Joseph O'Connell, MD

Thanks Dr. O’Connell for my abdominoplasty; you did an amazing job! It has been over a year and the results continue to look and feel fabulous. My stomach feels healthy and naturally contoured. My ab strength is so much stronger now and a huge benefit at the health club. My clothes fit so well and comfortably. I highly recommend Dr. O’Connell to anyone. He worked with me all throughout the process, answering all concerns before and after surgery. It took me months to decide because it was a major surgery and required making an informed decision. I had to work through my nervous anxiety too. I am beyond glad that I had surgery. I always follow pre-op and post-op instructions and got someone to support me through the first week of healing. Getting through the first week or two is key. I am eternally grateful to you and your staff for taking great care of me!

I went for a consultation in October with Dr. O'Connell to see how I could improve my neck and jawline. Dr. O'Connell was very open and honest with me, sharing his opinions on how and why he felt certain procedures wouldn't be worth my time or money and ultimately recommending chin liposuction with Accutite, which is what I ultimately decided to go with.
I went for my pre-op two weeks before the procedure in December; Dr. O'Connell was patient in answering my many questions and really put my anxiety at ease. It's important to note I was over two hours late to my pre-op due to traffic, and the office staff was incredibly accommodating and understanding since I was driving a considerable distance to attend the appointment.
On the day of the procedure, I was so impressed by the entire staff. I was awake for the procedure and so put at ease by the entire staff that I didn't even take the medicine offered to help me relax! The procedure itself was not painful with very mild discomfort during the initial numbing injections. The entire thing took about two hours and then I was home wearing a head wrap full time for three days, and at night for about three weeks. The pain really was minimal and well-managed with Tylenol.
At my follow up, Dr. O'Connell was so reassuring regarding my swelling (the lumps under my chin) and took extra steps to ensure I'd be happy with my overall result. He really is a perfectionist and I am so beyond pleased with my results less than one month out from the procedure. I am continuing to heal and can still see mild swelling however the lumps present in the week post-op have reduced significantly. I would highly recommend this practice for anyone looking for a similar procedure!

I am 48 years old and have used only dermatologist or plastic surgeon recommended products for the past 15 years. I get semi-annual IPL procedures and have done blue light treatments and micro needling as well. While all of that is great, I was turned on to DefenAge about 4 months ago. The change in my skins appearance, texture and overall glow is truly remarkable. I have never posted a story about skincare products before but felt compelled to do so with this. The products, when used as prescribed, last for 3 months, and the change in your skin is noticeable, and will be remarked upon by friends, within 4 weeks. I travel weekly and bought the travel kit as well. I have now purchased their face wash too. Whatever they are doing at DefenAge, I am a believer and a fan.

This reviewer received a free product from DefenAge in exchange for writing the review. This review is based on personal experience of the reviewer with DefenAge's product. DefenAge did not affect or influence the content of this review.

Dr. Joseph O’Connell of Westport, CT, plasticsurgeryct.com, performed my first Halo facial laser treatment in Jan 2018 combined with PRP. I am very satisfied with the results. It is now June and the results are holding up well. Halo helped with major line reduction, age spots and overall skin texture improvement. The glow is really nice and natural and I stopped using foundation on most days which was an unexpected surprise at age 62. I am planning on my 2nd Halo treatment with PRP in the next month. I highly recommend him and have gone to him over the years for other services. He is terrific and will work with your goals.
Updated on 21 Mar 2019:
Thanks again Dr. O’Connell for my 2nd annual Halo Laser facial treatment with PRP. I am amazed at how long the first treatment results lasted. This is definitely an annual must have! Being 63 the Halo w/PRP brings a nice lasting glow and results coupled with good skin care in between. You’re the best. Highly recommended.


Updated on 18 Aug 2020:
This is the 6 week view post-treatment of my 3rd annual Halo Laser treatment with PRP. I am 64 now and this procedure refreshes my skin tone and texture and lasts nicely. I have no makeup on in this picture. I am also cognizant applying sunscreen daily. I would recommend it highly to anyone. Thanks Dr. O’Connell, you are the best!

Dr. O'Connell of Westport CT is my go-to person since 2012. I trust his work. He recently performed fraxel ablative laser treatment under my eyes and upper lip, and fraxel on my face. My under eye malar mounds which formed over the past few years are gone, I am 61. My lip lines are gone and face skin/texture looks fabulous too. There is recovery time/care required but results are worth it if you are willing. I am doing another fraxel laser treatment for my ace in a month to build on results. The best! Carly from Mystic

I have never had a strong profile, even at my thinnest weight. Double chins or "turkey necks" just run in my family. I have wanted to get this procedure done for 3 years and finally got the courage to do it only because I had the vacation days and didn't know the next chance I would get. I can't believe I finally did it. I am so please and only wish I had done it sooner!

Dr. O'Connell helped me achieve my personal goals of cosmetic surgery. He was patient, knowledgeable, understood my concerns, gave me time to make an informed decision. He and his staff helped me with the process from beginning to end. My results we great and natural looking; I looked like me at my best. We set realistic expectations, and the result still looks great 4 years later. I still get compliments and will continue to choose Dr. O'Connell going forward. Thanks again!

I've been contemplating having a face lift for several years but hesitated due to my apprehension about the discomfort and downtime. A little over a year ago I had an initial consultation with Dr. O'Connell and was extremely impressed with him and his office staff. Dr. O'Connell carefully and respectfully listened to my concerns and objectives for having the surgery, and gave me honest and constructive guidance on which procedures would and would not be beneficial. About 8 weeks ago I finally decided to go ahead with surgery and had my pre-surgical consultations with Dr. O'Connell. We agreed that the surgery would include a full facelift, upper and lower eyelid lifts, necklift with liposuction and fat transfer/grafts to the cheeks. Due to my age (65), we agreed that the surgery would be performed at Bridgeport Hospital in Bridgeport, CT.

