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Makes a Subtle but Beautiful Difference - Vancouver, BC

I tried to ignore it, but there it was: a too-long...

  • 23 Sep 2013
  • 1 month post
I tried to ignore it, but there it was: a too-long upper lip that made me not want to look in the mirror without pursing my lips to change the proportion. I'd had a long-scar facelift in my forties and a brow lift in my early fifties and was happy with my face at the age of 56 except for this one thing that wasn't in harmony with my relatively youthful face.

Dr. Buonassi's website was comprehensive and user-friendly, and the videos showed me a plastic surgeon who was low-key, intelligent, thoughtful and personable, with a clearly warm and caring rapport with the patients featured. I liked that he specializes in facial surgery. The photos of his rhinoplasty patients demonstrated a terrific eye for a natural aesthetic, and his lip lift patients had symmetrical and conservative philtrum reductions; I'd seen some extreme lip lifts online and was very clear about wanting to avoid anything unnatural. My consultation was relaxed and thorough and I felt entirely comfortable about putting my face in the care of Dr. Buonassisi.

Mandy and Katy could not have been more kind and reassuring and the facilities at 8west are elegant, spotless and first-rate. Everyone was on-time and professional.

The procedure was done with local anaesthetic and was over quickly with no pain or anxiety after the initial freezing injections, which the doctor did swiftly and deftly. Subsequent discomfort was minimal -- after that evening when I took a couple of Tylenol, I didn't require anything else. There was no difficulty eating or drinking. The swelling was gone in four or five days. There was no bruising. After two weeks, with a touch of coverup, I was back in the social whirl with no self consciousness, feeling prettier and very happy. Four mm. were removed from the original 20. The scarring after one month is barely noticeable except for some redness which will resolve itself.

I can recommend this procedure and Dr. Buonassisi without reservation.

Makes a Subtle but Beautiful Difference - Vancouver, B.C.

  • 24 Sep 2013
  • 1 month post
Before and afters

At five weeks, no makeup

  • 3 Oct 2013
  • 2 months post
Just to reassure everyone that if done competently, the scar is very minor indeed.

At just about six weeks.

  • 3 Oct 2013
  • 2 months post
This is 2cm minus 4mm equals 1.5cm final measurement. That little mark is just a beauty spot.

Better photo

  • 3 Oct 2013
  • 2 months post

See me while you can!

  • 3 Oct 2013
  • 2 months post
Full face just for recent followers because you all have been so supportive.

Smile didn't change at all.

  • 4 Oct 2013
  • 2 months post
Thomas Buonassisi, MD
Vancouver Facial Plastic Surgeon

I couldn't possibly be any happier with my experience and the beautiful result. When I am ready for any other rejuvenating plastic surgery as I continue to age, I'm glad to know that I will have a terrific doctor to put my trust in. Thank you, Dr. Buonassisi, Mandy and Katie!

5 out of 5 stars Overall rating
5 out of 5 stars Doctor's bedside manner
5 out of 5 stars Answered my questions
5 out of 5 stars After care follow-up
5 out of 5 stars Time spent with me
5 out of 5 stars Phone or email responsiveness
5 out of 5 stars Staff professionalism & courtesy
5 out of 5 stars Payment process
5 out of 5 stars Wait times
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Comments (106)

