Finally, I Have a Neck!!! – San Miguel de Allende, MX

I am 53 years old and it's been about 10 years since I've had a neck. No amount of working out on the treadmill, bicycle and weight machines improved the appearance of my flabby gullet. My age never bothered me, crows feet never caused concern but my droopy neck and jowls made me cringe. I always had a delayed reaction when looking at photos of family get-togethers. "Could that woman be me?" So I decided to take action.

Against the input of my husband and a few others, I flew alone into Queretaro, Mexico to meet with Dr. Guillermo Koelliker M.D. on July17, 2013. Arrangements pre-lab work and deposits were made in advance through Pat Marino at faceliftmexico.

Preplanned transportation was provided from airport to hospital to Casa Marino to return flight. I speak Spanish and have visited Mexico many times but was extremely nervous upon meeting Dr. Koelliker. He must have sensed my angst and began to itemize (very kindly) areas that needed attention. I was open to a more aggressive approach but Dr. Koelliker emphasized that he wanted me to leave with a natural, more rested appearance... not an exaggerated expression of artificial means.

No brow lift, slight tweaks on lower and upper blepharoplasty, fat replacement in lips, SMAS repositioning and a whole lot of time fixing my droopy neck. Dr. Koelliker was concerned that I seem to have serious problems with nausea and anesthesia so we opted for extremely light sedation with local numbing.

Even with these precautions, I felt nauseous but it was manageable with extra attention from Dr. Koelliker. He must have checked on me at least 8 times a day to see how I was faring. One night very late, I told the nurse in Spanish not to bother the doctor but I wasn't feeling well. Within 30 minutes, Dr. Koelliker was in my room asking questions.

He is a caring, compassionate doctor that truly is concerned for your well being. I had an opportunity to compare notes with other patients and we found that Dr. Koelliker does not have the same approach for each patient. He looked at each of us, made completely different recommendations based on our needs and listened to our concerns individually.

It has been 4 1/2 weeks since my surgery. I still have some swelling, some bruising and some numbness. Another patient that I've stayed in contact with had more invasive procedures, yet she has no bruising and very little swelling.

Facelift/Necklift $6500
Lips $600
Botox $200
Casa Marino (2 weeks) $2400

I keep checking to see if anything has fallen but the neck I'm seeing in the mirror is a constant surprise. I'm not exactly complaining but... does anyone realize I've had work done or are they just not talking. In healthy relationships, you are supposed to tell your spouse everything. I know they say confession is good for the soul. Hopefully I won't burn in hell for telling my husband I only had a neck tweak and the bruises were from an allergic reaction (actually I WAS allergic to the Arnica.) Anyway the point of my 6 week update is to tell you that no one has used the "f" word (facelift) since I've returned from Mexico. I'm not sure anyone knows.

My good friend and work-out partner didn't mention anything except she thought I was frisked 3 times at the Dallas airport and 1 time in Mexico because I was blonde. My youngest son just returned from a month in Korea and didn't say a word about my face, neck or nice cheekbones. My oldest son simply said, "Are you OK?"

A friend, I had not seen in years, surprised me at DFW airport at week 2 post surgery and simply said, "You're dressing very chic these days." I finally asked my unusually quiet husband, "Can you even tell a difference in my neck?" Sure, your neck looks nice. (I thought he would be chasing this neck around the house.)

Yes, I said I wasn't trying to look 30 and apparently I don't. Darn it.

Slight bruising on each cheek being treated with Donnell Skin Vitamin K cream. Scars behind ears, at vertical neck/hairline and above ear/hairline are healing slowly but nicely with daily Mederma SPF 30. Initially I swelled like a balloon and bruising was substantial for me. Most has resolved. Still have some numbness at ears and odd feeling at eyelash line; however, this improves every day. Love my lips and neck... they look so normal. Dr. Koelliker said the conservative fat replacement in lip area should last 7 years. I've never been a fan of fat lips but this looks so natural that I may be tempted to return next year to San Miguel for a very slight lip tweak and a few more lymphatic massages from Fabiola. The dollars aren't worrying me, only what do I tell my husband?