Updated on 19 Aug 2013:
My mother was a beauty well into her 70s, and even at the age of 80, people were still stopping her on the street to tell her how lovely she was. My sister is the same way. At the age of 70, she still turns heads. Unfortunately I must have inherited the aging genes from the other side of the family. By the age of 64, my once-firm jaw line and neck were sagging and I’d developed small pouchy jowls. My mouth was flanked with deep grooves and the corners were turned down in a perpetual scowl. As if that wasn’t bad enough, my upper eyelids were so saggy and crepey that they were overhanging the corners of my eyes and starting to obscure my peripheral vision. To see clearly, I had to elevate my eyebrows in an exaggerated manner that must have suggested to others that I was perpetually startled. That’s when I began to seriously consider a facelift.
I have a rule whenever I need any type of “important” work done. I research extensively to find “the best”, then meet with them to determine whether their skills are compatible with my needs and whether I have a sense of comfort that they can TRULY do the job. I followed the same process to select a facelift surgeon. Living in Northwestern Connecticut, I ruled out surgeons in the downtown New York and Boston metro areas (too far for me to travel back and forth for follow-up visits and treatments) but considered everyone in between with sterling credentials and an outstanding reputation. I also focused my search on plastic surgeons with an emphasis on cosmetic rather than reconstructive procedures, because facelifts require specialized artistry. During my research, one name kept coming up over and over: Dr. Joseph O’Connell in Westport, CT. In early 2012 I met with Dr. O’Connell for a preliminary consultation.
I was positively impressed by Dr. O’Connell’s practice from the time I stepped through the door. His waiting area is paneled in a rich wood, and the furniture is upholstered in beautiful fabrics in soothing and tasteful shades of aqua, cream, and taupe. Everything here says “class act.” I was warmly greeted by a member of Dr. O’Connell’s staff and made to feel welcome.
My boyfriend and I were shown to a consultation room right on time and Dr. O’Connell introduced himself. From the moment we met, I liked Dr. O’Connell. He listened very carefully to my questions and answered each one in a detailed and respectful manner. He took his time to examine my face and evaluate which procedures would be most helpful to me. He also told me very honestly which ones wouldn’t be worth my while (specifically, a brow lift and rhinoplasty). By the end of the consultation, I really felt that I would be placing myself in the hands of an extremely skilled and caring surgeon who would help me achieve the best possible results for me.
I waited more than a year to actually move forward with planning the surgery, mainly due to my concern about the pain and downtime from the procedure. In April 2013, I contacted Dr. O’Connell to request a final “decision making” meeting and he graciously agreed to let me come in for an additional consultation. During that meeting, he once again listened to my questions and answered them patiently and respectfully. When I asked how much pain I should expect, he said “Very little if I do my job properly.” We agreed on a plan which included upper and lower blephs, liposuction removal of fat from my neck and grafting of the fat into my cheeks, and a full facelift. Dr. O’Connell also explained his preference for using local anesthesia and sedation instead of a general anesthetic to avoid post-surgical complications. I mentioned to Dr. O’Connell that I’d had violent vomiting after a colonoscopy performed under sedation . Dr. O’Connell said that, to be on the safe side, he would give me anti-emetic medications because vomiting could trigger bleeding – not a good thing after a facelift. We scheduled my surgery for the next month.
Two weeks before the surgery, my boyfriend and I had a formal “pre-surgical” consultation with Dr. O’Connell. During this consultation Dr. O’Connell explained in more detail how the surgery would be performed, what I should do to support an effective recovery (icing of incisions for first few hours, sleeping with head elevated, not bending, straining or overexerting for 3 weeks, etc.). He also told my boyfriend what he should be prepared to do during the initial stages of my recovery, which included emptying the small drainage sacs that would be collecting fluid from tubes embedded in my incisions, in order to prevent fluid buildup. He also provided me with directions for the two weeks prior to surgery, which included a list of foods to be avoided (including all alcohol) and instructions to take Vitamin C daily. Finally, he gave me prescriptions for a variety of medications, which included 1 powerful anti-emetic tablet to be taken 2 hours before surgery, pain pills if needed after surgery, anti-emetic tablets to be taken after surgery if I experienced nausea, and antibiotic ointment for my eyes. He also told me to get liquid tears so I could keep my eyes moist.
Two weeks later and the night before my surgery, my boyfriend and I drove from northwestern Connecticut to the Delamar Hotel in Stamford, CT to be close to the hospital in Bridgeport CT where my surgery was to be performed. (BTW, the Delamar is gorgeous and Dr. O’Connell’s patients receive a preferential rate.) The plan was for us to stay at the Delamar the night before surgery to make it to the hospital bright and early, and also stay the night after the surgery to be close to Dr. O’Connell for my first follow-up visit.
The morning of the surgery we arrived at the hospital in Bridgeport CT around 7:30 a.m. to check in for my 9:30 a.m. surgery. To my surprise, I had absolutely NO nervousness or trepidation, which I chalked up to having complete confidence in Dr. O’Connell and the result he would achieve. The first thing I did upon arrival was to stop at a water fountain to take the anti-emetic pill prescribed by Dr. O’Connell. From there, we proceeded to surgical admitting, where the check-in process was completed quickly and efficiently. A short while later and about an hour before the actual start of my surgery, I was moved into a surgical waiting area. After changing into a Johnny, I had an IV expertly and painlessly inserted in my hand by one of the nurses on duty (who, as it turned out, had beautiful eyelids done by Dr. O’Connell some time previously). The nurses began a saline drip infused with another anti-nausea medication.
I then met with the anesthesiologist, Dr. Packman, who carefully explained the protocols that would be used in my case. Due to my age (65), the expected duration of my surgery (roughly 6 to 7 hours in all) and various other medical issues, Dr. Packman once again explained that Dr. O’Connell would perform some of my surgery using local anesthesia supplemented with IV sedatives and Propofol. He reiterated that this approach is preferred by Dr. O’Connell because it results in fewer post-surgical complications and, as I now know, allows the patient to feel much less “wiped out” after surgery. He also told me that patients typically have one of 3 experiences under Propofol: they don’t know what’s going on at all, they know what’s going on but don’t care, or they know what’s going on and kind of like it. As it turned out, I would fall into all 3 categories at various points during my surgery.
After Dr. Packman left, the nurses gave me yet another anti-nausea medication, this one orally.
Around 9:00 a.m. and 30 minutes before the start of surgery, Dr. O’Connell came by. Using a marking pen, he traced out where he would be altering my facial contours and the areas around my eyes. Even from the way Dr. O’Connell drew on my skin, I could tell I was in the hands of an artist.
Dr. O’Connell left to get ready, and I was wheeled into the operating room at 9:30 a.m. Everyone was extremely pleasant and I felt very relaxed and optimistic. A short while later, Dr. O’Connell entered the room and the surgery began.
