“Lifestyle lift nightmare!”
Lifestyle lift: NOT worth it
Pain: Worst possible
BEWARE
! I was very disappointed in what was advertised versus what I wound up with. I wanted to freshen my eyes and they talked me into a mini-lift. (The consultant indicated that I could save this much $$$1200 if I signed today.)
Both eyelids were cut differently, one was not even in the crease of my eye. One eye was cut like a cat eye with a curve on the end and the other eye was cut straight across and a pocket of fat was left to hang over the straight cut. My EARS GREW much longer and hurt constantly. The pain was intolerable. My face stayed swollen black and blue for 3 weeks. The pain, the crunching noises, the smell, there is no way to describe how horrible the experience is. When I complained about my eyes after they started to heal up and you could really tell how different they were, LSL kicked me to the curb. Their suggestion was for me to have a brow lift... that would have only made the scar on the eye that was not in the crease look even worse. The surgeon did not like being questioned on my visit to remove my sutures (which they left 1/2 of them in) about why he cut me twice behind one ear. He told me to grow up.
In the beginning I only wanted them to fix my one eye that was cut straight across & remove the fat bag. I refused to see Dr. KK after his hateful 1st visit antics. I had no idea that he did not work for LSL and that he was/is a freelance surgeon and he has his own practice closer to me than LSL in Marietta. (He also offers his own version of the “One Hour Lunch Hour Lift”) I returned to the home office thinking I signed up for the surgery with them, they would be the ones that would help me. They refused to do what I ask for. So, I asked for my money back to have my eye fixed by another doctor, again, excuse, excuse and more excuses. They kept having me drive over 100 miles to see them (5 times for follow ups + 2 original visits) to see if there was any improvement and they never took any notes nor pictures until I showed up with my husband. When my husband was with me, the General Mgr. joined in along with Dr. W. I asked for my after pictures to be taken at this time and they were.
My ears continued to hurt like a toothache. The skin felt like it was wadded up behind my ears and my lobes were stitched to my face. I could not stand to wear earrings at all for the first 5 months. I could not sleep on my side, it hurt to talk on the phone, It hurt to wear my glasses for any length of time. I just cannot explain the kind of pain, searing, stabbing and burning all at the same time. I searched for other surgeons to redo the work. Most of the doctors just shook their heads (like you big dummy). How was I to know????
I picked the LSL office due to the advertising and what the brochure promised. The before and after pictures that are shown and the endorsement of ABC, CBS, NBC and others. The endorsement of Oprah and others + Dr. K, the founder and all his talk of how safe the procedure is. The doctors credentials looked good (I did look him up on the net), the advertising was excellent but as far as the procedure, it was pure hell. Dealing with the front office and the home office was hell after the surgery. I had to have the surgery REDONE completely by a competent surgeon. I could not believe the difference! I woke up, my eyes looked almost completely normal on the 3rd day and they look the same. My ears no longer hurt and they are not long anymore and they look like they use to.
I think if I had not found this new surgeon I would have sunk into a deeper depression and no telling what I would have done to myself. I just can't believe that a company that is as large and as well know as LSL can get away with this kind of treatment of their clients. This just can't go on. I have read real horror stories and have heard even more from women too embarrassed to post. It seems like they can do whatever they want and there is no way to stop them and everybody is afraid of them. One woman told me that she was threatened with a lawsuit if she even mentioned the Dr.s name.
If I can stop one woman or man from going through what I went through, I figure that I have done them a big favor. The big selling point of not being put to sleep and that makes it so much safer is complete BS. I will never forget the stench of my own skin burning and hearing the surgeon saying over and over he was late for another appointment. My one hr. appt. took over 3 and 1/2 hours.
I FEEL like I will forever be scarred by what LSL did to me and if they offered to redo everything for free in 10 years and give me a million dollars too, I would leave the country on that day!
1-19-09 I would also like to add as of the CBS TV 46 interview that aired recently, they too are being sued by LSL. (As of right now, the videos are still up, email me if you need the link) They are saying that CBS is harming their good name they have worked so hard to build. Well, LSL, did you ever stop to think HOW HARD all of us had to work to save the money to have your lift done. And the main thing is that everything that you say in your commercial is untrue for most of us. Your lift is not CHEAP by any means. And the help I was suppose to get from the LSL founder personally, well, that did not happen either. He wound up asking me a whole lot of questions about things that were not related to my Lift at all. I will let you know more about this situation and exactly what he was asking me about at the appropriate time.
Dec 1, 2008Comments and replies (170)
2 posts
14 Mar 2009
I cancelled I think I will go back to my facial exercise mouthpiece.
