Scared but Hopeful Facelift - Encinitas, CA

JWOLFE
Not Sure
Cost: $20,000
Steve Laverson, MD, Encinitas, CA

My 2nd consultation ( pre-op) is tomorrow , June ,...

13 Jun 2013
25 days pre

my 2nd consultation ( pre-op) is tomorrow , June , 14, I am making a list of all my concerns and questions . I am so glad to have found this site, otherwise I would not k ow all the post-op experiences that seem to effect everyone in some way. It makes me more nervous , but at least I am getting informed. Will keep you all posted.

Pre-op day

14 Jun 2013
24 days pre

The pre op appt went ok , he took ALOT of time with me and my husband , am still worrying but thanks to this site I have a clearer picture on Post -op & complications to be aware of. Thanks for all this. Info

12 days and counting, feeling nervous

26 Jun 2013
12 days pre

All is going fast, 12 days until my PS, I do have a little bit of the jitters but staying positive as possible.

Not long now

1 Jul 2013
7 days pre

It's only 8 days until surgery, getting excited! Got a wedge pillow with arms( it is not high enough for head support) not too sure if that's going to work on the sofa where I plan to live the next couple of weeks. Taking arnica & vitamin C now, hope it's helps!

Almost time

8 Jul 2013
1 day pre

Well tomorrow is the big day! I am glad to get it done and over with. Got my list of to-do almost done except I am looking for one of those gel eye mask that are freezable, had one but of course I can't find it, going to try Bed Bath &Beyond. How have you ladies been icing your self , holding it to your face? I will keep my progress posted.

All done & still living

22 Jul 2013
13 days post

Well let's see it's been 22 days post op and overall I feel ok. All the statements about bruising and tightness( resulting from swelling) are TRUE!! I am a little worried ,ok ,ALOT worried because my left eye is pulled up too high so my eyelid does not close, lots a of problems because of this . My ps says he will revise this problem in the future to match my other eye and relieve the problem. That sounds good but I can tell you neither eye looks good. I am aware of the fact that I am just a couple weeks out and everything will continue to change. I have so much watery & blurry vision ,it is hard to read or type. Hope things get better, I see my ps on Thursday.
Anyone have this condition

Still alive

26 Jul 2013
17 days post

I am now 17 days post op. My progress seems to be normal, swollen, black,blue,& pretty hideous. I love my turkey free neck, what I am concerned with are my eyes. Upper & lower bleph really looks crazy, an after several appts with PS , as of yesterday , he confirmed that I am not just overly freaked out that my left eye won't close and the upper lid is much more shorter than the right. This causes blurriness , constant dripping tears and yet I am using RX drops & ointment 24 -7. He is going to repair them tomorrow , YEEH Ha! I just hope he does it right and has some skin left to correct them . My ophthalmologist checked me out and saw no permanent damage , as long as this is fixed ASAP. Got the staples out too, feels much better but of course have many scabs and tender areas, ESP my ears. They hurt all the time, and I realize it will dissipate in a few weeks. BTW, the eye situation is not too
Uncommon I am told, we shall see.

Adding photos

4 Sep 2013
2 months post

Scared but hopeful, Encinitas, ca

29 Oct 2013
3 months post

Things have gradually improved, I really love my defined neck, my eyes have gotten better but still don't have complete closure when I sleep, the watering has stopped and they are still very dry. I had my opthomalagist put tear duct plugs in and that helps. He also assured me I did not have any damage to the eyeballs. I am about 4 months post op now, still have forehead numbness and the skin around my eyes is still red and tender but I have just started to wear eye makeup again and they look pretty good. My ps has continued to see me and will do some laser in January to flatten some skin and remove the broken capillaries on my cheeks, they occurred during the bleph. So I am happy to see daily improvement, when everyone including my ps says "give it some time" and that's very true. Patience required.