I don’t recall the actual start of the surgery but at some point I had a urinary catheter inserted and also a small breathing tube. At this point, I must have been at the stage that the anesthesiologist had called “being totally out of it and unaware”. Sometime later I did become aware that Dr. O’Connell was working around my eyes, and he explained to me that he was performing the upper and lower blephs. I was able to communicate with him about what I was experiencing, which was mainly a little tugging sensation. However, at one point I told Dr. O’Connell I could feel a tiny twinge of discomfort and he immediately injected additional local anesthetic. (This must have been the stage the anesthesiologist described as being “somewhat aware but not caring” because knowing I was being operated on didn’t bother me in the slightest, nor did the twinge.)
I continued to drift in and out of awareness as Dr. O’Connell proceeded. I remember him telling me he was beginning the facelift and I drifted away. Then I remember him performing the liposuction under my chin, and again I drifted away. The last thing I remember was being aware of him working around my ears, but my only sensation was a sort of pleasant one, almost as if I was being massaged. (This must have been the stage the anesthesiologist described as “being aware and sort of liking it”. I now realize that Dr. O’Connell must have been suturing the incisions around my ears.) The next thing I knew I was sitting up in the recovery area with my head swathed in soft cotton and with a wide elastic bandage wrapped over my head and under my chin. Some people report that the bandages made them feel claustrophobic. In my case, they felt pleasantly comforting. My total time in surgery was somewhere around 7 hours.
In the recovery area, I was surprised to discover I didn’t have any real pain! And thankfully no nausea! The only thing I was aware of was a slightly uncomfortable sensation of swelling and tightness in my cheeks and neck, and a bit of soreness above and below my eyes from the bleph incisions. After an hour, the nurse asked if wanted something to eat or drink and I said yes. They brought me jello and ginger ale. Consuming this turned out to be a little challenging because only the right side of my face and mouth “worked”. Dr. O’Connell stopped in to say that everything had gone very well, and that I had regained movement on the right side of my face first because my right side is dominant. He said the left side would regain movement in a few hours, which it did.
After about 1-1/2 hours in the recovery room, I dressed, put on a headscarf, and was wheeled down to the exit. My boyfriend picked me up in the car and we drove back to the Delamar Hotel, where we arrived around 6:30. I sat up in bed while my boyfriend ordered room service, which for me consisted of soup and risotto, because vigorous chewing is discouraged for the first few days. At this point I was feeling a tiny bit “wobbly” and my vision was a little blurry, but otherwise I was feeling generally OK. And still there was no pain! For the next 4 hours or so, my boyfriend helped me put frozen peas on my eyes to reduce swelling and bruising. He also put the prescribed antibiotic ointment and artificial tears in my eyes and monitored the drainage containers on either side of my head, which had only collected a small amount of fluid. Around 11:30 p.m. I took a “precautionary” pain pill and slept well.
The next morning, I awoke and had breakfast, then dressed and walked with a little support to the car for the ride to Dr. O’Connell’s office. At this point, I was still aware of the sensation of swelling and tightness in my face and neck, and my eyelids were a little sore, but I still had no real “pain”. At Dr. O’Connell’s office, he removed the drains from my incisions and removed the bandages! Even though my face was very swollen with some bruising, and there were bruises around my eyes, I could already see how dramatically the surgery had corrected my problems! I once again had a clean jaw line, a firm neck, no jowls, and best of all, eyelids! Dr.O’Connell applied fresh bandages and sent me home.
I mainly spent the next week resting. On Day 3 after the surgery, Dr. O’Connell told me I could remove my own bandages, so I did. This felt a little scary because I was half afraid that my jowls would immediately reappear and my neck would sag without any support, but thankfully they stayed where they were supposed to. I was also able to take a shower and wash my hair, taking care not to disturb any of the incision areas. Immediately afterwards, I draped myself in a scarf, donned Jackie O sunglasses, and had my boyfriend take me to the grocery store so I could show him what to buy. By this point, I was able to walk around without difficulty or discomfort, but took care to not bend, lift, strain or overexert. My near vision was still blurry (partly because of the antiobiotic ointment we were applying) but distance vision was OK.
Over the next few days I continued to experience increased swelling and tightness in my face and neck, and increased buising on the side of my neck and below my eyes, which peaked around Day 7. However, I felt essentially “normal” except for being a little tired. Even though Dr. O’Connell had prescribed pain medication, I really didn’t need it and just relied on Tylenol for the most part after Day 3. An unexpected side effect of the surgery (for me) was that I was also retaining a significant amount of fluid (about 10 pounds worth, according to the scale) which is evidently the body’s way reaction to what it perceives as an “insult.” During this time, on Day 5, Dr. O’Connell said I should remove the long “whisker” sutures from my upper eyelids myself, and they pulled out neatly with a bit of persistence.
Toward the end of post-op week 1, I have to admit that I did start to feel a little discouraged, because I wondered if my face would REALLY return to a normal appearance or whether I would ever lose the fluid I was retaining. I had read that feeling a bit “blue” was a very common emotional reaction to the surgery at this point. However, around Day 8 I could see the swelling and bruising begin to subside, my weight started to come down, and I began to once again feel excited and optimistic about the results. On Day 8 I also returned to Dr. O’Connell so he would remove the remaining sutures under my eyes, behind my ears, and at the base of my scalp. At this point my bruising was turning to intense shades of yellow, but the swelling was coming down nicely.
The next week saw gradual but steady improvement in the swelling and bruising, as well as my feelings of strength and physical “normalcy”. By Day 10, I felt pretty much back to normal and was very comfortable driving and going out into public wearing sunglasses with my hair arranged to cover the incisions around my ears and the remaining bruises on my neck. I knew I must not look THAT bad when a cute young checker at the supermarket looked at me carefully, then told me in a lowered voice that he REALLY liked my new hair cut. LOL. Same haircut, different face.
Today is now 28 days after surgery and I feel better about my appearance than I have in years. My boyfriend tells me I look 20 years younger. I think this may be a slight exaggeration, though when I compare my face now to pictures taken 15 years ago, I now realize that my eyelids were beginning to sag even then. Before the surgery, I told Dr. O’Connell that I didn’t expect to repeat the procedures ever again. But now, I know that the results were so worthwhile compared to the minor discomfort and inconvenience, that I would definitely consider a touchup if and when the time comes, hopefully in the skilled and caring hands of Dr. O’Connell.
Update: The “after” pictures I posted were taken by Dr. O’Connell 42 days after surgery. I’m told that the final results can take up to 6 months to emerge, but I am amazed at how dramatic the transformation has been. My family and friends are all extremely impressed with my results and especially how natural they are, which is a hallmark of Dr. O’Connell’s work. Thank you, Dr. O’Connell, for your amazing skills and for helping me be the “best me” possible.

