Cheek Lift: Stories

I am 3 weeks post a MFL, upper and lower eyelid surgery. (Against my better judgement) I was persuaded to have tissue grafting in the periorbital rim and lipofilling to the brows, cheeks and marionette lines (using my own fat). I was an attractive woman before. I had what surgeons would call a 'tear trough deformity, a thin(ish) face (oblong?) not much cheek projection (what surgeons would call a negative vector?) but I had cheeks when I smiled and I smiled a lot because I am in general a happy person. The procedures I had have totally altered my features and I now look worse than before and older. I am 59 but people thought I was in my late forties. Now I look older than 59. My surgeon thinks I look normal! He doesn't see the change and the mess he made of my eyes. I haven't been able to venture out without sunglasses and don't go out at night as I can't justify wearing them. He tells me that I am imagining things and I am still healing and everything will look good in 6 months to a year. I am not sure I believe him. I don't see how a botched up procedure can look better? Scar may heal, swelling may go down and bruises fade but the result? This has made me go over my pre surgery discussion with my surgeon, the paper he published on the procedure I had (I should have been weary of one publication only), the before and afters. I now wonder how much of it is really his own work. In retrospect, I now know that surgeons are not the Gods some of them believe themselves to be. Its too late for me to reverse whats been done and I'm too afraid to trust anyone after this, so all I can say to anyone considering a procedure is: be careful what you wish for and be even more careful who you entrust your face to.

Hi I Miss Myself - Yes, that's the problem. I also don't want to put myself personally out there. I have actually managed to not tell anyone I had the surgery - since it's really one eye that looks bad, I have a cover story for what happened to the eye, so I haven't admitted the truth to anyone. (I'm not happy with the other, but all the doctors who see me say my surgeon did a great job on the one eye.)

MarilynBusstop,
I am so sorry to hear about the loss of your original eyes. I do understand because I had that happen to me when I got a brow lift. I don't know when your surgery was, but am hoping that it was not long ago because maybe your eye shape will return. I hope that they begin to look more and more like your God-given eyes.
I do agree with you. It is true that we are relying on a source of information that has a vested interest in keeping us in the dark. How to bring about change? You would have to be willing to fight for it and tell why your passion exists. I don't want to be exposed on a national level. But, I will sign petitions if you put them out there.
Good luck on your healing.
I Miss Myself

I will add my voice to all of yours - I just had a lower bleph - I am lucky in that everyone tells me they don't see a difference. But I do - I used to smile at my eyes because I loved them. Now, every day, I look at my eyes and I hate them. There are no words for how devastating that is. We must get together to make a change. These doctors shouldn't be allowed to be butchering people. We need the government (ie, us) to start regulating these butchers. We need laws that they have to show pictures of people who have been unhappy. There needs to be a government agency that gives information about these procedures so that we aren't relying on the doctors, who are private interests hoping to make money, to be the ones to give us the information we need. Private businesses will always end up deceiving because they care about money first and foremost. It is laws and government that we need to protect us.

i know how you feel, i was a hott local tv star and was beautiful, at 46 tried to get back what i lost, so i too got a face lift, neck, chin, upper eyes. i ended up looking like a freak, and there is nothing i can do about it. i too walk around crying inside every day. im ashaimed to see my friends and family, im just an emotion silent reck. :(

I would like to add my voice too. I had a deep plane midface lift 7 years ago and have regretted it every single day. I had always had high cheekbones, but with age they were sagging and I was getting the nasolabial folds. I was told that my cheeks would be gently lifted and would have a soft look. After my surgery I was devastated and actually threw up when I saw myself in the mirror. My cheeks were so high they looked unnatural. People stared at me in the street, and two of my relatives actually laughed in my face. People reacted very negatively towards me, and I lost two jobs. Since then, I am suffering with severe depression, have had two hospital stays, and I never leave my home. I have lost 30lbs and have been suicidal. I feel as though I have "lost" myself, I don't like what I see in the mirror. My surgeon lied to me. Told me I would look natural, told me I would be back to work in 2 weeks. Forgot to tell me this is a very unnatural surgery and you run the risk of looking like a freak. I urge all people considering plastic surgery not to do it, it is simply not worth it. It may ruin your life the way it has ruined mine.

