Facelift: Stories

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A Lot Harder Than You Would Think -Toledo, OH

  • posted 2 months ago
  • updated 5 days ago

I've had lots of work done in my life...nose,...

  • 19 Mar 2013
  • 27 days post

I've had lots of work done in my life...nose, eyes, breasts (twice)...but this face lift (SMAS) and neck lift at age 58 (Feb. 20th, 2013) has been the hardest yet. My family didn't want me to do it, but I was influenced by those pesky Lifestyle Lift commercials. I went to a trusted plastic surgeon, but the recovery time has been so long. At 4 weeks out, I am still so swollen that I don't feel like I look like a normal person. The tightness and numbness around the outer edges of my face and ears is simply weird. I feel like I'm wearing a child's party hat with that tight elastic under my chin. When I wash my face, I feel like I'm washing hard plastic. At 3 weeks out, I was telling all my friends NOT to do this. I'm not sure how I'll feel once the swelling subsides and feeling returns to my face.

Ok, I admit it. It is pretty cool to look at my...

  • 27 Mar 2013
  • 1 month post
Ok, I admit it. It is pretty cool to look at my before and afters! I'm 5 weeks out and my face doesn't feel normal yet, but I must admit that I like the look much better than "before." I didn't like the process, but I will like the end results. Just a note to anyone considering doing this. It is a big deal, and allow lots of recovery time.

At 7 weeks, I still have a slight ridge along my...

  • 10 Apr 2013
  • 2 months post
At 7 weeks, I still have a slight ridge along my left jaw...still a faint tint of green there too...so, guess it's still in the process of healing. At 6 weeks, I went out to dinner with a 10 year old (the kind who says things like, "Ewww...you have hair in your nose!"). She was staring at me and said, "Oh my gosh, there's a red line at your ear...did you cut your ear off???" She proceeded to move THE hair away from my ears and said, "Oh, oh, oh...what did you do?" My sweet husband saved the day by saying, "She had some fat removed. She had fat in the wrong places." LOL

At 8 weeks, I'm still numb around my ears and...

  • 25 Apr 2013
  • 2 months post
At 8 weeks, I'm still numb around my ears and still swollen under my chin. Certain positions really hurt my face when I lie on my stomach (which I do when I want to really sleep comfortably). But now, I'm seeing gradual improvement weekly. In the first few weeks, I would see daily improvement. It seems to slow down as I get further away from the surgery date. (I made this comment further down on this thread...sorry about the repeat)

Week 12, new sensations!!! Now, instead of simply...

  • 15 May 2013
  • 3 months post
Week 12, new sensations!!! Now, instead of simply numb along the sides of my face, I'm getting those prickly sensations that people talk about. My face (on the edges) feels prickly when I touch it...to wash it or when I am lying with my head on a pillow (lying on my tummy). When I wake up after sleeping on my tummy, my face scars and scars behind my ears hurt. I guess this is because I have more feeling in those areas now that the numbness is subsiding.
Great review?
John Zavell, MD, FACS

My Doctor: John Zavell, MD, FACS

My rating:

Doctor's Bedside Manner
Answered My Questions
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Time Spent With Me
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Dr. Zavell has done other work on me, and has always been wonderful to work with. He is considered the best plastic surgeon in our area. He doesn't try to sell you on extra procedures, and is willing to listen.

Comments (59)