Updated on 25 Aug 2013:
My PS Dr. Joseph O'Connell in Westport CT kindly reviewed my story and pointed out one thing I may not have made clear. He told me ONLY to ice the incisions for my upper and lower blephs (which I did). In his e-mail to me on my story, he pointed out that icing the other FL incisions can actually cause harm. He also clarified why he his patients don't experience nausea and vomiting post-operatively (and reminded me of some measures I'd forgotten about). Here's what he said: "One of the things that I do is pharmacologically block all five known receptors that the body has for nausea. That's why you took the Emend and Ondansetron and you probably didn't realize that I had given you Benadryl and Dexamathasone and you probably remember the scope patch. It's also one reason I like Propofol rather than an inhalational agent. I suspect that most other docs don't block all 5 but I have a rate of postoperative nausea/vomiting that's almost zero." This is so important I really wanted to share this as something for others to discuss with their PSs prior to surgery.

I'm just turning 58 this May. Each time I've looked in the mirror I get a surprise at the profile looking back at me since it just didn't match what was in my head. So with husband's support and telling me "life is too short", I went ahead and scheduled my traditional facelift and upper bleph eyework for the 16th. He is not going to do any lipo or fat fillers, but the work should fix the sagging jowls and neck area; not to mention the droopy eyelids.
I'm trying not to get myself all worked up about the recovery time but I'm getting real anxious about returning to work in 14 days. I really don't have a choice in my position. I'm typically a good healer but this is out of the box on work. I am extremely confident in my PS and know I'm in good hands though.. so that's the upside.
I'm hearing people talk here about "electrode-like shock feelings in their face, and being in a tremendous amount of pain. That just wasn't my understanding of post op with this procedure... I get the numbness, bruising, tightness and swelling and expect that part. But am I being realistic?

Updated on 17 May 2013:
Well, I made it! I'll apologize in advance for any typos since I'm having the same hard time seeing like a lot of people post op.
Everything went well. I had a 6 hour surgery and home by 7pm last night. My eyes are pretty red and swollen from the bleph but I actually have eyes now! I trotted off to the doctors with my hubby today and he took the drains out... thank goodness! I'm pretty swollen through my face but the doctor is very pleased with everything especially my neck area which he's telling me that he spent a lot of time on. I called him an artist! He's really been great as well as his staff through this all. Anyway, I have minimal bruising, but he's warned me that tomorrow it should get worse. All in all, I am following everything to the letter to try to avoid as much of the swelling and bruising as possible. Not too much pain either which is surprising to me, but my doc said I shouldn't have much... So I did one pain pill last night and just some Tylenol for the achy feeling of the stitches and the ears. Thanks for all of you r support once again. This site has been tremendously helpful to me!

Updated on 17 May 2013:
I decided to share these because it's was very helpful to me in managing my own expectations. So I hope it will be to others as well. I'm only on Day 1 as you see, but feeling ok; not a tremendous amount of discomfort or bruising. I'm expecting more tomorrow so it won't be a surprise when I wake up tomorrow with new 'color'.

Updated on 18 May 2013:
Oh my goodness I almost feel human after my first shower!
I've updated my photos without the compression bandage. I look like a proverbial chipmumk with full and swollen cheeks! But I'm loving what I see so far with my chin and neck and my eyes although quite red are finally open again! I have pretty much the same thing everyone else is describing, ears pain and tightness and the incision sites are dull and achy too. Most of it seems manageable so far with Tylenol, so I'm going to keep doing that for now.

Updated on 20 May 2013:
Yes, I have turned glorious yellow under my eyes and on each side of my neck! Wow! So much for no bruising. I'm totally experiencing no pain, just the tightness and swelling which has moved down under my neck; all expected. I am so glad this site prepared me for this.
I'm off to the doctor this afternoon to have my sutures out of my eyes. Very pleased with how I think they're going to look. My assessment of my PS' work is so far excellent. It's hard to get past the swelling jowls in my face, but at the same time, my neck is looking good. So far, I'm pleased. I am sure hoping that this yellow tones down by the day after Memorial Day when I'm scheduled to go back to work. Otherwise, I'm going to have to do a heck of a job with makeup cover! Will check in later.