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how many mls u removed?
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YOU are absolutely gorgeous! Amazing procedure, thank you for sharing!
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Well, I sure don't know about THAT, but thanks for such a positive comment! I am so happy I had my lip lift - happy every single day I look in the mirror. Best wishes for any procedure you decide to do, lip lift or otherwise.
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Your result looks awesome. Did he do that under local anesthesia? If so, was it hard to sit still? At one week were you able to wear makeup or was the incision too fresh? Does he do a lot of those procedures?
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Hello! Yep, local. Didn't feel a thing. Very calm and still a bit excited to finally be doing it. No need to take anything to relax beforehand. At one week, Polysporin was still mandated over the incision site. Nope, no makeup. You don't want to interfere with the healing or introduce bacteria. That said, it wasn't ghastly-looking at all, nor especially red. Dr. B. is the doctor in the Lower Mainland - probably in all of B.C. - who does more lip lifts than anybody. I recommend him without the slightest hesitation. He's a lovely human being and an expert surgeon.
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Thanks for the quick response. I used to live in Vancouver but I now live near San Francisco. None of the docs impress me here. It sounds like it is worth a trip to Van! Thanks for posting your story.
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did you just have skin taken out? or muscle too?
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You look great! You have fantastic results!!
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How nice of you to say! Gosh, I've almost forgotten I had a lip lift. It just looks and feels like my natural-born mouth.
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Wow beautiful smile, beautiful lip. I love the way the upper lip hugs your lips giving the impression that you want to hypnotize the person in front of you. This is really what this surgery should be about it. WOW. Love your result honey. I'm just a month po and I want to go back for 1cm more. This procedure is shadowed. Is not fair
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I meant hugging your teeth
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Thank you for saying such complimentary things! I had a look at your profile and reviews and just wanted to say that you sound like a wonderful human being - so full of life and personality. A real original! And you've been so generous with all your posts and recommendations and good advice. You look amazing, too. I see you had a lip lift, which makes a big difference, doesn't it? Yours is perfection. Very sorry that you lost your Mom at a very difficult time. I hope you are now feeling strong and healthy and everything's healed nicely. Take care!
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Seriously Catherine, I was staring at your smile as people does in museum in front of MonaLisa . I wish you see it the way I see it. Gorgeous. Now, I am very upset with you. Reading an old comment of yours you called yourself unattractive. I want you to start to believe that you're gorgeous. In my BBL review I wrote an "exercise" that you need to do it in front of a mirror until you start to believe you're gorgeous. I wish you were living closer so we could shop together. Where I was when you posted a full face pic? I wanted to see it :-(.
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zizi you should be a poet. I love your responses! 'hypnotize the person'. brilliant. And I absolutely agree with that assessment. ha.
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Your Mona Lisa comment brought a big smile! Yes, it would be great to spend time together. You sound like a force of nature!! mcat1045 is quite right. You should be a poet. Thank you - and I will do your "exercise" faithfully until I believe it. It might take awhile ;-)
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I love your response, too.
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Love, you made me laugh out laud. However I will never forget that a year ago when I saw your pics for the first time, the first world that came into my mind was DELICATE. I will not be a good poet but if I could write a manual that can be distributed to all women to make them feel better about themselves and stop this nonsense envy between women I would be so satisfied. I love to see and hear from a confident woman but I refuse to judge and put down already a weak woman. If we only know how powerful are we. I will love to see more women supporting each other in real life not just online. Back to the initial comment, I feel like I reallycan get lost looking at Catherine smile. Her doctor did an amazing job but she was a really good candidate for this procedure. I love her result
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Love you babe :-]. Practice. I want to see you happy. Please don't worry much how you'll look to other people. BE CONFIDENT. You really live once. ((((( Hugs))))
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Very true, Zizi. I love complimenting women! It's not done nearly enough by other women, and that's sad. Many times there's just negative envy rather than appreciation. My preference is to admire rather than envy. It's good to aspire, but it's so negative to envy to the point of feeling negative toward the person with the covetable THING. Those feelings turn nasty and evoke high-school-type emotions, and is just...so...stupid. We've each got our own strengths, and we all feel insecure about something. When we see someone with some feature or thing we admire, TELL THEM! And it makes you feel good, too.
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Not only are you a beautiful woman with a larger-than-life character, you are strong, positive and gutsy -- and so very kind. Such an inspiration. Enjoy your voluptuous figure, cute upper lip and everything else from head to toe. I will work on the things you said.
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Love all of the above positive comments, BLESSINGS to All!
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Ice, I love you girl :-]. I should start a revolution. A feminine one. I am so mad on us, we give up on our "power" and I don't even know when? Our generation failed miserably on giving to our children good examples. My anthem is Beyonce's song "Who run the world?" GIRLS. When did we lost the skirt and pulled up the pants? I agree with you Ice, make another woman happy by complimenting her. Speaking about power. We should love watch other like sisters and stop seeing another woman as a threat or enemy. I can talk for ever how upsetting is for me reading mean comments . There should be no woman with tears in her eyes because she feels less attractive or live with scars or deformities. If we have around us ppl that does not accept and tolerate who we are, we should ignore them. In my eyes every single woman is gorgeous and deserve to know that. Love you guys, and thank you for your support.
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Oh, Cath you are as sweet as I though. Don't you ever let your guard down. We live in a society where everything is scrutinized and judged. We live one life. Do it as tomorrow doesn't exist. We didn't received the gift to see what tomorrow is bringing in our way. We all came in this life crying. Be the one that leaves smiling. Everywhere I went ppl remembers me. I always leave a mark on people's heart. That makes me happy. I don't have to be a celebrity or a rich woman to act like one. I do every day something that reminds me that I am a human being. I don't always feel pretty but I do remind myself that I don't have to. I am unique and that is enough.
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Hei love, I'm glad to see you participating . Aren't we, women the best?? Yes we are :-]. Blessing to you too , doll.
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You teeth are very lovely. Do you have veeneers, or was genetics kind to your dentition as well?
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