P

So far he is a caring and thoughtful , will comment on him after my pre-op and surgery. Now that it has been almost 4 months post op I can say I really like my ps and he continues to work with me on fixing anything that hasn't resolved on it's own. I recommend him and I'm pleased with the results. He is very kind and thorough .

5 out of 5 stars Overall rating

5 out of 5 stars Doctor's bedside manner

5 out of 5 stars Answered my questions

5 out of 5 stars After care follow-up

5 out of 5 stars Time spent with me

5 out of 5 stars Phone or email responsiveness

5 out of 5 stars Staff professionalism & courtesy

5 out of 5 stars Payment process

5 out of 5 stars Wait tmes

Comments (17)

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Connie Lea
September 4, 2013

I hope the repair is correcting the problems you have experienced. I am so sorry that you had to endure the eye trauma, you never realize how important sight is until a situation like yours presents itself.

JWOLFE
September 5, 2013

ConnieLea, thanks for your concern, after undergoing a procedure I believe is called Taroscopy and eye tear duct plugs and a repair to one upper lid, I think they are starting to improve. Scary time getting it to resolve, not there yet, hoping for the best with more time allowed. You aren't kidding the sight is soooo important. Hope you are well.

Financegirl
(RealFriend)
August 1, 2013

Jwolfe, just checking in again to see how the repair went. Hope you're doing well!

JWOLFE
August 1, 2013

Hi Finance girl, my ps redid my eye and it's even with the other eye and it closes correctly, Yippeee! Only now I am having a major tear production problem, it just pours 24/7 , I'm thinking it's a tear duct that has been moved during Blepharasty surgery . I see my ps tomorrow and am going to see my opthomalagist next week. I want to make sure my eyes are ok, after all it is my eyes, what good does a neck lift do if I can't see it . I am trying to remember that time will allow results that are good. How long has it been since your surgery? I imagine you have seen all the results by now? Thanks for checking in with me.

Westy53
July 26, 2013

Hi JWolfe! Just wanted to check in and see how you're doing. You sounded pretty down the last time you wrote anything. (Well, anything I saw.) I'm hoping you're not telling yourself too many bad things about the surgery and its outcome. Honestly, I think we're really our own worst enemies when it comes to that. And of course, it doesn't help when you can't see worth a darn. :( I don't see here whether or not you had a lower bleph with your FL. I had a lower bleph in 2004 and went crazy afterward thinking my eyes were never going to match again. Not only that, but I ended up with the one thing I feared the most: a staph infection in one eye! I kept thinking, "Oh, great. Now I'm going to be blind in one eye and all because I didn't like the !@#$ bags under my eyes." But guess what? It healed up and I did fine. Even stranger, right after the surg, I was convinced that the left eye was MUCH better than the right one and always felt kind of sensitive about that. But nine years later, it's actually the RIGHT eye that looks better. Go figure. There's just no knowing how this will all turn out. If you'd like a laugh - and maybe some feeling of solidarity - feel free to check out the pictures of myself that I (finally) posted today. At this point, I'm starting to say things like, "Geez, I didn't look so bad to begin with. What the hell was I thinking?" But on the other hand, I can also see so much better (brow lift) that I know it was at least somewhat worth it. I also have great faith in my PS. Good grief, the nurse who took my stitches out at his office (apparently his whole staff's had work done, but it's so natural you'd never guess) looked about 28 or 30 (husband and I both guessed), and she told us she was 42!! No duck lips, no obvious anything, just great looking. If I look even half as good as she does when all this is over (no guarantee, I'll admit) I'll be doing great. In the meantime, you and I just have to keep our tight little chins up and believe that in a few weeks or months we'll be happy we did this. You are in my thoughts and prayers. Please feel free to send me a personal note if you just need to unload.

JWOLFE
July 26, 2013

Hi westy53, Thanks so much for all the supportive & understanding messages. You make me laugh, a good mental exercise . I looked up your photos and I think you looked great before. But I looked hideous the first 2 weeks, now I look like a Dali painting or just plain freaky. Talk about scaring people - even the summer ants are staying away. I am having my eye redone tomorrow thank god! Yep , I'm thinking things like " hell why did I do this,hell

Westy53
July 26, 2013

I've always liked Salvador Dali. Clearly, your ants have no artistic taste. The heck with them.