Updated on 20 May 2013:


Updated on 22 May 2013:
Well another day closer to total recovery is my mantra these days. I'm doing well, I have absolutely no pain, and no need for Tylenol.
For any one considering this I would highly encourage you to manage the downtime expectations because this, in my humblest of opinions, is the worst. And it's what can get us into trouble by doing to much too soon. You know, the mind is willing and the body says NO by swelling and bruising. So my most exciting thing today was texting my husband and telling him I walked around the house for 10 minutes and then later with the most exciting news!...I took a shower!! lol
Anyway, I have yellow all over my skin, and some new bruises on my lower jaw and neck area. I'll put that picture up. But I see the doctor tomorrow to take the stitches out around my ears and temple. I am really looking forward to that. They itch a bit but that's a good sign.
By the way, when I'm done, I'll post my doctor and my review who I think is just amazing. I'm so thankful he is the one that has done my work ; both elective and required as I've had other procedures with him. Cheers!

Updated on 23 May 2013:
I'm happy to say I've just come back from having a lot of sutures out. It felt so good to have them out! Doctor and Nurse both say I've healed quite well which is a great feeling. He'll take out the rest of the staples and sutures on Sunday.

Best of all, I am thoroughly pleased with everything and the way my eyes and face are settling post surgery! I'll post a few pictures in a bit. I have no idea how or even if people will react or not. I'm still getting used to this new me too. But I can tell you this was so worth it and an amazing experience.

I'll post some pictures in a bit.

Updated on 23 May 2013:
I have just let my hair go natural since the hairdryer is forbidden with the numbness still there. It's kind of fun not to have to do the whole styling thing!

Updated on 23 May 2013:
front view

Updated on 24 May 2013:
Thought it was interesting to see the recovery of the suture area. I'm convinced that in another week these will be hardly noticeable. I have to give credit where credit is due with my PS.

Updated on 25 May 2013:
Today was an interesting first day out in public.
Because I was desperate for coverup makeup, I ran to Sephora's. I did a little research and discovered that a lavender primer neutralizes the yellow bruising. Thank goodness for the young woman who helped me at Sephora's! She hooked me up with the primer, concurred on the lavender against my yellow skin color, and scrupulously read labels with me to make sure there were no retinols etc , which my PS does not want me to use at this point. (We are planning our own skin care system with the Obagi line after I'm fully healed but not yet) Anyway, I came home with a full bag of goodies. It was a great experiment.. the lavender primer worked pretty well, I just need to put on more of it in certain areas of my face. The rest of the items , foundation , powder worked well over it without looking like pancake stuff.
It was a day of being "normal" again... running to the mall...poked through a clothing store on my way out... It felt pretty good!
So having done the whole makeup thing, my husband suggested we go out for a late lunch early dinner and I thought; why not? So off I went with a scarf covering up my neck. It too went ok. I'm feeling a little self conscious about anything showing since I still have sutures and staples in plus the scars around the ears are still quite obvious.. but it too was ok. And a sign of everything getting back on track and life going on. All in all a good day. Now as long as I don't wake up more swollen tomorrow AM!

Updated on 26 May 2013:
Well... got all the rest of the sutures out and much to my surprise I didn't HAVE any staples at all! My misunderstanding! lol Anyway, the stitches came out fine, but I woke up this AM with a hematoma down the side of my neck. It came as such a surprise after I was humming along as the Poster Child of facelift recovery. Honest... I've been as boring as boring can be doing nothing to avoid raising my blood pressure; so I'll just blame it on my husband. ( Joking) So, my PS drained it and I'll go back on Tuesday. Oh well... hopefully I can go back to boring again and back to recovery. :)

Updated on 27 May 2013:
Since a lot of us are heading off to work tomorrow and talking coverup of all those ghastly bruises I wanted to share what I finally decided on... I don't have it don't perfect yet but will work on it more today. I just wanted a more natural look but obviously it can be done any way you want. Not every makeup line is good for everyone, but for someone else here it may be an option. The product is Make Up Forever Professional ; HD High Definition Primer (to go on over the color of the bruise they have different colors for priming whatever issue you have) and the HD Foundation over it. Developed by a Paris Artist for Actresses when TV switched from Analog to High Def. Because they learned pretty quickly the HD showed EVERY little flaw on the big screens! lol... that sold me! Hope this helps one of you out there.

Updated on 27 May 2013:
oh and btw.. I have done NOTHING with my eyes in the photo and don't have my eyebrow pencil since my Mom ran off with mine to get me a new one in the early days of recovery... that will be a whole other topic! LOL... Phase 1: Face, Phase 2: Eyes & Eyebrows! :)

Updated on 31 May 2013:
Had my follow up with my Doctor yesterday. He has been ultra cautious with my hematoma that appeared on Day 10 (weird) and seeing me almost every two days since then. I've got the go ahead from him to get back to work on Monday and some other light activity. Still no exercise for about 28 days. BUT... what a relief!
So where am I at?... I have same numbness and hardness that everyone else has in front of the ears. It extends down into the jowl/jaw area and down the sides of my neck. Oddly enough , I've never had that choking sensation that a lot of people experienced and have full feeling again under my chin. That may have to do with having no lipo?
I still have some major scabs which he's advised me to gently massage to loosen and help them remove. That more than anything drives me crazy because it itches, I forget and then feel them. Thank goodness for longer hair! Which, btw... is ultra long and growing fast! It will be a while before I can get it cut. My PS is extremely cautious about compromising the skin with any kind of hair dryer or curling iron. And at this point so am I! So I just picked up some kind of product that helps put the waves and curls IN my hair to give it a little more styling. I got the pre-requisite sunscreen to layer under the primer and the foundation... sometimes it seems like so much stuff on my skin!
So last night was the very first since surgery I have slept almost laying down AND in my own bed! What a relief! I could even turn slightly on my side although laying flat on my cheek area wasn't to great and I just didn't want to.. but my goodness I had a full night of uninterrupted sleep in my own bed!
So things are good. I am going out with my husband and another couple for my inaugural public outing tomorrow night! This is my one friend who knew I was doing this... so it won't be as big a deal and I don't have to skirt around the issue of what did I do. In the end my anxiety for returning to work with the xtra time off I took will resolve the issue...I've lost about 6 lbs or so since I've been gone ( In know.. I don't get it either) my hair is significantly longer since almost 3 weeks ago and they know I've been doing nothing but relaxing for a post surgical complication. So.... it will be interesting. :)
I am very pleased overall with my results. I think it did exactly what I was looking for in all this; less tired and sad looking. 100%+ thrilled that I chose my Doctor for this. It is a huge leap of faith and trust to hand one's face over to someone and let them have at it. If I have any piece of advice for anyone contemplating this; it's to find the right PS.
If I can throw some makeup on later, I'll try to post a new picture! Have a wonderful day all!

