My Lifestyle Lift Experience

I had a midface lift five years ago when I was 48 years old. During that time, my plastic surgeon did not advise a full face lift as I did not have problems with my jowls yet.  My jowls have been catching up and I wanted a balanced look and more importantly, I wanted to prolong my rejuvenated look.  After watching the LSL infomercial, I called to make an appointment in VA.  I wanted to know if they do the threadlift and I was pleased to know that this is not a threadlift; rather, this is an actual "nip and tuck" kind of procedure but only for an hour. My experience was very pleasant from the receptionists, to the physician's assistant and to the doctor.  However, a surgical assistant seemed too unhappy doing her job at such an early hour at this clinic.  In any case, my board certified face/neck plastic surgeon was an amiable young doctor who accommodated my sudden change of schedule  as I did it while my spouse travelled out of the country.  He earned extra points for that! My surgery was done very recently, middle of January 2009. The only time I felt discomfort was when I was given the anasthesia shots around my ears. I did not have a neck procedure.  The procedure went so fast that I actually wondered if he actually pulled something--in my rather nervous state of mind, I was convinced that he cut me and just stitched me back up again. However, my skin felt very tight when I left the clinic.  The other surgical assistant was very nice and bandaged me up and gave me specific instructions. The pain started hours later while I was resting at home but I managed it with the prescription and I had no other problem. I also took the antibiotic and drank plenty of pineapple juice.  I removed the bandages on the second day because it was tight and was annoying me.  I noticed right away that the stitches were fine and I could tell right away that my doctor did a very good job.  I had the stitches removed on the 7th day after the procedure.  I was told that some sutures behind my ears will go away on their own. I asked about my funny looking ears, looking like they were pinned down and he said that will go back to normal; how about these hard areas of my neck--I said it looks like he left two cotton pads in there, he said that would go away too, and the hardness, numbness, and swelling - that will go away too.  Now, I had to tell him that I did my own research and although I could intellectualize the process would he mind telling me exactly what he did to me because I told him, that I am not convinced he did anything because it was so fast and I told him that had I asked just before the procedure, I was afraid I would get too spooked and leave so I said, now after the fact, I want to know what he did and he explained that he realigned the tissue underneath and as he pulled, skin pulled as well and then he cut the skin and stitched back.    Prior to my procedure, I actually saw an Internet animation of how a lower face lift (which, LSL is)  is done on a website for plastic surgery so I have a very clear idea of what should have taken place, only that this was a quick procedure, compared to my first procedure which took hours and I had to be off work for 6 weeks. but I still wanted to know if my doctor did what I saw on the Internet .  Going back to the LSL, I recuperated at home for a week and I  went back to work the morning after my stitches were taken out (7th day post op). I let my hair down and I had still a noticeable swelling but I was not uncomfortable at all.  I feel some pain sometimes, much like the time he gave me the shots for the anasthesia but I can live with it.  I am still swollen but the swelling on each side of my neck is gone, my ears look more natural and my scars are not visible. My doctor advised me to buy Vitamin E or use Mederma. I opted for the vitamin E, which I snip and I apply the oil directly on my scar. I have used the same routine when I had my midface lift 5 years ago.  I drink a lot of water with a squeeze of lime juice.  Is there a marked difference that I can see? Thankfully, I did not get that "What did you do, you look awesome or different or anything comments?" And the reason is I did not have a dramatic problem. I went for "maintenance" and my results are very subtle. However, when my husband returned from his trip--I had to of course avoid his touching my face because I was worried he would be able to tell--he commented that I looked pretty, looking at my face. That horrified me! WHY? Because I do not want him to think about what I have done if any, or is his being away the result of such "serenity" on my part?  Now, maybe you have already noticed, I have a great sense of humor and this has helped me deal with the little glitches that come my way. I know that I am still waiting for the swelling to die down completely and everyday I look forward to seeing a little change leading to my final results.  As in the past, it does not happen over two weeks.  Final results vary and in my case, I always give it six months.  The results may not be too obvious but your photos will not lie and I have been taking my own to see what I looked like before the surgery. I think I have just extended the life of my rejuvenated look! Pros:  downtime is very minimal (1 week compared to my 6 weeks for general anasthesia midface lift previously); you can lie about it and no one can tell, it is much cheaper than the mid/f lift, which cost me $15K; you can drive yourself! Cons: None, so long as you have reasonable expectations, go to a board certified plastic surgeon, do your own research about the doctor and the procedure--use the Internet, google him/her, etc.; do what the doctor tells you to do, and be patient about your results. Do not get this procedure done if you cannot give up smoking, alcohol, etc, or you hear voices in your head --it will not cure these bad habits and problems.  Do this for yourself, not for anyone.  When you go for your consultation, ask questions or at least ask them during your post-op if you are too scared to ask during the consult.  Keep smiling.