379 posts
14 Mar 2009
Coleen -- Yes, Dr. Kent is the "founder" of the new and improved SMAS lift aka; LifeStyle Lift and yes, you did receive a form letter. But, you smart cookie you, you have saved yourself months and maybe even years of cursing yourself and them not to mention the money that you might as well be throwing out the window driving down I285. If you want to find a good doctor, they are out there but you find one by word of mouth or by paying the nominal fee they charge to see them. Contact me and I will tell you who did my "re-do". Best, Chrystal
379 posts
14 Mar 2009
McKen-- you are so right! I was not told as to the extent of the cutting, how invasive the "new procedure" was. I was told that there would be 3 small incisions that would be hidden. Now I knew my eyes would have 1 cut in the crease of each eye, but the darned doctor missed the crease on one eye completely and on the other eye he gave me a "Cleopatra" swoop and had a little fat pad hang over-- neither eye matched even remotely. And I was swollen each and every day for 9 months until I had my redo. Yes, you are right, it is a bill of goods. Tit for tat, would it not be wonderful if each and every doctor that had inflicted harm had to have the same thing done to them. I agree with you on this FTC business. Maybe if enough of us go online and report them something will have to be done. Don't forget to add the office where you had the procedure, the home office in Michigan (Scientific Image Center Mgmt, Inc., 100 Kirts Blvd., Suite A, Troy, MI 48084 1-800-940-9951; wecare@lifestylelift.com) + the doctors info if he is not full time with LSL.
unregistered guest
14 Mar 2009
I was thinking of going to the initial consult but now I will definitely cancel. Glad I came across your site. Thanks.
105 posts
15 Mar 2009
Please send the info to anyone you have been in contact with who either got a LSL or went in for a consult.
1 post
18 Mar 2009
Ichecked into this but they were not to helpful they done give you any idea about the risk or the cost but things that seem to good can be very damaging. I hope god blesses you with allyou need and thanks for your story : i know this man will pay for your pain . God never lets be wronged without him paying you back 19 times over. I would not want to be in his shoes when God repays him...
379 posts
27 Mar 2009
Carolyn, thank you for writing something encouraging. It is really funny (but not) some people think this is a bashing forum for women who made the mistake of using LSL instead of a board certified plastic surgeon. And then to top it off, you get the "40%" that had favorable results (where are the pictures). If that is not enough, the 40% email us telling us to stop the LSL hating. Excuse You. Just because you say you had good results don't mean squat to me till I see pictures. You see I am through believing what people say and not seeing the results. Some folk tend to lie. I have no reason to lie, open my life to strangers and the likes of the "OTHERS" who I believe some are LSL employees or doctors who just can't stand for the 60/40 rate to change. Personally, call me anything you want. If I come off as crazy, so be it, but look at my pictures and imagine your face where mine is. Now who is crazy?
379 posts
28 Mar 2009
Florida Gator, Thanks for the support. You know, I am getting bashed again at home by another woman, not Susan but another "OTHER" whom again I cannot email back to privately. Let me ask everyone this??? Why would anyone go online and post 4 really good things about their experience and then email me privately and tell me I am coming off as crazy. When you do this to me and you have a site, I will post the email back on your site so everyone can see how you talk to people who have had bad results. Why even register if you are not going to allow other folks to email you privately through the site program. No pictures, no email, I say no real person. I say you must either be embarrassed by the results or you are a "OTHER". I wish there was a way we could tell if the "Good Results" are really Good! If they are so Good and everyone is as happy as they say, where are your pictures??? I will say this again... I hate no one. I do hate what LSL did to me and other women and men. The truth is simply the Truth.
1 post
30 Mar 2009
To Susan Wells. I am a healthcare professional and have been for over thirteen years. You can say what you want but the responsibility of a doctor performing any procedure on a patient is to make very clear the worst case scenerio of the procedure and making sure the patient has realistic expectations as well as refusing to "polish a turd" if they feel the outcome is not an improvement to the patients quality of life. My thought is you either work in a center performing these less than professional procedures or your husband or a close friend is one of the butchers calling themselves qualified to do this to women. Whether a smoker or a sungoddess it is the doctors responsibility to deny to perform any procedure if they can't produce the desired results during a sought after elected procedure. It's called ethics vs greed!!!
379 posts
30 Mar 2009
Dear Karen, How eloquently you put into words the outcome of "what should happen" vs what really happens. After the treatment I received from LSL I could not in good conscious send any form of human (good, bad, worst enemy) to this firm. I understand that there are some doctors that are good that work there and are caught in the middle. But if they have any ethics why are they still there??? I figure that people like Susan that singles out and attacks only one person of many has an agenda. So, you know what they say, "what comes around, goes around. Pay back is a B _ _ _ _."