Updated on 31 May 2013:
Not so much change visibly from my last post... I just feel different with less swelling. :)

Updated on 31 May 2013:
Well.. today was a good test for how I handled being out almost a full day. I did have lunch with my son and his family and my Mom. Then off to do a little poking and browsing at some stores. Before you knew it, it was 4:30PM! But I don't feel bad, and not too tired.. so I'm feeling like Monday ( my first day back at work) is going to be ok.
One thing I mentioned below was that I was catching my son and everyone looking at my face. That was the weirdest feeling!
The upside was for as hot as it is in the Northeast today, I didn't seem to have a problem when I got home with any additional swelling.. I'm hoping it stays that way!

Updated on 31 May 2013:


Updated on 3 Jun 2013:
Well I am currently on my recliner with my feet up after a full day! Cat on lap and TV and laptop in position! lol
I cannot believe how nervous I was to go back to work today. It's silly really but perhaps some of you reading this will recognize the feeling that with all we've invested emotionally and physically into this procedure it was, its own way, a life changing event. I believe I can approach people with more confidence and I'm more approachable in turn.
Thank goodness my hair grew fast while I was out recovering! I was also glad that I left it naturally wavy today. So that and some additional weight loss had people looking at me a little differently and I don't think they could figure it out. :) A couple of people asked me if I had cut my hair. Some people knew I was out unexpectedly with my hematoma and so asked me if I was alright and wanted to know what happened. Others who knew nothing said nothing, or asked me if I had a great vacation and what did I do and was it fun. If they only knew! :)
So the hair questions were easier enough to divert. The people who asked me about my health and what happened, I decided to tell them I had some work on the old scarring on my skin and had a complication with a hematoma. I told them while the story of what I did was too long to go into right now, the hematoma occurred and I was ordered to stay elevated and off my feet and out of work. That ended all of that. lol I had one woman asking my a lot of questions (and it seemed to me staring at my face intently) about whether I had gone away and whether I played golf etc. Thank goodness the phone finally rang!
So the first day of "school" is over and out of the way and life will get back to a more normal pace. I admit I am tired. I was mostly having difficulty staring at my computer screen and my eyes were blurring but also my neck is very bruised and sore where the hematoma was and it's difficult to turn my neck between that and the tightness from the lift. But I have survived it. My suspicion is that there will be many more 'firsts' for all of us with people we haven't seen for a while, Maybe client's who are frequent drop ins and perhaps events at work with co workers who will ask what's different. We've gone this far through all of this , so this stuff should get easier and easier.
I am thrilled I had this done. I'm delighted with my doctor's work. So all in all... a success!

Updated on 6 Jun 2013:
At Day 21, I believe I'm through almost all of the recovery process. I'm back at work since Monday. I'm doing my floor exercises in the AM; thank goodness! As far as my healing is concerned I have minor scabbing behind my ears and a bit in the tragus on one ear. As I had a traditional facelift I did have some soreness in my scalp in areas that were stitched and that's virtually gone so I'm seeing a hair appointment in my near future! :) Swelling is significantly reduced and predominantly on sections in front of my ears down to my jaw . Other than that I have a little bit of soreness on each side of my neck and that's it! Oh.. and I still have shading of bruising on one side down my face and jaw line, but it's fairly well covered with my hair. So all in all, I'm happy to say that I've progressed significantly this week. I've thought a lot about how I've scrutinized my face these past three weeks and those prior to the FL. I know I've mentioned before what a self absorbing process this was; a lot of picture taking and angling the face this way and that to see our new profiles. In addition, in the healing process there's the thought once everything settles whether...horrors... is going to 'take' or fall back down again!? I'm planning on some finishing work with some fillers for vertical lines on my lips and horizontal lines on my forehead. I'll try it and see if it's worth it, but I can't really see me going back with great frequency. I'm happy with my results right now.
I had a guy come up to me at work and said, 'c'mon , tell the truth you went to some spa out in California, you look way too good!'
"Nope", I told him..." It must be the new makeup I got".
So for me, this is good. I'm really not looking for the proverbial fountain of youth. This process was worth every cent I paid and accomplished exactly what I wanted. I am one happy camper! Now if I can just get clearance to exercise and golf with my husband again! Have a great day all. :)

Updated on 8 Jun 2013:
I thought for those wondering what their incisions might look like this far out that pictures might be helpful. One side is slightly more noticeable than the other but both sides are healing well and before you know it they'll be a distant memory! This weekend will be interesting as I am traveling with my husband to see my mother in law for the first time since I've had this done. She does not know I've done this and I'm not sure I want to tell her. We'll see what the reaction is. Whether I can explain the difference as weight loss, longer hair , new makeup just remains to be seen! I'll let you know on Monday post return. :) Until then I'll mostly be out of touch but hope you all have a good recovery weekend. For those who are anticipating your own FL surgery coming up may your weekend be relaxing and calm!

