POSTED UNDER Lower Facelift REVIEWS
Great Lower Face and Neck Lift with Dr. Michael Kreidstein - Toronto, ON
ORIGINAL POST
A little background; I'm 52 years old, 5ft 5" and...
1961LadyNovember 25, 2013
WORTH IT$9,600
A little background; I'm 52 years old, 5ft 5" and 120 lbs. I have very fine, thin skin, but take very good care of it and always have; no sun; no smoking and therefore I have no serious wrinkles but I was starting to sag at the jaw and neck. I've had a few rounds of botox and some fillers over the past few years, that combined with a good skin care program has kept me looking younger than I am . Although these minor "tweeks" can make a big difference, I don't think they can really help with the sagging lower face or that extra skin around your jaw/neck that starts to be noticeable after 50. As far as aging goes, I've really found 50 to be that line in the sand.
I first started thinking about a face lift around 2 years ago when I turned 50; I had consultations with two Plastic Surgeons in Toronto; one a very high profile surgeon with offices in Toronto and New York and the other, well regarded but not as high profile. The first PS agreed to do the surgery; he also suggested I purchase a Clairsonic, skin care program and some injectables from his office. The second surgeon was more conservative and thoughtful during the consultation and suggested that I hold off and come back and see him in 18 to 24 months time as he doesn't believe in "preemptive" surgery. I felt more comfortable with the second surgeon; Dr. Michael Kreidstein, so I waited the 2 years and returned this past fall for another consultation with him. At this point he agreed it was time and suggested a lower face and neck lift. I asked him if he thought I required any other work and he said no, which I agreed with.
So I felt very good about my decision...............until a few days before the actual surgery, when I started getting really nervous, no not just nervous, I was terrified!!! His office is very strict about rescheduling unless there is an emergency, which is actually a good thing as I would have been rescheduling it for years! I emailed him several times in the days before my surgery with questions and he was excellent about getting back to me right away (even on the weekend) and addressing all of my questions/concerns.
The day of surgery came and I was so nervous I felt sick, once I got to the office and spoke with the various staff members who would be participating in the surgery I felt much, much better. Dr. Kreidstein, walked me through the surgery and put me at ease. The staff is very professional but also very approachable.
I woke up about 4 1/2 hours later in the recovery room (surgery was 3 hours); the nurse in the recovery area was great, she was very comforting and reassuring. She was a little bit older than me and told me that Dr. Kreidstein had performed the same surgery on her earlier that year, well she looked amazing; very natural, firm but not pulled at all.
My husband picked me up later in the afternoon and I went home. I slept propped up on the couch the rest of the day and night; I felt very nauseous and uncomfortable that first night; some pain, but not a lot. Had gravol, Tylenol 3 and antibiotics, and a large padded dressing all around my face/head and I didn't even bother to look in the mirror. I was given Dr. Kreidstein's personal cell number and told to call him if I had any concerns after hours or on the weekend.
Day 1 Post Op: Went to Dr. Kreidsteins office and had the large dressing removed; he seemed happy with results, he put antibiotic ointment on and a lighter dressing, which I was instructed to continue to do at home over the next few days. With the big dressing gone, I got a better look at my face when I got home; not a lot of bruising which surprised me but swollen and lumpy at the sides of my face; yikes!!! The swelling I could deal with but the weird lumpiness completely put me into a major panic and my husband didn't help by telling me I looked like a burn victim. I emailed Dr. Kreidstein asking if I should be concerned and if I should ice it; he emailed back right away and said it was normal, not to ice it but to just keep it dressed and only to become concerned and call him if one side was significantly larger (i.e. double the size) than the other. So I just left things alone and followed instructions; applied antibiotic ointment, redressed it and slept on the couch again, propped up, took my Tylenol #3 and gravol.
Day 2 Post Op: Feeling better today and less stressed as the weird lumpy look is significantly better, have numbness and swelling which is normal. I had my first shower and it felt so good to get the dried out blood out of my hair. Used the antibacterial soap as instructed and then applied the ointment and dressing again. I didn't blow dry my hair, skin is numb so there is a chance you could burn your skin. Still tired and not feeling great; took my gravol and Tylenol #3 before bed and continued to sleep propped up on the couch.
Day 3 Post Op: Continue to heal, slight yellow bruising is coming out but nothing really bad, area around stitches is numb, swollen and ears are itchy but much better than I had thought it would be. Still uncomfortable and feeling tired, continue with dressing and ointment; getting a bit excited as I think the results are going to be excellent!!
Day 4 Post Op; Still very swollen but the weird lumpyness is pretty much gone, yellow all around the sides of my face and neck. Sides still numb and feel "weird", but it looks way better than I thought it would at this point; I am so pleasantly surprised. I'm going to Dr. Kreidstein's office tomorrow morning for follow up and removal of the external stitches.
