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Face, Neck Lift and Nose Revision - Greenwood Village, CO

I am only 3-weeks post op, but I am thrilled and...

  • 7 Sep 2012

I am only 3-weeks post op, but I am thrilled and feel Great! ! I manage a professional office and was to the point where I felt like the old gal in the office, not a great way to feel.

I am now just over one month post op for my...

  • 15 Sep 2012
I am now just over one month post op for my face/neck lift and nose revision. Everything has gone very smoothly. The only bruising and most of the swelling was from my nose. Neither the nose or face/neck lift was "painful". Actually, it has been really exciting, I could tell right away that I loved my new nose and face. But....As the bruising and swelling subside the new softer, younger me emerges and the results are really fantastic! This kind of surgery is a big decision. It is important to select not a good surgeon but a great surgeon, then do everything they tell you and then one has to be ready for the inconvenience of healing. Plan on things you can do during the time when you don't feel public ready. During my down time all the little projects around my house got done and then a little mountain time. If this is a surgery you are considering, I would absolutely and highly recommend Dr. Michael Menachof. From your consultation to post op visits he and his staff are remarkable! They take time to answer questions, explain what they are doing and why in a most friendly and professional manner. But... the most important, the results are Fantastic!!
Thank you Dr. Menachof and staff. (Joanne, thank you for the makeup make over, I love the Colorscience!)

Thrilled to Underwhelmed at 1-Year

  • 9 Aug 2013
What a short honeymoon that was. Loved my initial results, and the recovery was not bad. The usual, but nothing to be concerned with and after all, it was all about the results! It seems like the fantastic results started to decline at about the 3 or 4-month mark, as the swelling subsided so did the volume in my cheeks. The youthful high cheeks, upturned mouth and smooth jaw line too started to look more like they did prior to surgery and there is kind of a lumpy look here and there. Now, 5-days shy of 1-year, I am very disappointed. I admit, my expectations were extremely high. Now, though there is definitely improvement, it is like the facelift did not last. The doctor made no promises on nose revision, so there were no real expectations there. It is okay, better in a way, but there is now a knot to the right of the bridge and in photos the bridge looks broader. The odd thing is, my nose looked great after surgery too, and now, not so much, that is confusing to me.
A few weeks ago I met with the PS that did the surgery and he seemed to feel all is well. Like other writers, he kind of just brushed it off and explained filler would help and explained a little about other procedures I am interested in. Many writers have encouraged me to find other well qualified PS for 2nd opinions, good advice!
So, I very discouraged and disappointed. Now have to figure out how to tell my hubby.
I am posting a few pictures of right after, (when I was thrilled) then a few more current to show the difference and why my disappointment.

1-Year Photos - Unhappy with fleeting results

  • 26 Aug 2013
With a full face lift, neck lift with corset to insure tight neck jaw that will stay in place and nose revision. Beyond underwhelmed.
Photo A - You can see the lax , fleshy look at the jaw. The neck has a ripple of flab. You can also see how the cheek bone is filled out, then towards the nose goes flat for and aged droopy look.
Photo B - Again you can see the ripple at the neck/jaw. The fold/ crease at the nose extends beyond the mouth line. and ends with some fleshly looking raised areas. This and the flat mid cheek leads me to beleive this area was not lifted or secured.
Photo D - Again shows the neck, and the "soft" jaw line, which is fleshy. This was a specific request that this be tight. This also shows how there is a bend or dent in my nose, looks like I was a boxer. This view really emphasizes it. This view also show how built up my outer cheek are is, then towards mid face and the nose it goes flat. This results in a deep fold that creases beyond the mouth area. A very aging look. You can also see how prominent the malar mounds or Festoons are. These are all signs of aging that I believed would be correct with the extensive surgery I had. Now I am told that Fillers are the answer, REALLY!! Makes me want to GRRRRR! Over $18000 out of my pocket, plus my insurance paid a chunk on my nose because I had a deviated septum and a year, and the doc says fillers!
And to be fair, Yes, there is some improvement, and there are some things that don't look as good as before. Thus the very disappointing, underwhelming results. Now What?
Michael R. Menachof, MD, FACS
Denver Facial Plastic Surgeon

Revised Review

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 times
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Comments (27)

