Your response to my post was most kind. Thank you. I am afraid I got so caught up in my own experience that I forgot to ask you to please let me know how your second surgery turned out. I will be waiting for your summary. I hope you will be able to say that you are delighted and that all is well.
Best regards,
L
Hi Karen,
Thanks for your comment. I don't want to name the surgeon because two people I know used him and at least one did not have my experience. I don't know why my surgery went the way it did. Maybe he had an off day. Maybe my friend who had a good result got lucky. I am not sure how the other person I know turned out because I haven't seen or talked to her in a long time.
For what it is worth, I can tell you that the doctor practices in a wealthy section of the Boston area. I suppose I thought one can't stay in business in that location unless they have satisfied customers. I really felt at the time that he was a good choice for me. Maybe he is a good choice for others. I just don't know. And I don't want to destroy his reputation based on my experience only.
I was once angry at the man but I am over it. To be fair, I feel I am in part responsible for my result. I mistakenly believed that since two women I knew used him he must be okay. Looking back, I should have interviewed more doctors but I thought knowing actual patients was better than just choosing a doctor because he or she had a charming bedside manner in an interview. I did talk to two other doctors. And I did know a patient of one of those other doctors but she only had her nose done so I bypassed him. I also had another friend who had an amazing surgery with a doctor in Florida but I was concerned about traveling so far from home to do this. What if something went really wrong?
So back to my comment that I think it is a crap shoot. I think now that unless you really know a lot of satisfied clients from a doctor you don't know enough. And even then, how many celebrities go to surgeons and have bad outcomes? I would think a good doctor is well known in those circles. And yet, I've seen some awful facelifts coming out of Hollywood.
My lesson here, for myself and others is even though I tried to do my homework, and I thought I had, sometimes things don't work out. If you are going to go do this type of surgery you need really dig deeply and find the best possible doctor based on LOTS of actual results. And then you cross your fingers and hope he has a good day on the day of your surgery. Everyone knows that things can go wrong. You have to be prepared for that possibility. Am I alive? Yes. Am I deformed? No. Can I get a better result a second time around. Probably. But not with this doctor.
I just don't want to give him a second chance to correct the problems because I don't entirely trust him anymore.
How do I feel? I'd still give this surgeon a C-. At least I am not deformed. I have waited this long to arrive at a final conclusion about my surgery and it is as follows.
My eyes still have little lumps (or cysts) on the lids. Most are gone but a few remain. The bags are gone for the most part. When I look at myself I do look a little younger and more rested. But the scars are visible under my eyes. I do wear eye liner so it covers that up but when I am home without makeup, the scarring shows. I remember he kept the stitches in a bit longer (he said) because he had the day off on the day they should have come out. We had to move the appointment to remove them. I have wondered if that caused the scarring. He originally told me that they had to come out really quickly after the surgery to avoid scarring. Also, my eyes are different from each other. One is more open. The other has a sagging brow. My best friend said she never wants to have her eyes done now seeing what this guy did to mine. Again, I am not deformed. But these are not my eyes.
My ears still are somewhat numbish and often I experience pain in front of and behind the lobe. I massage them constantly. Some days are better than others. I have to live with it but that alone makes me scared to do any follow up surgeries. If it feels this bad now, what would happen after a second lift?
My neck is the biggest disappointment. I wanted it tighter and no turkey neck or jowls. He assured me he could take care of that no problem and he knew this was a priority for me. Now I have a lump under one side of my chin and the turkey neck is there as much as ever. At some point I will work up the courage to find another surgeon who can consistently perform a good surgery and have this fixed. I know I just got finished saying I was scared to do another surgery but vanity will out.
Is it better than it was? Yes, somewhat. I am being as honest as I can be. My profile is better. Is it as good as it should have been? Absolutely not. I have beautiful healthy skin and this surgeon should have done a much better job.
Are my expectations unrealistic? Most certainly not. He kept telling me he'd take 20 years off. I never believed that and now looking back I should have recognized that as a red flag.
I will never go back to him. I could not trust him again.
I have no advice to give you if you are looking for a doctor. Two people I know had work done by this man and at least one is satisfied. Not sure how the other one feels. I think it is a crap shoot. You do the best you can to ferret out the worst of the lot and then hope the guy (or gal) you select is up to the task on the day of your operation.
Thanks for your comments. Still biding my time. I hope that things will improve. There has been some improvement but not nearly as much as I'd like. I think my expectations regarding the outcome were very realistic. I wasn't expecting to turn back the clock nearly as much as the surgeon said he could.
Plus, my incisions still hurt particularly behind my ears. Did you experience that as well? It has been over 3 months now and yet that area is still pretty sensitive.
