Facelift: Stories

Write a Review

Face-lift: Is It Worth Looking Ugly for a Few Months in Order to Look Beautiful?

  • posted 6 years ago
  • updated 5 years ago
  • Worth It
  • Cost: $7,250
  • Marietta, GA

I’m just over a month removed from major...

  • 1 Mar 2007
I’m just over a month removed from major facial surgery: blepharoplasty, face-lift and facial liposuction. This is the first time I have been able to say that I am starting to feel happy with the results.

The past month was absolute hell. Every inch of my head and face swelled up to unimaginable levels and the pain was intense. Starting at the top:
  • My scalp (where the staples were) was so tender and every time I moved or tried to smile/laugh/cry, it pulled and hurt even more.
  • My eyes were so hard to keep closed on their own but managed to swell almost completely shut on their own, no problem!
  • My jaw area from my ears to my chin was stiff and sore. I couldn’t eat or make any kind of facial expressions – including crying from how much it hurt – without painful consequences. Further up the jawline, I was downright numb and felt like the Tinman when I tried to move my mouth. I still feel funny here, by the way.
  • My chin (where I had the lipo) stayed swollen for a month straight!
I still have some residual bruising but I can finally look in the mirror with most of the stitches and swelling gone and say that I like what I see. Before that, it was depressing to think of how much pain I was in and how I couldn’t do anything AND I looked horrible! Now, finally, I can see that was all part of the journey and that I needed to have faith in the choices I made and the skill of my plastic surgeon. I do and now I have confidence that no one will even remember this time in my life in a few months.
Great review?

Comments (4)

jackie43 9 May 2010
i am due nexy month for an endescopic facelift and neck lift has anyone went through any of these procedures before x, very nervous and excited at the same time x
djh2 6 Feb 2009
I had cancer surgery and did a browlift at the same time everyone thought the swelling and bruising was from the cancer repair! worked out great!
Lorelei Hennesey 4 Dec 2008
Gee, sounds awful but I can somewhat understand..I just had skin cancer surgery and had facial reconstruction to FIX what was destroyed by the surgery and am dealing with the bruising, swelling--not to mention the stinging and itching around the skin graft..I too am thankful I had a skilled plastic surgeon but will be glad when this hell is over. I have toyed with the idea of a "mini-lift" but after all this--I just don't know. I am going to have to get past my current experience first..way past.
Deborah Hall (unregistered guest) 8 Sep 2007
Thank you for sharing. I am one week post op (face lift, lower bleph). I was not prepared for the level of pain. I was led to believe that I would feel discomfort, not pain. I have no problem experiencing pain: the real anguish is the fear that something is wrong. Reviews such as yours go a long way toward easing the anxiety. For me the anxiety surrounding this experience is the most challenging dimension: the pain is nothing compared with the fear.

More Facelift Reviews

Mid Face Lift and Fat Transfers - Birmingham, AL 4 days ago

I am a very healthy 41 year old woman. On May 9th 2013, I had a mid face lift and fat...

Facelift - New York, NY 5 days ago

Just had it done on day 3 it is indeed major surgery so no getting around it. Exhausted...

Thank You Dr. Tarshis! - Toronto, ON 7 days ago

15 years ago I decided I needed some sprucing up so I began some heavy researching of...

View more Facelift reviews

Welcome Back

Sign in with Facebook

Your information remains private and will not be posted without your permission.

Forgot your password?

Don't have an account? Create one now.

Join RealSelf

Join with Facebook

Your information remains private and will not be posted without your permission.

Please enter a valid email address
 Did you mean ?

By creating an account, you are indicating that you have read and accept the RealSelf Terms of Use.

Already a member? Sign In.

Retrieve your password

Enter your username or email address and we will send you a link to login.

Check your email

Check your email. We've sent you a link to reset your password.

Ok