I first started thinking about a face lift around 2 years ago when I turned 50; I had consultations with two Plastic Surgeons in Toronto; one a very high profile surgeon with offices in Toronto and New York and the other, well regarded but not as high profile. The first PS agreed to do the surgery; he also suggested I purchase a Clairsonic, skin care program and some injectables from his office. The second surgeon was more conservative and thoughtful during the consultation and suggested that I hold off and come back and see him in 18 to 24 months time as he doesn't believe in "preemptive" surgery. I felt more comfortable with the second surgeon; Dr. Michael Kreidstein, so I waited the 2 years and returned this past fall for another consultation with him. At this point he agreed it was time and suggested a lower face and neck lift. I asked him if he thought I required any other work and he said no, which I agreed with.
So I felt very good about my decision...............until a few days before the actual surgery, when I started getting really nervous, no not just nervous, I was terrified!!! His office is very strict about rescheduling unless there is an emergency, which is actually a good thing as I would have been rescheduling it for years! I emailed him several times in the days before my surgery with questions and he was excellent about getting back to me right away (even on the weekend) and addressing all of my questions/concerns.
The day of surgery came and I was so nervous I felt sick, once I got to the office and spoke with the various staff members who would be participating in the surgery I felt much, much better. Dr. Kreidstein, walked me through the surgery and put me at ease. The staff is very professional but also very approachable.
I woke up about 4 1/2 hours later in the recovery room (surgery was 3 hours); the nurse in the recovery area was great, she was very comforting and reassuring. She was a little bit older than me and told me that Dr. Kreidstein had performed the same surgery on her earlier that year, well she looked amazing; very natural, firm but not pulled at all.
My husband picked me up later in the afternoon and I went home. I slept propped up on the couch the rest of the day and night; I felt very nauseous and uncomfortable that first night; some pain, but not a lot. Had gravol, Tylenol 3 and antibiotics, and a large padded dressing all around my face/head and I didn't even bother to look in the mirror. I was given Dr. Kreidstein's personal cell number and told to call him if I had any concerns after hours or on the weekend.
Day 1 Post Op: Went to Dr. Kreidsteins office and had the large dressing removed; he seemed happy with results, he put antibiotic ointment on and a lighter dressing, which I was instructed to continue to do at home over the next few days. With the big dressing gone, I got a better look at my face when I got home; not a lot of bruising which surprised me but swollen and lumpy at the sides of my face; yikes!!! The swelling I could deal with but the weird lumpiness completely put me into a major panic and my husband didn't help by telling me I looked like a burn victim. I emailed Dr. Kreidstein asking if I should be concerned and if I should ice it; he emailed back right away and said it was normal, not to ice it but to just keep it dressed and only to become concerned and call him if one side was significantly larger (i.e. double the size) than the other. So I just left things alone and followed instructions; applied antibiotic ointment, redressed it and slept on the couch again, propped up, took my Tylenol #3 and gravol.
Day 2 Post Op: Feeling better today and less stressed as the weird lumpy look is significantly better, have numbness and swelling which is normal. I had my first shower and it felt so good to get the dried out blood out of my hair. Used the antibacterial soap as instructed and then applied the ointment and dressing again. I didn't blow dry my hair, skin is numb so there is a chance you could burn your skin. Still tired and not feeling great; took my gravol and Tylenol #3 before bed and continued to sleep propped up on the couch.
Day 3 Post Op: Continue to heal, slight yellow bruising is coming out but nothing really bad, area around stitches is numb, swollen and ears are itchy but much better than I had thought it would be. Still uncomfortable and feeling tired, continue with dressing and ointment; getting a bit excited as I think the results are going to be excellent!!
Day 4 Post Op; Still very swollen but the weird lumpyness is pretty much gone, yellow all around the sides of my face and neck. Sides still numb and feel "weird", but it looks way better than I thought it would at this point; I am so pleasantly surprised. I'm going to Dr. Kreidstein's office tomorrow morning for follow up and removal of the external stitches.
1961Lady's provider
Replies (1)
UPDATED FROM 1961Lady
7 days post
Day 5 post op before having first round of stiches removed
1961LadyNovember 28, 2013
These were taken just before I went to have the stiches removed 5 days after my surgery; the remaining external stiches will be removed 12 days post op. Notice how he didn't do stiches in front of my ear but along the ridge of my ear so any scar after will be less noticeable.
Replies (0)
UPDATED FROM 1961Lady
7 days post
Before pic
1961LadyNovember 28, 2013
First, sorry for the seriously greasy hair in the post op pics but I have so much antibiotic ointment in there.
I didn't get proper before pics, but here's one of me in the summer looking down at something and you can see the dreaded "chin rolling into neck" look.
I didn't get proper before pics, but here's one of me in the summer looking down at something and you can see the dreaded "chin rolling into neck" look.
Replies (7)
December 5, 2013
I had my surgery on 26 Nov 2013, so you'll be a week ahead of me. So thank you for your review. I'm a Canadian living in London and the same age as you. I was also very apprehensive about the facelift. I too have no wrinkles as I wear factor 15 almost everyday and don't have sun on my face but my face sagged (jowls & neck). I'm all yellow right now and hoping all the scars heal properly and lathering on the antibiotic cream - so greasy. How are you doing now? Happy with the results?