Updated on 16 Jun 2013:
It was an exercise in normalcy to have my haircut yesterday! It was suggested by my PS , who gave me clearance, to use the Salon located in his same building. What a great idea! The stylist was well acquainted with all of the nuances this far out when dealing with facelifts post op. My concerns about my own stylist tugging hard on my hair, his use of high heat of the dryer on areas of skin still numb and flat iron were totally avoided. I didn't have to deal with explaining everything in a public venue either. It was a wonderful experience. Everyone was great. They were extraordinarily gentle throughout the entire process and it was a great cut. I will definitely go back. Normal has begun today! I am cleared this week for everything. So my husband , who was in mourning without me, will have his golfing buddy back. Last night we had a picnic on the city green with friends watching Aaron Neville and sharing some great wine. It's really good to get to this point on the other side of recovery. It feels so long when one is in the throws of early recovery but now it feels short as I'm looking back and seeing how quickly our bodies can heal.
So how do I physically feel? I have some minor tenderness in the suture lines in my scalp. Still some swelling and numbness in my jaw and in the front of my ears, however, I can literally feeling it 'softening' up and not being as flat and hard as before. My upper eyelids are tender from the bleph. And my neck on the right side which had the most swelling and lumpiness has improved 90%.
My friend last night is reconsidering her decision to just do some fillers and considering her own facelift too based on my experience!. :) It was a nice feeling to have the guys take a picture of us together and feel like I didn't hate myself in it! Mentally, this has given me such a boost in my confidence as well. So all in all, what I was seeking in results mentally and physically have been achieved. I am thankful for my PS, my husband throughout this process and my health.
I know I've mentioned this in prior posts, I'll be doing what I've started to refer to as "finishing" work with my PS....I am scheduled for a filler for vertical lip lines and maybe the NL folds as they are reappearing as my FL swelling has decreased. We talked briefly about a non ablative Fraxel treatment ; at least I think that's what it is...but I can't afford more downtime like I just had. So we'll see. Obviously, I am all in favor of plastic surgery and doing what one thinks is important for themselves. But to be clear, I really don't mind being 58 years old. I'm not really seeing myself doing a long term maintenance thing. So I'll give it a go at least this once and see what it does. I have to believe that taking more care of my skin will be a better approach for my lifestyle and pocketbook. To that end, I am religiously using an SPF 50 medical grade sunscreen under my moisturizer. I wear a great SPF 60 hat I found pre FL last night at the concert. It is so wide brimmed it covers my neck as well. And so of course, I will be the most pale individual out on the golf course this year! lol In the end this was too much to go through not to take care of the work. :) Hope everyone is well and either well on their way through their own recovery as you read this and for those pre FL or in Recovery... hang in there. The other side of recovery is around the corner!

Updated on 12 Jul 2013:
I'm off to my PS for what I am calling the "finishing work" today. I cannot recall what the product name is for the filler but he mentioned it was something new he was using. I'm curious to see how this works as much as anything. Honestly, I'm ambivalent about this as I am concerned about the maintenance of fillers. But I've gone this far, so I'll give it a go and see what happens! I'll post more following the appointment. To be continued, yet again.... :) Here's to everyone facing their own surgeries and to good results!

Updated on 12 Jul 2013:
So...I arrived at my PS just a little bit nervous! Not really quite sure what I was having done except I knew that we talked about finishing off my FL with fillers. Can I tell you exactly what he used? Absolutely not! The product was something that was just recently approved here in the U.S.A but had been previously used in Europe. All I knew was that I was going to have this done to correct some of the more extreme vertical lip lines I had and perhaps more. But , I really have that much trust in my PS that nothing was going to be overdone and his eye for symmetry was good. As he said, it was really going to be subtle and that's what I wanted. So, I put myself in his hands. So how was it? Well....I have an extremely high tolerance for most anything, but I have to say that the upper lip sites that were injected did made me sit up and take notice. :) My PS did my vertical lines around the lips, the NL folds and on the sides of the mouth. Here's the most wonderful thing. What many of you might not see in my photos are more extreme areas on my face that are a result f acne scarring. (Makeup works wonders for that!) But I did have one area on the side of my mouth that my PS filled that lifted the scar beautifully! Even he was impressed. So at this point, I have a couple of minor bruises from a couple of injection sites that my husband has assured me that it's so minor it won't look like anything tomorrow. We'll see. I have to attend an event for my son tomorrow which is outside. I'm praying my makeup will cover everything and no one will know the difference! I'm most likely not going to have a chance to take and post photos until Sunday but I promise I will! Have a great weekend everyone!

Updated on 15 Jul 2013:
Go figure... I am just one of those with significant bruising from the fillers I had done. And, honest, I did not take aspirin prior to the appointment on Friday. Sunday, I shot off a picture to my PS who was great and called me almost immediately. He said it's not what they typically see and yet it does happen. But he believes it will resolve fine. It seems slightly less deep in color today but even the makeup isn't going to do the best coverup for it. Oh well. I'm going to have to suck it up at work and hopefully no clients come it this week. I had a function to attend to for my son over the weekend on Saturday and had the glorious moment of meeting the Chief of Police who I'm sure thought I was a battered woman! While everyone is telling me it's not noticeable, they are being kind because it is. For some reason I can't take a photo of this to show you as my phone camera is giving me fits. ( My husband TOLD me to buy an Iphone!) Anyway, my PS is seeing me this week for a follow up and he'll check me out then. I'll keep you posted. :)

Updated on 15 Jul 2013:
Ok...had my husband take the pic on his phone. ( more ammunition to get the iphone instead!) :)

Updated on 19 Jul 2013:
It was a weird experience having my inaugural experience with having fillers artistically injected into lip lines, an acne scar and other problematic areas like the NL lines. I can see why a PS might cringe at hearing stories about spas and salons that do this kind of work. So I had about maybe 8 different injection sites. The worst, for me was a particularly deep vertical lip line yet oddly enough the real bruising came out on the area around my mouth. After a week everything has diminished except that one area and instead of a deep blue/black bruise it's fading to a lighter red; much easier to cover. My initial thought was that I'd never do this again. My thought now is that of course I'll do this again! I think the difference to those areas is really natural and finishes the work on my face really well. I'll be interested in seeing how this lasts. The next time I'll be prepared for the bruising and pay more attention to the things I'm drinking an eating prior to have this done. Off to exercise; thanks for reading!