Financegirl
(RealFriend)
July 23, 2013

jwolfe, went out here looking for you because I didn't see you under the reviews section ... only to find that you are having problems with your eyes. I did have blurry and watery eyes for a while. Partly because of the ointment they used in the eyes during surgery but also I was warned that dry eyes might be a side effect and to have eye drops at the ready which I did. It basically resolved (the blurriness) in a few days. The watery eyes continued for about 3 to 4 weeks and I had Refresh always with me for that... and now everything is good. What is happening with your one eye being pulled up? Did you have a brow lift as well? Have you thought about posting some pictures and asking under the Q & A section? It might help to relieve some of your worry in the meantime. As for the tightness and swelling, please don't worry so much about that. It's all part of the process. At 2 months plus I have minimal now ...so you just need time. Keep us posted as to how you're doing!

JWOLFE
July 23, 2013

Hi finance girl , I am now 22 days post surgery and feel very dissapointed in in my eyes. One is pulled up too high, the other just looks too pulled sideways. The eye is reacting to not being able to close, the other is having. Trouble because the "pinch" has a big lump under it. I just pray this can be fixed as my Pl says. I am happy with the lower face and neck lift , it looks pretty smooth and my turkey neck is gone. Yes I did have a temporal brow lift .the amount of staples in my head is crazy! I really am trying to stay positive ( and I do have three kinds of rx eye treatments that help at little) but I must admit I am scared I may have made a Huge mistake, I don't want to get too freaked out , so I am staying away from the mirror . Thanks for looking for me , I appreciate the encouragement Jwolfe

Financegirl
(RealFriend)
July 24, 2013

Jwolfe, I can understand your concern and I'm so sorry you're going through this. Have you thought about seeing an opthomologist sooner than later or at least asking your PS about seeing one? Of course, I know it's early too but maybe not too early to be proactive until everything settles down? Yes, I understand that staples are really difficult to deal with. Mine doesn't use them anymore...just sutures and what he called the barbed wire technique to avoid 'railroad tracking'. Just hang tight...it's possible that it might all resolve to some satisfaction when the swelling decreases too....I'll keep looking for your updates to see how you're doing and pray that this is not a major thing!

Angiemcc (Community Manager)
July 8, 2013

I'll be thinking of you tomorrow!

Financegirl
(RealFriend)
July 8, 2013

Jwolfe, my doctor only had me put the cold packs on my eyes for the first two days and did not want me to put anything on my skin. He really discouraged me from heat and cold because with the face numb to any sensation the skin is ultra sensitive to damage. I know a lot of people are using cold gel packs, but perhaps check with your doctor? Best of luck tomorrow and we'll all be thinking of you!

JWOLFE
July 8, 2013

Thanks finance girl , I am getting excited and nervous , I will post after the fact when I can. Both you and Betto31 had very little pain, so that's reassuring to know

Angiemcc (Community Manager)
June 17, 2013

I'm so glad you started your story here! Have you seen this list of supplies for recovery?

Looking forward to following your journey!

Connie Lea
June 16, 2013

Scared, I had posted my experience with a daily journal you may find that helpful. I am 4 1/2 weeks out and very pleased. I wear my hair up and the scars are are almost invisible. I had the lift and laser in upper lip and chin area and am considering far transfer. It looks natural enough that no one has mentioned that they seen anything except that I must be living right and looking so well rested. Good luck on you surgery. Keep us posted

JWOLFE
June 17, 2013

Connie Lea, so glad to hear you are doing great, as so many are very disappointed and having difficult recoveries. I will keep you posted

Connie Lea
June 18, 2013

The only problem or concern is the burn from overly hot compresses. Because the circulation is not up to par yet it is taking longer to heal than I would have hoped.