone different.

I am glad you had a better experience. It does seem very surprising that we both had such entirely different opinions. From the looks of everyone in the waiting area this week, I would have to say he is doing something right. He has also told me that even as I still recover certain things could happen and if they do to please let him know immediately because he can fix it. I believe we there are risks with any surgery and cosmetic surgery is certainly no different. Nobody whether it's the patient or the doctor can predict with 100% certainty how someone will react or how they will heal when it's all said and done. I went in with this mindset and also with the trust from a doctor that said he would make it right should something go wrong, within his power obviously.

Yes, I've heard he goes to hotels to little info sessions to drum up business and, of course, he advertises his appearance on Oprah so people think he's got to be good if Oprah had him on. I have actually never seen more than one other patient waiting at any given time and if you call for an appointment, he can see you within a few days (which tells me he has lots of openings). He also assured me and my husband that he could correct "anything " except nerve damage before the surgery but failed to fully inform and explain the surgery, the recovery, the risks, and the possibility that I would never look like the same person. I began to loose trust due to his CRNA. Her approach/ bedside manner and anesthesia was not at all what I had experienced from previous surgeries (I've had several due to breast cancer) which made me very nervous and then Tara didn't know how to remove the tubes (she was supposed to either cut the tubes or release the suction from the bulbs before pulling the drains and then laughed and stated "and to think you signed up for this" when I complained that she was hurting me). You're right "Nobody" can "predict with 100% certainty" but I had a RIGHT to be informed of every detail and every possibility. If he had just REALLY prepared me for the worst (for example: You may not be able to return to work for several months if you're the type that will be embarrassed if you don't look completely normal. Or: It may be several months before you'll look normal") I would've had a completely different mindset. Maybe my expectations are too high but I'm an RN and I want to be treated like and cared for like I would care for my own patient and I am not intimidated by doctors. I am the customer and I expect to be treated as such. I'm very glad you had a good experience and good results but your comments haven't altered my opinion of Jay Burns or my experience. I would still not recommend him for anything but MAYBE laser if someone insisted on having laser (which I'm not in favor of).

I am so sorry you had a bad experience This kinda of scares me,but my experience
was different.Dr Burns has been elected 9 times as the best Doctor in America.
Both Doctor Burns and Tara are Christians and they read the bible and pray for me..

Hi Sharon, it was probably about 3 weeks. Is this normal? I am seeing my doctor soon and hopefully, he can arrange for the correction of my eyes. I am looking forward to getting this taken care of.

Yeah, that sounds about average to me. Facelift recovery can take a while, especially that last little bit of swelling. Hang in there and I hope you get good news from your doc.

Thanks for the reply once again. I didn't think my face was in that bad of shape but I initially he said if I wanted to really take care of all my areas do concern then a facelift would be the gold standard. I explained that I cannot take that kind of time off but definitely wanted to do something that would make me look more refreshed and younger and we decided on the brow lift and lower bleph for the eyes. He actually said my upper eyes looked good which I am glad. My surgery is scheduled for March.

What was the down time with your procedure? I am hoping to be presentable within 12 to 14 days after mine because I have a work related trade show I will need to attend just shy of two weeks after its all said and done?

One thing he did mention was by doing this procedure now that it would make the down time less when I decide to come back and do the facelift.

Love11, I saw the pics you posted and you do not need a brow lift. Hopefully the swelling will go down and all that between the lower eyelid at the upper cheek will smooth out. If I were you, I'd wait a full year before doing anything else. The brow lift is what changed my eyes. I now look like I have droopy upper lids and the oculoplastic surgeon says there's nothing he can do about that. GET THE OPINION OF AN OCULOPLASTIC SURGEON and you'll hear the truth about the risks. What about your smile? Are you still worried about that?

Hey, just wondering if you had Dr. Burns do the procedures that you were wanting and what your thoughts are, and what you actually decided to have done.

I am going to have the hairline brow lift and lower bleph done on March 22! I had a second consultation with Dr. Burns and feel absolutely confident in my decision to have him perform both procedures on me. He and his staff are wonderful. I will post more later in a few weeks.

DR.Jay Burns did a brow lift on me a year ago,It looks great.I had a lower face lift
June 5 It looks good so far.I look almost normal.He told me everything that could go
wrong but I haven't had any problems,even the swelling is almost gone.