In May 2012 I had a mini-lower facelift and platysmaplasty performed by Dr. Leroy in Atlanta. I interviewed 4 doctors before deciding on Dr. Leroy as I felt he had the best overall credentials and experience in facelifts as well as a wonderful bedside manner. Being a very healthy life-long non-smoker with very good skin, I fully expected the recovery to be uncomplicated and to take no longer than the two weeks that Dr. Leroy told me is the norm. The surgery itself was a breeze but the day after when I removed the compression bandage, I knew from the excruciating pain around both ears that there was no way the recovery would take only 2 weeks. The extreme pain continued for about two months slowly morphing into extremely uncomfortable tightness & pulling around both ears that lasted approximately 9 months and then for the last 5 months just a dull weird feeling around the lower back of both ears. It’s now SIXTEEN MONTHS post-surgery and although the situation has improved greatly, my ears are still uncomfortable for at least a part of every single day. It’s still improving, though, even at this late date, so I remain hopeful that I will one day soon feel completely normal again. I have no complaints whatsoever about the esthetic result of the surgery which is lovely and very natural looking. There was minimal bruising or swelling, I looked fine to go out in four days and the scars were virtually invisible at about 2 months post-op. I look 7-10 years younger but there is no doubt that had I known what the true recovery period was going to be, I would never have done it. I feel as if I lost at least a year of my life to this recovery—not only was I not able to work for a while in the early months, I had to postpone several trips that I had planned. Not to mention the thousands of dollars spent on neuromuscular massage therapy, acupuncture, various medical specialists, etc. (None of which provided much relief, by the way.) Yes, I look better than I did before, but worth it? No way. In the research that I’ve done in the last year or so I discovered that a tiny minority of facelift patients experience prolonged discomfort around the ears. For whatever reason, I guess I was just one of the unlucky ones. Dr. Leroy said that I was the only one to have such severe long lasting issues in the thousands of facelifts that he’s performed. Even with the difficult recovery, I have nothing but good things to say about Dr. Leroy and his staff. In the first 6-7 months after the surgery, I either called or went back to see him at least a dozen times and he was never anything other than patient, compassionate and caring. I think he genuinely felt badly that I had such a miserable time. If I were ever to have another cosmetic procedure, I would have no hesitation going back to him or recommending him to a friend. My only critique is that the diminutive monikers for this procedure, like “mini-lift” or as Dr. Leroy calls it, “band-aid lift” really trivializes the invasiveness of the procedure and the possible very long recovery time. Not for everyone, of course, but if it happened to me, it could presumably happen to someone else too. If you're considering a mini-lift, I would suggest you take the possible long recovery period into consideration.
Thank you for your question. If you’re concerned about visible scarring, a mini Tummy Tuck is an excellent way to minimize it while successfully removing excess skin along the lower abdomen region. With a skilled, board certified plastic surgeon, your results will look natural and consistent with the rest of your midsection. A mini Tummy Tuck should be enough to improve your post-pregnancy abdominal skin and contour in the lower abdominal region. However, it’s important to note that a future pregnancy or excessive weight gain could undo the cosmetic results that you would achieve. Many women wait until they’re done having kids to begin abdominal restoration. Best of luck to you!
Each facelift is unique based on the individual patient’s needs and areas of concern. There are a number of different techniques that a surgeon may choose to use. However, most modern facelifts involve incisions in front of and behind the ears, though the length will vary based on how extensive your procedure is. During the surgery, the underlying muscle and fat will be lifted to a higher, more youthful position. Finally, the skin will be tightened and any excess sagging skin will be removed. A typical facelift takes around two hours. Keep in mind that some surgeons can use specialized techniques to perform a facelift under local anesthesia instead of general anesthesia to reduce your recovery time. It’s important to discuss your surgeon’s approach at your initial consultation and to review his/her before and after photos to see if the surgeon’s vision is in line with yours. Remember that it’s also best to limit your search to board-certified plastic surgeons, ideally those who specialize in treating the face.
Thank you for your question! There are a few potential causes for long-lasting dark circles under the eyes (outside of issues like allergies and lack of sleep which only cause dark circles temporarily), and the only way to know for certain what is causing your own dark circles is to schedule a consultation with a board-certified plastic surgeon. The most common causes, particularly for someone your age, include a lack of volume under the eyes leading to shadows from the brow ridge and thin skin under the eyes. If lack of volume is the issue, the best way to correct this is usually with facial filler injections. A word of caution, though: fillers in this area need to be injected very carefully and precisely, so even though there are many types of providers who offer fillers, you should only receive under-eye facial fillers from a board-certified plastic surgeon with extensive experience in this procedure, ideally one who specializes in facial procedures. If your dark circles are caused by thinning skin, on the other hand, the best treatment is typically a laser rejuvenation treatment like fractionated laser skin resurfacing. This procedure stimulates your body’s natural collagen to make the skin under your eyes thicker, tighter, smoother, and more youthful.
Thank you for your question! In general, a facelift won’t make the face look slimmer unless it’s jowls, sagging skin, or fat under the chin and above the neck that is making your face look larger. In younger patients, this primarily only happens when they’ve lost a dramatic amount of weight or they have a “double chin.” Ultimately, your options for making your face look slimmer will depend on your specific facial structure. Liposuction can contour any excess fat under the chin. However, if it’s your jawline that makes your face look wider, it can only be improved through surgery on the jaw itself rather than a facelift or liposuction.
Thank you for your question! Unfortunately, a mini facelift (or any surgery for that matter) is not a good way to smooth wrinkles. Pulling the skin enough to flatten wrinkles can cause a variety of problems, including a very unnatural-looking result. The best options for treating fine lines and wrinkles around the mouth can include laser or non-surgical skin tightening (which it sounds like you aren’t interested in) or facial fillers. There’s plenty of new technology that has been developed to treat facial wrinkles, but you mentioned skin damage, and the only treatments that can address sun damage are laser skin resurfacing, chemical peels, and dermabrasion or microdermabrasion. I would suggest setting up a consultation with a board-certified plastic surgeon who has experience in both surgical and non-surgical facial rejuvenation so you can learn about all your options.