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ML I assume he showed you lots of b4/after photos none of which looked like your results. At the very least you should encourage him to always include your photos so that prospective patients can see something in addition to the several excellent results he exhibits. So I hope you will ask him to do that! Tell him you may send in a "plant" just to see that he is including you in his show and tell. Even if you had asked to speak with patients who are 10 yrs post op I guess he would have been able to give you a few so as prospective patients all these b4 and afters do nothing but showcase the handful of successes out of the 1000's of procedures he has done. Is 2% a reasonable sampling? Or a complete RANGE of sampling. That's why I think you will want to suggest that your photos always be included and if he doesn't think he'll do that...why not. It is afterall an example of his surgical results. Hope you'll offer to be contacted by prospects and see how many calls he sends your way. Do you have any idea what technique he used? SMAS (either ibrication where they cut a piece of the SMAS out to tighten OR plication where the excess, rather than being cut out is folded back on itself at the cheek level toward the ear) or deep plane I'm beginning to think that most surgeons have a preferred technique that they have mastered and then no matter the anatomy of the patient they use what they know even if the result will be less than ideal. Judging from your initial review in the first several months you didn't have any issues ie hematoma, infection, distortion, assymetry that would have suggested a compromise to your long term results might have been possible. Everything rolled along except the lift began to fall. It looks as though the cheeks are high, then there is a hollow, then a raised fold or ridge running alongside of the upper jawline. Photos taken at angles are sometimes distorting so maybe that is just an optical illusion. I can't imagine having to redo this but he should pay for whoever can help you or at the very least, in the interest of full disclosure, ethics and honesty include your results on his website and in consults. Best to you in a resolution to all of this....grace60
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At the get go, I thought I had eliminated doctors without their PS credentials from my list of potential docs. My recall of exactly what Dr. Menachof's credentials are not clear and I will have to check. He is personally a very nice man, very engaging and interviews extremely well. I had complete confidence in his ability. It is beyond words as to how shocked I am at the lack of results, it just never occurred to me that the outcome would be less than beautiful. Then, it was very surprising that he seems fine with the results. So I do not and can not say if he thinks my face/neck/nose looks good. His direction was filler if I was unhappy. Which will not fix the bent/bump nose, lose jowls dent/flab under chin and deep nasolabial folds. It may soften the festoons. (those are the major issues not the little quirky things one over looks if all is great)
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He's not listed in the American Society of Plastic Surgeon's website. http://www1.plasticsurgery.org/find_a_surgeon/
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ml, MY Bad....it seems that he is a Fellow in the American Academy of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, and the American Academy of Cosmetic Surgery so in the section on board certification he only lists the Otolaryngology board which reviews and renews certification BUT he is a Fellow in these other Societies. That description is further down in his bio to distinguish his certification from his area of study. So to review, he does have a attachment to cosmetic affiliations just not to the board certification of plastic surgery.
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KJan & Grace60, You both are so right and make such good and valid points. My suspicion is that it was mostly skin tightening, not the underlying tissue and muscle. And.. of course the skin will not hold up underlying muscle or tissue. And Yes, if you are charging $18,000 (Plus what my insurance paid towards my nose) You are playing with the big boys and need to deliver like the pros. This was not a mini or string, and I did not even get the results I have seen from them. I tried to email New Beauty Magazine to question their peer review. Since Menachof is not a PS, but.. he clearly states in his "add" in the magazine that he does fl, is this with in his realm of expertise? You two have given me much food for thought and I am looking for a second opinion, Thank you!!!
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ML, He apparently did a fellowship or some other period of "study" at the Manhattan Ear, ....... which is internationally know. Dr Dan Baker of that clinic pioneered or advanced the use of the SMASectomy which has become a standard largely replacing the riskier deep plane method. So...your doc has "studied" in the field of PS. I just don't see any mention of any board certification by a Plastic surgery focused review board. The American Board of Plastic Surgeons is perhaps the most demanding of the board certifications. Also there is the Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons, the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. Some of these "Society" ones however are memberships and not certification boards. But the point here is that your doc is not a member of, nor certainly certified it seems, by any board whose focus is cosmetic, aesthetic plastic surgery. Go to his website and see if there is something there that I am missing b/c I certainly have no medical background nor do I mean to disparage this surgeon's talent. Just sayin....his website, as I read it, does not seem to be clear on credidentials specific to cosmetic plastic surgery.
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Ml, sorry your great results were so short lived. Are you sure your ps really tightened the muscle and not just the skin? It sounds like you had a pretty easy recovery and that can sometimes indicate that the muscles weren't tightened or at least, not enough. I can't believe your ps is so clueless that he actually thinks you have an acceptable result after only one year and $18,000 spent! Kind of makes you realize what an expensive, risky crapshoot this ps nonsense is.
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Hopefully more people would do follow up 6/mo to a year later. What you see upfront is not necessarily what you will have a year later. Interestingly, there are several other women I know, that I noticed very similar beautiful upfront results only to have less than stellar results a year to 18-mo later.
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ML I see that your surgeon went to one of the top 5 rated med schools AND graduated in the top 5% of his class. I also see that he is board certified by only one board.....Otolaryngology..not a cosmetic plastic surgery certification. I am so sorry for your disappointment. The pain, healing and expense responded to with a ho-hum attitude might deserve a follow up to the follow up. 18K you're entitled, I think, to know if you got the best FL you could have GOTTEN or did you get the best FL he is capable of PROVIDING...apparently those two things may be very different...grace60
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Thank you for your updates! It's so helpful when folks like you come back a year later and let us know what's going on. Sorry to hear your results aren't lasting, though. Disappointing!