Thanks for asking. Not sure still. My best friend swears that I look great but agrees that my eye could be better. I think the jowls are what they are and I am not expecting them to get tighter. So, either I have to go back to have things tightened more (which I am really not looking forward to at this time) or I am going to have to accept that this is the best I can hope for. I am leaning toward the former but not planning to do anything for awhile.
Recent comments
Posted to Facelift, Eyes and Necklift - Boston, MA on 5 Jul 2012
Best regards,
L
Posted to Facelift, Eyes and Necklift - Boston, MA on 5 Jul 2012
Thanks for your comment. I don't want to name the surgeon because two people I know used him and at least one did not have my experience. I don't know why my surgery went the way it did. Maybe he had an off day. Maybe my friend who had a good result got lucky. I am not sure how the other person I know turned out because I haven't seen or talked to her in a long time.
For what it is worth, I can tell you that the doctor practices in a wealthy section of the Boston area. I suppose I thought one can't stay in business in that location unless they have satisfied customers. I really felt at the time that he was a good choice for me. Maybe he is a good choice for others. I just don't know. And I don't want to destroy his reputation based on my experience only.
I was once angry at the man but I am over it. To be fair, I feel I am in part responsible for my result. I mistakenly believed that since two women I knew used him he must be okay. Looking back, I should have interviewed more doctors but I thought knowing actual patients was better than just choosing a doctor because he or she had a charming bedside manner in an interview. I did talk to two other doctors. And I did know a patient of one of those other doctors but she only had her nose done so I bypassed him. I also had another friend who had an amazing surgery with a doctor in Florida but I was concerned about traveling so far from home to do this. What if something went really wrong?
So back to my comment that I think it is a crap shoot. I think now that unless you really know a lot of satisfied clients from a doctor you don't know enough. And even then, how many celebrities go to surgeons and have bad outcomes? I would think a good doctor is well known in those circles. And yet, I've seen some awful facelifts coming out of Hollywood.
My lesson here, for myself and others is even though I tried to do my homework, and I thought I had, sometimes things don't work out. If you are going to go do this type of surgery you need really dig deeply and find the best possible doctor based on LOTS of actual results. And then you cross your fingers and hope he has a good day on the day of your surgery. Everyone knows that things can go wrong. You have to be prepared for that possibility. Am I alive? Yes. Am I deformed? No. Can I get a better result a second time around. Probably. But not with this doctor.
I just don't want to give him a second chance to correct the problems because I don't entirely trust him anymore.
Posted to Facelift, Eyes and Necklift - Boston, MA on 5 Jul 2012
How do I feel? I'd still give this surgeon a C-. At least I am not deformed. I have waited this long to arrive at a final conclusion about my surgery and it is as follows.
My eyes still have little lumps (or cysts) on the lids. Most are gone but a few remain. The bags are gone for the most part. When I look at myself I do look a little younger and more rested. But the scars are visible under my eyes. I do wear eye liner so it covers that up but when I am home without makeup, the scarring shows. I remember he kept the stitches in a bit longer (he said) because he had the day off on the day they should have come out. We had to move the appointment to remove them. I have wondered if that caused the scarring. He originally told me that they had to come out really quickly after the surgery to avoid scarring. Also, my eyes are different from each other. One is more open. The other has a sagging brow. My best friend said she never wants to have her eyes done now seeing what this guy did to mine. Again, I am not deformed. But these are not my eyes.
My ears still are somewhat numbish and often I experience pain in front of and behind the lobe. I massage them constantly. Some days are better than others. I have to live with it but that alone makes me scared to do any follow up surgeries. If it feels this bad now, what would happen after a second lift?
My neck is the biggest disappointment. I wanted it tighter and no turkey neck or jowls. He assured me he could take care of that no problem and he knew this was a priority for me. Now I have a lump under one side of my chin and the turkey neck is there as much as ever. At some point I will work up the courage to find another surgeon who can consistently perform a good surgery and have this fixed. I know I just got finished saying I was scared to do another surgery but vanity will out.
Is it better than it was? Yes, somewhat. I am being as honest as I can be. My profile is better. Is it as good as it should have been? Absolutely not. I have beautiful healthy skin and this surgeon should have done a much better job.
Are my expectations unrealistic? Most certainly not. He kept telling me he'd take 20 years off. I never believed that and now looking back I should have recognized that as a red flag.
I will never go back to him. I could not trust him again.
I have no advice to give you if you are looking for a doctor. Two people I know had work done by this man and at least one is satisfied. Not sure how the other one feels. I think it is a crap shoot. You do the best you can to ferret out the worst of the lot and then hope the guy (or gal) you select is up to the task on the day of your operation.
Posted to Facelift, Eyes and Necklift - Boston, MA on 23 May 2011
Plus, my incisions still hurt particularly behind my ears. Did you experience that as well? It has been over 3 months now and yet that area is still pretty sensitive.
Posted to Facelift, Eyes and Necklift - Boston, MA on 6 May 2011