Not a Quick and Easy Recovery - Dallas, TX

I had my LSL about 8 weeks ago and I am still recovering from the "procedure" which, in my case involved a mid/lower face and neck lift with added liposuction under the chin. My surgery was performed by a double board certified plastic surgeon who, I was told, has done over 6,000 LSL procedures himself and the center I went to in Dallas does about 15 procedures a week. I was led to believe in the consultation that I would be back to work in a week and could resume all normal activities after 10 days. This certainly has not been the case with me. As a very healthy woman in my late 40's who exercised regularly and led a healthy life before the surgery, I was unable to resume exercise because of the swelling and tightness that occured around my ears and neck until about 6 weeks post op. I can't give an accurate rating on the results of the procedure yet because of all the swelling, numbness and firmness around the sides of my face and neck.

Right now my jowls have all but disapeared and my neck is much less loose and wrinkled. It looks good so far, but I can only hope that the extreme hardness of my skin (which I assume is scar tissue) and the uncomfortable tightness behind and under my ears will eventually dissipate and I'm not sure how much loosening this will create in the look of my jowls and neck. The actual surgery may take only and hour or so but I was in there over 6 1/2 hours with my husband waiting there the whole time expecting me out in a couple of hours. I found the actual surgery to be much less stressful than I had anticipated due to all the valium and other drugs I was given, but I was very sick afterward and vomited repeatedly until my husband phoned the DR, who phoned in some meds to resolve the nausea. This ment I couldn't hold down any pain medicine the first night either. I don't know why I wasn't just given this disolving anti nausea medicine before leaving the office, as they knew I was sick before I left.

I also had a very difficult time sleeping for the first 4-5 weeks because I am a side sleeper and I could only sleep on my back because of all the sutures around the ears. I was actually shocked by how many stitches I had. I was expecting a few around the ears, but not the 12-14 inches of continuous stitching extending from about an inch above the ear into the hairline, down in front of the ear, behind the ear and about 2 1/2 inches behind each ear into the hair at the back of the scalp. I was so grateful I had long hair to cover all this up! The scars are fading with the exception of the one inch scar under my chin where the liposuction was done. This scar is still very visible and I am self conscious about it because it is deep and cannot be covered with concealer due to the makeup collecting in the indentations. I still do not understand why this cut needed to be so long for a small liposuction canual and the tiny amount of fat that was removed.

I only wish I had been given a more accurate picture of the reality of the LSL recovery process and had a place to get information on what is normal during the recovery period. I think an organization such as LSL should be more forthcoming regarding the true length of the recovery process and give patients much more information on how to manage their recovery. I still would probably have gone through with it, but it would have been nice to know what to expect instead of constantly worrying that something was wrong because I was not back to normal after a week, as they alluded to in the consultation. I have not seen my doctor except for the morning after the surgery when the bandages were removed and he has not available to answer questions or see patients until the final followup visit. Not having access to the doctor after surgery when questions or concerns arise is one reason I would not recomend using LSL. This is surgery...real surgery...not a face and neck firming procedure and you should know what you are getting into. Does it work? I think so. I will have to update in the future, but for now, I am just wondering when I will be completely back to normal.