December 5, 2013
Hi there, oh boy the first week or 10 days is not fun; I hope you're healing well. I just had the last of my external stiches out on Tuesday, and it's actually 2 weeks today; hard to believe. I still have a little bit of yellow at the very outside of my face/under neck and a bit of swelling and of course numbness but can go out looking totally normal; I have all one length hair to my shoulder so that helps in hiding all traces. I'm finally looking and feeling pretty much back to normal; it takes a lot out of you; I told my doctor how tired I was at first and he said you need to really take it easy and sleep a ton to let the body heal. Even thought I got the stiches out on Tuesday I continue with the gross antibiotic ointment but at least I don't need to use the antibacterial soap any longer. Once all traces of scabbing are gone I'll move on to the silicone gel to help eliminate scars (I think in about a weeks time). My surgeon did the front stiches on the inside rim of my ear instead of in front of my ear which is great, so there is no trace in front.
I can already tell you that I am thrilled with the results; my skin looks so much smoother even though I didn't have any real wrinkles to speak of and didn't really think of that aspect of it much before the surgery, all sagging is gone and my cheek bones appear more defined already! (I'll try and post some more pics in the next day or two). It's funny but I really only started to look like myself again on Tuesday (can't put my finger on it but just didn't look great, even with makeup on and hair clean). The one thing I did was stick to his every and I mean every instruction for the two weeks pre and post. I think I'm going to celebrate tonight and have my first glass of wine (or two!) in almost a month. I hope your next week goes well and that you continue to heal and see improvement. Feel free to ask me any questions you have about my experience. Cheers from Canada!
December 5, 2013
Thanks so much from your note. It made me believe that I'll finally feel normal at some point. I get your point about something not looking right and glad you got to the point where you feel you look normal. I feel a long way off from that. I look really weird to me. Like a different animal. A cat maybe! The swelling I guess makes my face wider at my ears. I'll look up the silicone stuff you mentioned. Good you have no scars in front of your ears - I do but I think they will be impossible to see as I barely see them now. I've been using my juicer to get bromelain out of pineapple etc. Good for healing. Just making anti-oxidant cake (beetroot & chocolate)... so bored at home.
December 5, 2013
Yes it was odd, I looked in the mirror and although my skin looked good I didn't look like me, I think the swelling even if it is mild can distort your features (as well as your body probably being in shock). I thought "great I've got no sagging and smooth skin but look "off".
I actually started the bromelain 500 mg capsules (3x a day) 5 days after surgery which my PS approved of to help with bruising (and a lot easier than the juicer but as you said you have time on your hands!!). This and Vit. C is the only supplement he agreed to in the 2 week post op period. I just tried to not spend too much time at the mirror, sleep as much as possible (gravol helped) and yes start my diary to post up here!
Careful in the first two weeks with any anti oxidants that can thin your blood as you're bruising will not heal as well (I'm usually big on taking all of my supplements/anti oxidants but stopped completely for the 2 wks pre and post op as per my PS's directions).
Hope the cake works, I love the chocolate not so sure on the beetroot!!! Have a good day.
December 5, 2013
Thanks again, good info. I can't wait to take a photo that doesn't make me cringe. Noted on the anti-oxidants. I don't like to take any pills, favouring natural ways of getting vitamins and minerals. Juicing a pineapple with a couple of pairs is absolutely delicious. I just hate cleaning up the juicer! 30 seconds to make the juice, 4-5 minutes to clean the juicer.
Do you have any tips on the best way to clean my face, ears, etc especially around my hair? The nurse mentioned salt-water, but I don't want to rub the area at all. Can only think of soaking in a bath with my head in the water? then put on the antibiotic ointment?
December 5, 2013
I used this special antibacterial soap that my PS says to use in his instructions, it's called dexiden 4% (it's OTC here in Canada). I used it for the first 10 days. I went back to normal shampooing after day 5 but still used this all around the wounds/stitches both in the shower and for washing my face, I found it easy in the shower For just face washing, I got very soft cotton Tshirts; cut them up into mini face cloths and used those to both clean and dry the wounds (make sure you wash them after each use). It made it so much easier, much more gentle and less bulky than a regular face cloth. As much of a pain as it is I was so dreading any infection. I then put the antibiotic ointment and a light gauze dressing on 2x per day. This Dexiden is drying, so I just used in on my wounds and the area around; I wasn't wearing make up so on the rest of my face I just used warm water and my homemade face cloths. I know what a production, but really I had time on my hands! My PS specifically said absolutely NO BATHS and no Hot Tubs.
Hope this helps.
December 16, 2013
Hi there, just wanted to check in and see how you are doing, everything coming along well? Hope so!
I love your story so far. Thank you so much for sharing it! It sounds like you gave this a lot of thought and that you're on the mend. Your husband's remark made me chuckle and cringe at the same time. Men! ;0)
I hope you'll keep us updated as you continue to heal.