Some Tips for Those Considering It - Birmingham, AL

*** Want to clarify point Number 3. I say do it the winter because the air conditioners in the house and car circulating cool air around your head during the summer months will cause you head to feel like it's tightening up. This tightening feeling is VERY uncomfortable. The weather outside won't effect you much because, let's face it you won't be going outside the first few weeks anyway due to bruising and swelling, but you will be making trips to the Doctor for follow ups in the car.

Wanted to add this...it's a reply to a question about the pain.

The pain had nothing to do with how he performed the surgery. He is a very gentle Doctor. The pain is different for each individual..if I had only had the face lift done, I don't believe it would have been as painful. The most pain was only during the first two weeks. The endoscopic forehead lift is what cause the most pain and the fact I had a full face lift done. I had incisions from the back of my hair line to my sideburns on up to the top of my head. When the skin is lifted off and stretched back into a different place the nerve endings are effected...this is what causes the long healing period. It takes time for the nerve ending to reattach, so in the mean time there is a very uncomfortable tightening feeling over the top of the head and a feeling as if you have a brick for a forehead...any movement of the forehead causes the nerve ending to cause pain, which happens when you aren't expecting it. Like if a fly or water hit you in the face. You automatically make a flinching expression and that causes your forehead to move, causing pain. But as time goes on the pain lessens greatly. Now at 2 months the only problems I have is the numbness from my eyebrows to the top of my head, which is getting feeling back a little daily. Now if the scars would stop itching, though they are healing nicely. For those that highlight your hair at home with a cap...word of warning. I thought I wasn't getting through the plastic of the cap, when in reality it was my scalp and I couldn't feel it...scratched up my scalp before I realize it. Ouch! LOL!

Today makes 4 months for me and thought I'd update on how it has been going. Scars are healing nicely and each week there seems to be some improvement facial wise. You don't realize that you are actually still swollen in places until you notice there are changes still taking effect even after 4 months.

As for the discomfort, my head still feels numb from the middle of my forehead back..but I can now feel my eyebrows. I still have those hot needle sensations over my scalp and a feeling of something crawling across my forehead at times. No amount of rubbing will make it go away...and I'm guessing it's the nerve endings trying to reattach.

On the down side from that,  it looks like there is nerve damage on my right side behind my ear to my jaw line...Dr. says it may be an infection of the underlying suture's, so he put me on antibiotics (as of right now it hasn't helped) ...but if it turns out to be nerve damage there is nothing he can do and says aspire might relive some of the pain and swelling..."but hey you look good" was his response. I'm just hoping it gets better over time, because this constant pain is causing me to be depressed and I haven't been a fun person to be around.

For those that are thinking of having these procedures done, (Full Facelift, Endoscopic Forehead and Lower Eyelids just to name the ones I had done) they are not a walk in the park for most of us. Really do your research. You can have the best Doctor out there and still have complications. Learn what these complications can be and take them into consideration before having them done. Wish I had looked into it further myself. I am still happy with results, but not sure it will be worth it if I have to live with this nagging pain for the rest of my life...so I'm lower my overall satisfaction from excellent to very good.