Brow, Face and Neck Lift - Dallas, TX

what happened to you? I have so much tightness and discomfort 8 months post lift. Did the myofacial massages help?

Hi NHaven,
I have consulted with 3 different surgeons. They all agree that I'll need a revision. One doc could not believe that a board cert. ps did my surgery! Presently, I'm still having to have myofacial messages(which seems to help temporarily) I have to do stretching exercises for my face/neck,and warm packs. It continues to be a nightmare and I'm 10 months postop! I have spent thousands on messages and traveling out of town for consultations. My face is still not the same shape, the browlift altered my eyelids and has made me appear to have droopy upper lids plus lower lid retraction,heeks, I have a boney/caved in appearance. I still run into old friends who don't reallly recognize me at first. It's so embarrassing when they stand there and I can see they are staring at me face, wondering what happened and depressing to think that I made such a bad choice in the surgeon I picked. I found out he prefers to do CO2 laser more than anything. If I had known this, I would've made a different choice. The LA surgeon I consulted with explaned the SMAS and why I'm still having all these problems. Hopefully, I'll have corrective surgery in late Jan.

I would not consent to anything more than a mini-lift if that.

Notforme, I am thinking of having a mini-lift. It's also called an s-lift, I think, and is the SMAS. Is that what you had, plus eyes, brow etc? Did your doctor do the SMAS? Isn't this a mini-lift, lower facelift, s-lift?

I take all of your comments and anguish to heart. All that really upsets me is my lower face, the drooping, jowling. Please feel free to private msg me if you want. I hope to hear from you.

Hi. If you are only worried about jowls and neck certainly go for the lower face lift. I have just returned from Malaysia after having this only 2 weeks ago. It makes a huge difference., I am still swollen but just be patient, it takes 4 weeks for bruising/swel
ling to go.

Hi. savannalee. I had a lower facelift nearly 5 weeks ago in Malaysia. Wasnt happy at first, the swelling and bruising was incredible BUT now I look in the mirror and am pretty happy. I hated my jowls and neck but didnt want my eyes, nose, etc to change so went for the SMAS. The surgeon was first class, I had no pain, but like I said the swelling was bad. But I think thats just me! But each day I am happier and happier with the results. So patience is the key! Go for it though, I thought about it for ages and had fillers etc but they are only short term and didnt address the neck.

HI Orange Park,
I too had a face lift in Costa Rica back in March, so 7 ms for me, I live in Middleburg, so I guess we a neighbor, I still have tingling and rightness, but look normal and younger, I too had it done at 62, they say it takes up to a full year to really heal, good luck to all

See your private message for my cell number.

Can you please provide me with the Dr.'s you consulted in Austin? I am seeking one in Austin but new to the area. I can benefit from your input and suggestion. Thanks.

Sorry, I am not in Austin. I am in California.

I feel exactly the same way, Charlene. I would give anything to turn back the clock and have my dropping old face back again!!! I think we are brainwashed into thinking all will be wonderful but in reality its not.

Charlene 7 -- Wow. That's me -- I've spent 2+ years chasing revisions and don't know who to trust. I found only 1 surgeon in Missouri who proposed it and, so far, I'm afraid to go through with it. I certainly wish I'd read a thread like this before I ever had any "lift" surgery. I had no idea how much damage many of them do, and the most horrifying part is that these types do not care! It's sounds like an outrageous question, but are some of them psychopaths? Question: you said "maybe only a dozen docs in US who should be considered for revision." Do you know the names of any of these docs? Bottom line -- I understand & agree with every single word you said!

Thanks for the positive but I don't think I look the same or better. I go for revision Mar. 26, I'll post pics after to compare.

I must concur with NHaven! You do look much better that the before pictures... my wife went through a neck and face lift, so I know the dril. I have that some women only see th imperfections-- perhaps talking to a psychoogist? Because honestly, you look great! Big improvement!

I'm sorry I can't follow what you're trying to say due to the spelling and sentence stucture. I don't think you get it! My opinion is that my face is much improved since Dr. Rohrich revised and repaired the poor work Jay Burns did. So what's your deal? I don't believe you're who you say.

NHaven -- you mentioned you have indentations on cheeks where ps sutured. My ps put 2" sutures under cheek bones in a ridiculous attempt to "lift my mouth." Is that where your sutures are? Mine are finally starting to relax, thank goodness, & it doesn't look so sunk in under the cheek bones. You mentioned that revision ps's are salesmen. I wondered about that. Did you have a "revision ps"?

I didn't have to have a revision,But if I had been told how painful PS would be I would never done it.