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Perhaps it would be a good idea to have a category of results that ARE at least 1 yr post op so people could easily find them. And of course having such a category would encourage FL patients to return to Realself to either sing the praises of their procedure and surgeon or NOT. In any event hearing first hand and seeing photos of pre, immediately post, and 1 yr out would be invaluable...grace60
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I am going in for a facelift myself and I have thought before of also wishing that the resources were here to check into others work at a year out, I would ask that of Real Self also, it would be helpful for all of us facelifter's to be able to have that. Sorry about your 1 year post results ML, of course you should not be happy about it, none of us would be, you are a beautiful lady and I hope that things work out, please keep us updated.
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Thank you! I sent my PS a letter along with some research I had done on facelifts that are not done correctly. A Dr. Sam T. Mamra, MD. the author of The Facelift Letdown has a very good article on the web. The Do-over and everything he covers, that is exactly what is wrong with mine. Take a look at it, it may give you some points pre-op to go over with your PS. I wish to heck I had seen this a year ago. Good luck, keep us posted love to hear how it goes, ML
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Thanks darling, I will look at that site tonight. I'll keep you updated :).
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Hi Patty, sorry about that spell check changed the spelling of the doctors name. It is below. It is: Dr. Sam T. Hamra, MD.
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mldenver, I see what you mean on your new pics.  Maybe taking the time to have other consults with local PS' in your area is the answer.  Although, I know how I might feel about having to go through this again so I feel your frustration and pain.  I didn't see in your writing if you've gone back to your original PS for his opinion.  I see often that a good PS will make revisions if the results are not what was expected.  If it was a case of taking a more conservative approach then just maybe he might suggest a revision himself?  Good luck.  I know how disappointed you are and I really am sorry you've had this experience.  Keep us posted on what your decision is. 
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HI Financegirl, It continues to baffle me how such amazing results can so quickly disappear. I now look like the mother of the 4-week post surgery pictures. At my 1-year check, I started to explain to Dr. Menachof that there were areas of concern, but.. right off he was not defensive, but.. more of oh, that is the way it is, you need filler. From that point, I felt it would be argumentative to try and address the many other areas of concern and was so angry, my fear was I would not stay calm. Going back to Dr. Menachof for any type revision is not an option. If he can look at me and say well done, I don't want his revisions. He never stated or hinted that my results are lest than optimal. At the initial consultation, he said any revisions were free, I may only have to pay a "tray fee" of about $500. So, now no idea what to do. It was over $18,000 and now to tell my hubby I am not happy and want to spend another, god knows what for revision. My husband did not want me to do it in the first place. I am going to request my records from Menachof, then get a 2nd opinion, but not sure what good that will do. Thank you for your feed back, with so much frustration it feels good to vent and get advice from others that have personal experience in cosmetic surgery.
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Sorry you did not have lasting results. I would get my records, research PS in your area and get a second opinion. I had been advised to get fat grafting before surgery but decided to wait. I just recently had Raddiesse added and am very happy with it, it was the finishing touch.
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Absolutely agree, and IF I still looked like this I would be ecstatic! But... In reality, the jaw line soften, under the chin there is a little pouch and the neck looks like it is sagging a bit. The mid face does not appear that it was lifted at all, but the outer cheek area was which results in a swept, flat, heavy look at the nose/cheek area. The festoons are very pronounced. Once the swelling was gone, so were the great results. The nose is not straight, and it was before, there is a distinct knot on the right side of my nose at the bridge area and it looks like it has a bend in it.. So, now, one year post, there is still some improvement, very underwhelming and there are things that are worse, (Festoons and parts of the nose). I am trying to upload current pictures and can"t get them to load. I will keep trying.
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MLDenver, I'm hearing your disappointment in your writing, but the pictures I'm seeing are a huge difference and really the results look great!  I'm not sure that they are current pictures as of 2013 though so I'm confused.  Am I correct?   This really isn't an exacting science and I would imagine very subjective by each PS.  So maybe other opinions is precisely what you need.  Good luck!
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now you look like the a distinguished older woman nice!
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You look fabulous and congratulations.
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Thank you very much! It is very exciting to have a new fresher look. I can't express how happy I am. Hopefully you all realize what a valuable website this is and it was extremely helpful in my decision making process. I faithfully read all of your feed-back and blogs which gave me more questions to ask my doctor and things to watch for. So a Big Thank You to the RealSelf bloggers you are part of a great service as are the doctors that give their professional guidance. And of course, a Huge thank you to Dr. Menachof and his staff.
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Wow, great results and so little downtime! You look very youthful and pretty. :)
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Congrats! What a great result. You look fabulous!

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