Updated on 18 Aug 2013:
So here I am at 3 1/2 months. (yes I am counting!) It's been a while since I've updated my progress so I thought after giving all of this filler work a chance to settle in that I'd post my latest pictures.... especially after the horrible one of the bruising I've left out there! I have been incredibly pleased with my FL results. My PS and I have accomplished exactly what we set out to do with a minimal amount of processes involved. At this point in the recovery phase I have the same little obsessions as a lot of you out there. For instance, there's a part of me that wonders if this is the morning I'm going to get up and find something dropped or see my old neckline reappearing. Ugh! Me and myself, we then have to have a good stern conversation with each other and just get over it. Fact: the aging process will continue from the point of our facelift once again. My PS has said that to me many times over and I've seen it posted on the Q & A sections as well. So I have to tell myself to just cut out the obsessing. :) As far as the recovery is going, I have mentioned to someone else that I have swelling on my lower jaw that doesn't increase ever but just seems to be very slow at going away. There is still numbness in front of my ears that continues to gradually be decreasing but also just slow to go away. If I gently tap my fingers on the numbness I can feel a momentary tingling; to me a sign that improvement is continuing. There are times when I'll get a little pin prick sensation or a shooting 'zinger' in an area of the face. In addition, my neck under my jawline feels tight but good... not a strangling tightness. Absolutely none of this is bothersome. In fact I have embraced this as the whole FL being done right and so the healing continues! My husband and I played golf the other day and accidently connected my jaw and his head together bending down and getting up. Ouch! That didn't tingle , it hurt! I was wondering if I disturbed anything but I didn't get a bruise although it seemed hard enough to me to have one. I do have this little niggling fear of hurting my face in some accident. :) At all costs, I think, protect the face!
As for the fillers, I think it has enhanced most everything. The bruising was tough to take around the mouth. I did not like having to do the whole cover up thing for work! Nothing would work on those bruises but the heavy dermablend; not even my 'favored' Makeup Forever! So it was layered like a cake around my mouth until they faded away. The Botox, on the other hand was a breeze with no bruising whatsoever. The one caveat with the Botox, it did seem to give me a slightly heavier brow on my left side. My PS did say that could happen and it did. It will resolve and I actually do see some improvement. That's really a minor disappointment for me because I don't have very large eyes to begin with. The upper bleph was such a dramatic change only to look a bit heavy lidded post Botox. Yet, as you'll see , no horizontal lines on the forehead any more! In my work industry it's all about the risk and reward. So there's a little trade off here in this process which is about the risk and reward too. THAT was a little learning process that I went through in having more work done to my face. I'll remember those little trade-offs to manage expectations of the results I'm looking for in the future. I guess that means I'm still growing up if I can still learn. lol So I'll post a few pictures to give you the current look. I'm happy and life is good! I want to say it's been wonderful to communicate with everyone publicly and privately and I appreciate the kind words you've all said as I've gone through this process. Like so many others have expressed, it's been a great support group and it has enhanced my experience tremendously! To all of you out there a very heartfelt thanks!

Updated on 18 Aug 2013:


Updated on 30 Aug 2013:
So on a beautiful Friday afternoon today, before a long Labor Day weekend, my husband and I figured we'd take in 9 holes on a local golf course. It was , of course, jammed packed. The single player in front of us suggested we play as a [RS bleep] since it was so backed up. It was around the 5th hole ...my husband was just getting ready to tee off and he stopped , turned around and said to the guy, "I know who you are...you were my wife's anaesthesiologist!" Glen, the nice guy single, turned to me and said, " what did you have done?" "Uh", I said... " I had a facelift" Talk about awkward moments. Who would have ever thought? Glen was an amazingly nice guy who admitted later he couldn't place us either but THOUGHT that he knew us. In the end, after we finished and left, I realized he was the doctor who, despite my saying I wanted to go home post surgery,told me that I wasn't convincing him and needed to stay longer for observation because I was feeling like I was going to pass out. Momentarily I was having a hard time concentrating on golf thinking , geez...this guy has seen more of me than I really wanted.. but in the end we all had a great time and it made for good levity throughout. When we finished, I told him how nice it was to meet him... AGAIN... and thanked him for his expertise. Not for anything, these guys/women who administer the anaesthesia during our procedures are as much of an artist as our PS. They get us through without trauma and pain. I know that my own PS commented ahead of surgery that his particular team was the best and I was happy to relay that information and compliment to Glen. This was such a weird, chance meeting. Add to that that I played pretty well which felt good. :) All I can say is that you never know who you're gong to meet and when! To all of you out there post FL, hope your healing is going well and have a good Labor Day holiday. Cheers..FG

I had upperlid surgery on a Wed and was back to work for a business meeting on Monday. The surgery had very minimal risk since it was not done under general anesthesia. Lidocaine was administered to the upper eyelids & the procedure was about 1/2 hr per lid.

After leaving the doctor's office I went out for lunch wearing sunglasses. A 1/2 of percocet was all that had to take for incision pain. With this surgery the Doctor & I were able to talk with each other throughout the surgery. I did have very slight bruising that covered over with make up.



Updated on 10 Jul 2011:
It has now been 2 weeks and I am very pleased with the results. My close friends who knew I was having surgery say my eyes look great. Again I must say Dr. O is a great person and a great surgeon. I would highly recommend him.