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joanneinflorida 1 May 2013
Thanks so much for getting back to me so quickly. I'm going to schedule a consultation with Dr. Rubinstein tomorrow. I can't believe how inexpensive yours was, that's great!!! If you had it to do all over again would you still choose Dr. Rubinstein?
Miami Beach390 1 May 2013
My sister is planning a facelift with Dr. Rubinstein soon. I'll do a tummy tuck with him next year as I want to wait a little bit for my body to rest after a surgery. Dr. Rubinstein is also Chief Surgeon of a big hospital. He is extremely qualified and very caring. Let me know what you think after you meet him.
Laa007 20 Apr 2013
Has anyone noticed or had a slight drop of their SMAS 3 months after the procedure and after swelling has gone down? Thanks La007
chasesmommy 20 Apr 2013
Can you explain what you mean? I don't understand your question. And what is an SMAS
Laa007 20 Apr 2013
Yes sure...SMAS is a type of facelift. After 3 months my facelift had slightly decended/relaxed. Im still happy with the results I wanted to know if this is normal.
chasesmommy 21 Apr 2013
Guess we learn something new everyday. I thought a facelift was just a facelift. What makes it different. Love learning all this stuff. Also any idea how much weight you can either loose or gain before it affects the facelift. Thanks
Laa007 21 Apr 2013
There are skin face lifts,MACS lift, SMAS lift and the one stitch or thread lift. I had the SMAS which address the underlying muscles as well as the skin. It's very affective if you are in your 40s to late 50s. If you are in your very early 30s and depending how you age the skin lift is good because usually the facial muscles are still in place. I'm very happy with my SMAS. I'm having a liplift on Wednesday im so excited about it. Have you had any surgery? Regards Angie
Laa007 21 Apr 2013
If you loose a few pounds before surgery then put it back on your face looks fuller therefore younger.
Alice1905 20 Apr 2013
My scars are barely visible at 15 weeks. I've been using New Gel twice a day.
Jonms 19 Apr 2013
Hi, I am about 3 weeks 4 days after surgery. My PS said to wear my chin strap 24/7 for the first 6 weeks, just take it off to shower, eat, etc. I also have that terrible numb feeling around my ears and neck. I still have swelling and my neck is still discolored looking. Is the numbness getting better for you? I sure hope I'm not still feeling like this in 6 weeks. This has not been easy for me. Maybe it's my age I am 57. I've had cosmetic surgery before but I don't remember having this much discomfort. Jody in MS
OhGirl 20 Apr 2013
On Tuesday I will be 6 weeks post op. The discoloration is long gone but the numbness is still there. Not so much around the ears but the ring around the neck, as I call it, is still there but not as pronounced. The lumpiness is mostly under my chin area but its getting better. I'm feeling much better and have a lot more range of motion turning my neck. I was hoping 6 weeks was the magic number where I would be feeling 100% normal but it is not. However I do feel so much better than I did five weeks ago. My doc is taking post op pics at three months, so that tells you something. I have had three other cosmetic surgeries and this one is by far the most difficult from which to recover. So thankful for this forum!
BarbyDoll 21 Apr 2013
Yep, after 8 weeks, I'm still numb around my ears and still swollen under my chin. Certain positions really hurt my face when I lie on my stomach (which I do when I want to really sleep comfortably). But now, I'm seeing gradual improvement weekly. In the first few weeks, I would see daily improvement. It seems to slow down as I get further away from the surgery date.
Jonms 22 Apr 2013
Thanks for sharing. Keep me posted, I think I must be about 4 weeks behind your surgery. Good to have someone that is going through the same and sharing their story with me. It lets me know everything is normal and it is just going to take awhile to get that feeling back.
kusznir 15 May 2013
Hi OhGirl. I was wondering, was the $8900.00 for the procedure Dr. Leedys fee? or was the operating room and anesthesia separate? Having consult for same procedure with Dr. Leedy.Would you still highly recommend him? Debbie in Ohio
OhGirl 15 May 2013
HIGHLY recommend Dr. Leedy. That is total. About $5600 to him and the rest for facility and anesthesia. You will like him and the girls at the office are nice. Tell him you read Diana's review on RealSelf. He'll get a kick out of it!
kusznir 15 May 2013
Thank you so much for answering my questions. That makes me much more comfortable going to see him. I'm rather new to computers, so I'm so glad you responded. Your detailed information is wonderful and so helpful. Thanks Again! Kusznir
OhGirl 15 May 2013
Happy to respond. We are all here to help each other. Did you see that your consult is $50 when you mention RealSelf. Make sure to do that. His office is in the new atrium. Take the glass elevator up to his suite.
Miami Beach390 10 Apr 2013
I covered my ear scars with make up concealer . With a concealer same or near color of your face skin, no one can see the scars. My girlfriend said that I should not eat seafood for 6 months after the facelift as she believed that there is something in seafood that makes the scars raised and scar tissue harden . So I did and my scars look small and not raised. Your face looks beautiful.
BarbyDoll 10 Apr 2013
Thanks for the compliment! As far as concealing my scars, my haircut usually does the trick. You just don't expect people to lift up your hair and look for scars!!! Leave it to the kids. Since I'm always around kids, I'd better start using make-up. I'll be safe with the seafood as I don't eat it...but good advice for those who do.
chasesmommy 10 Apr 2013
I can't find your photo. How can I ?
OhGirl 20 Apr 2013
You look great. What do your scars along the hairline feel like? Mine are kind of thick and bumpy. I usually wear my hair up in the summer but not this summer. I talked to my doc about it and he said they will thin out but it will probably take a year.
Miami Beach390 20 Apr 2013
I had a mini facelift 12 years ago. After 1 year the scars around the ears became very thin, barely visible. My new facelift scars are now still red and visible after 4 months but I am sure they will be invisible in a year.
chasesmommy 20 Apr 2013
My dr said to use merderma nightly and mine were gone in a few weeks maybe start using that once at bedtime. Truth you can't see them with the naked eye. That stuff is great. I work at a pharmacy and see the results all the time keep me updated if you decide to us it
BarbyDoll 25 Apr 2013
OhGirl, my scars along my hairline are flat but still pink-red. The ones behind my ears are plump (bumpy). I'm really liking brushing on mineral powder make-up for coverage. By the end of the day, it does settle into the scars though (my skin is pretty oily)...so, I just wash off with washcloth. I had a fatty lipoma removed at the same time as my facelift...that scar is just under my throat area. That scar is completely flat and nearly invisible on the right half of the incision...and then, bumpy and thick on the left half of the incision. It's almost unpredictable how these scars will turn out. I think it's more about our body's healing than about the surgeon's skill.
Smittygirl50 10 Apr 2013
Haha! Out of the mouth of kids! They're so funny, no filters whatsoever.

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