1405anon

What is Your Mental Health Worth? - San Ramon, CA

Kent:
Perhaps you have been duly chastized, although I can't believe that you would attempt to inform or educate when you know nothing of the subject matter. Your "friends" did not have a procedure done at LSL. If they had you would know that other than laser skin resurfacing, stitches are involved. YES, it's surgery!

Have not been to any other doctor as of yet. You can tell that the front of my neck is better than it was, although obviously it has taken months. I am thinking that my final appt will be (next appt)at the end of this year. I am still massaging it numerous times daily in order to keep the adhesion to a minimum. It hurts to massage it... and has for the past 4+ mos. I have other scars as well, but given that this is not from an incision it is far more disconcerting. I had only wanted to have my turkey neck fixed and for it to be smooth and beautiful. Instead I have a neck that is lumpy, puckers, and is painful. If I keep my chin down and nobody looks at me in profile it's OK to look at me. This is not how I wanted to live...

I don't know Dr. McNemar. I had my surgery done on 8/5 and still have a great deal of swelling at my jaw line - particulary on the left. The "hole" is still not gone and I also have a red band that is moving upward with time. I had "blood blisters up the left side of my cheek. I stilll have divots from that but the Mederma is helping. Everything that I am dealing with is most likely from having a the bandage put on too tight right after surgery. It is still very irritated around the healing hole at the cartilage. It doesn't look soft. It is dissipating very slowly. My doctor had said that he had seen the amount of irritation when the bandage was changed the day after, although I was not made aware until I removed the wrap two days later in order to shower. Dr. Gray said that he probably over-lipoed me (two 1" slash marks on the right side of my upper neck, although the ones on the left were not noticeable). I have always known that I had a great deal of excess skin and on other consultants elsewhere was told that I did not have excess fat. I am using Mederma for the healed scars (front of ears and temples), although can't say that the neck/lower jaw are yet healed. You can only apply Mederma to healed sites. I bought two tubes of Mederma - one with SPF30. Walmart did not have it in stock or Arnica tablets, but they ordered both for me and they were available the next day. You may want to google post-surgical swelling because interestingly enough it will direct you to Liposuction swelling sites. I am in good health but have sensitive skin. I don't know when the bands and hole that were not necessarily related to the surgery will heal. I have felt confident to go out in the dark ;-), but am still not that acceptable in the light of day. I have used a pressed powder to look better. I don't pay much attention to the scars behind my ears - one is approximately 2 1/2" and the other 3" long and run back into my hair. I was told it would be a small incision - they are not... Was told that it would be a small incision at the front of my ear - they were not. It has looked like I was a victim of a crime where someone attempted to cut my ears off and my throat was slashed. Wishing you the best...

Hello 6290. I completed my 5th week of recovery on 9/9. I still have a hole in the front of my neck, although it's abut a 3/4" slit in the front.The area surrounding the slit is inflammed and is probably fist sized. There is "lipping" of extra skin above the slit which I continually try to massage away. If I keep my chin down it's not that noticeable from the front, but obviously is in profile (particularly on the left side).The left side is where it didn't drain after surgery and I had a blood clot in the drainage tube that had been behind my head.The "blisters" along my left cheek bone healed but with big divots. I am using Mederma on it and hope that in time it will not be that noticeable. The blisters (?) behind my left ear are resolving but again I have big divots and they are still too tender for Mederma. I am still swollen very much under my chin /jaw (ears) and on both sides of my face it's hard and numb (more so on the left). Because of the swelling my chin scar is ragged looking and I haven't yet worn earrings. Part of not wearing earrings is not to bring attention to an ugly area and the fact that my lower ears still hurt.I have felt like Frankenstein's bride and have been asked if I would do this again. I can't say that I would and even feel guilty about spending the money particularly with this outcome...I have been depressed thinking of what I have done to myself and not knowing when I will look like myself again...To think that I "elected" to do this is beyond comprehension.

I did go to my function, although had steristrips on the front of my ears and a big bandage on the gaping hole in the front of my neck. I fluffed a scarf and wore my hair over my ears. Unfortunately it was windy. Nobody asked...and I didn't volunteer anything. I am today at day 21. All steristrips are off. I still have a gaping hole in my neck at my throat although it is not as large. I keep it moistened and massage the lipping skin 4x daily so it doesn't scar with a lump. I also pad the wrap all around my jaw and at my throat before bed at night. The blood blisters(?) behind my left ear are still oozing although the ones across my left cheek in the hollow are now healed. It is truly amazing how much your face can swell. I am glad to see my cheekbones again and the hollows that weren't... With the heat the other day I was just absolutely miserable. Salt in the wound? You betcha... Perspiration, swelling, healing made everything itch. My lipo "holes" are almost healed. The scarlet band around the top of my neck under my jaw are diminishing. My ears look pretty good. My skin still feels hard and leathery near the ears. I hope that too will go away soon. I think that you would have had to have had fat injected into your hollows if you wanted to plump them. Remember Geraldo Rivera did that a number of years ago. I do recall that he did very gaunt prior to his surgery. Wishing everyone the best and looking forward to getting on with my life.