I would like to chime in and say I don't think that revision plastic surgeons are "salesmen" but some do make the focus of their practice "revision surgery" so technically they are profiting off another doctor's lack of success. The real issue here is that there will always be a risk that you will be doubly taken advantage of the 2nd time round, mainly because you are in a weak state! For e.g. I got talked into an procedure in a "revision" surgery that caused real problems in itself. It drove me to despair. Other doctors said that I should have never touched the area, and just concentrated on the problem at hand! But this revision plastic surgeon had pushed it and even did a simulation of this additional procedure without me even mentioning it in my consultation. I must have been seen as an easy sale and since that time I've been able to see the errors of my own ways pretty well. My point is, really, don't get revision surgery until you are out of the woods in terms of how upset you are. Go to the consultations without a credit card if you must. Because you don't want to make any impulsive decisions or be pressured into paying any kind of deposit for surgery.

It's interesting how opinions can differ so much... I totally get why Notforme is unhappy with her result. She has a softer look pre surgery and a naturally full face. The end result is way too much of a departure from her normal face type, she would only look younger with that kind of pull if she had had a SUPER refined face to begin with. And the brow lift was too high - even young people have lowish brows. I've seen facelifts that end up looking somewhat "glamourous" - but Notforme's initial result did not just look overdone. It looked disharmonious and unnatural. I mean, when will some of these doctors realise that we do not all want to look like a caricature! Things like facelifts and fat grafts can make people look better than they did when they were younger but most importantly they really should actually make you look younger... as in, more like your younger self... or else, what is the point of getting an "anti aging" surgery?!

Btw I should add that you do look a lot more soft after the revision as opposed to the first operation.

I used Doctor Jay Burns and I was very happy with him.

Cali---who was your dr? And I do think you should tell each friend that you know really loves you and cares about you. Take them through your experience and you will see that they care a great deal and have compassion for you. I did this be because I looked so different and now they are able to be my supporters. J took each one on a walk and shared with them my nightmare. I really look not bad. But didn't need the browlift and it sooo changed me to have my eyes a different shape. I had a necklift, browlift and cheeklift when I really only needed fillers. But, I am hanging on to hope since it's only been 11 weeks. I'd do ANYTHING to go back to the old me! Also, have dissolvable endotines in the cheek which slows the healing time down to a glacial pace.
God bless you, Cali 1958. I wish you the best!

Responding to Cali 1958 -- I, too, hide from my old friends because I've seen them staring at me and thinking I'm an idiot for letting my face get ruined. I was pretty before -- and now I look stricken by some sort of punishment. The regret, the shame -- it can be unbearable.

Response to I miss myself -- How many times have I said to myself -- I want my face back! It's been 4 yrs. since my first surgery, and 2 yrs. since the third surgery. I keep thinking I'll wake up & it will all just be a nightmare that's over, but it isn't over. The only thing I have to be thankful for is that it's not PULLING DOWNWARD as hard as it was for the last 2 years. I hope your surgery turns out better than you think -- 11 weeks is still early.

I am in California. It is a trade off, 2 steps forward and 1 back..... My neck is still tight. I strain to swallow....
feels like something is tight under my neck. Dr. says
tight is good! Lost my face, no fat. I thought my cheeks were high cheek bones... not so! I did not have fat injected, maybe that was my mistake. Now they suggest face fillers!!! Which I may do! Yikes!!!

I knew almost right away that the surgery was not going to have a satisfactory outcome almost right away due to the way the doctor acted. (He seemed very nervous and kept saying how pleased he was when my family and friends were looking very concerned. At 5 weeks postop I did bring the issue with my cheeks being gone and my eyes not looking anything like my old eyes and he started talking about cheek implants. Then when my lower lids started sagging he was going to inject steroids but sent me to an oculoplastics guy who did not recommend injections and actually encouraged me not to let anyone but a specialist to do anything to my eyes and told me the truth about what the risks were with having surgery on the eyes. Dr. Burns told me 5 wks postop it was not necessary to come back anymore unless I wanted to return at 12 months just to let him see the finale results, which I did. At that time he at first said the only that was needed was to correct the scars in the hair from the coronal browlift but then later in the conversation admitted that I needed other surgery but he never offered any services (I'm sure due to my not trusting him for not telling me and preparing me for the risks before surgery.) Needless to say, I had already seen several other ps who all said my face was hour glass shaped and needed revision. I am scheduled for revision Monday (another 15k just for this part) and will post before and after pics so people can see what they're getting in to. The new doctor (Dr. Rohrich) is much different and has not tried to make me think that the outcome of the surgery is acceptable and his staff has been more than supportive and understanding about how emotional this has been.