I totally agree!!!! As one who learned the hard way. It is way too risky! Do not beleive that things go wrong only one in a million. That is just a sales pitch. Things go wrong all the time, and when they do they can ruin your life!!!

just let me add my voice to those who would urge anyone reading this to NEVER have elective plastic surgery unless you have a severe situation or one that needs improvement to aid in normal functions of life. and get your personal physician involved in the choice of surgeons. try to accept yourself the way you are and find peace in that! there is Way too much risk of mistakes and complications. so just accept yourself and deal with life from the standpoint of recognizing that it is much more important who you ARE than what you LOOK like! and go right ahead and expect anyone you meet to accept you as you appear also. if they don't, then it is They who need a change...of Heart...on the Inside! they should save negativity for what you DO and not what you look like. i and others have learned the hard way. please listen to this!

wow, I'm sorry this procedure has been the cause of pain. I went into this surgery with the first objective of getting my eyes done , get rid of the baggage and the hooded lids on the top, all of which made my eyes smaller and smaller. people used to say I had beautiful eyes but my eyes were sort of disappearing, deep set and getting worse with every year after age 50 or so, haha And I also used to have a nice clean profile with a good chin, but all that was sort of sagging and getting a little lax around the chin and jawline. I was very concerned about not looking overdone so I opted for the eyes procedure with midface, and lipo under chin and along chin line. i didn't do the brows lift or neck left yet, but will keep ya'll posted. I truly hope you can find some help to remedy your outcome. xo

I agree with er nurse. Not a good procedure.

you seem to be one of the more lucky ones....most of these procedures are face/eye wreckers...choose very very carefully when you have anything else done.

It has been a year since my first posting. I have no visible scars. I see a subtle lift and change in mt cheeks. My left under eye bag is gone. The omly complaint is my left eye now has a holllowed out look underneath it and my right eye doesn't. My doctor incredibly doesn't know how to fix it because I want revision surgery to correct this. I have looked into fillers but they seem to risky with the bumps, etc. I want something permanent. So, I am going to try and hang on for 3 more years and go to see a different doctor. My curren dr told me the muscle right under my eye slipped again therefore the hollow look. Not sure how it will be corrected but i feel confident in several years the new doctor will come up with a fix. I am waiting to save money and to get a little older where I may add in more tweaks:)

It appears, most of these Surgeons are NOT adept with Mid Face lifts.

Do we have to travel to NYC or LA
to locate proficient MDs?

I had both lower and upper lids witha mid face lift. I was afraid to get a necklift as I had heard lots of complaints of pain with it. Now , at 6 months out the results are nice, but still have a bit of sensitivity putting on sunblock. I put the cream in an upward motion and don't pull down on the skin around ears and sides. Swelling puffing and bruising were a problem that was clearing up by 2 weeks or so, maybe a bit more time? I did have much swelling, but , it did go away, so I hope this will help you. good luck and keep in touch/

A family member had this procedure done (i presume its the same one) 9 days ago... Surgeon removed the tape 2 days ago to find she had some extreme dimpling under her cheeks. The surgeon said the dimpling always subsides but she is really worried. Did this happen to you ladies and how long did it take till the swelling subsided? If anyone could send me pictures of 1 week, 2 week, 3 weeks post opp and then what it looks like fully recovered that would really help i just want her to know what to expect. :) thanks

In my case, strictly from the mid face lift

question..........were the surgery/result issues with the actual "eye" surgery or strictally with the mid-face lift?

I had a mid face lift 5 years ago. I too had damage like you mention. Even though I have worked very hard to strengthen my eye and facial muscles, I still suffer from a pulling down sensation of my left eyelid when I am tired. and abnormal nasal movement. It is very sad to me that plastic surgeons will not admit to making a mistake and learn from them. It would save unnecessary suffering in other subsequent cases. It actually does improve. At 4 months, like you, I was terrified, but fortunately time is a healer. Take heart from my words.

In additions I hae eyelid retractions , my eyes are not symmetrical I feel like the muscle are pulling my eyes from its socket. I'm very afraid I might end up losing my vision. I wonder If I can still reverse this surgery since it is three weeks post op. Even me is scared of myself . I look like an awl. God please help me I will never have plastic surgery again, I am a nurse and I will never recommend this surgery

I had mine done three weeks ago. If I had knowm that this is going to be the result I would never do it. My lower eyelids is so dark and when i smile and look at the mirror my eyes looks like looking upward. I look scary and really weird. My surgeon said no one will find out you had surgery, you will look young and refresh. I have known this surgeonb for years because I used to work with him in the same OR. but I have never seen him doing a midface with lower blepharoplasty, I have identations on the side of my face which he said it will flatten and never visible my eyelids are still puffy with irregular fats deposits. I regret so much having this surgery. I'm very different from my old self. people can't recognize me. I would never recommend my surgeon. He never discuss complications of surgery with me and and none of the things he said was true, I'm very upset because i have so much regards for him since we worked together in the same place. If anyone contemplating of having this surgery never do it. You'll regret for the rest of your life. I thought I was having a mini and i end up with a midface and lower bleph which is a disaster.