Philip Guest, MBBS, MBChB, FRCS

I had a face and neck lift with Mr. Guest in April this year. I had previously had an AMF with him five years earlier. That needed refreshing and having been so pleased with the results of that I returned to him for further surgery. The treatment and care you receive at The Spire hospital is exemplary and Mr. Guest puts you at ease. I had my procedure done under sedation both times. I would recommend it as there are no nasty after effects. I am very pleased with my results and would definitely return to him if I felt that I needed further surgery. Post surgery is uncomfortable rather than painful, however pain relief is readily available should you need it. I would highly recommend Mr. Guest and The Spire.

Mr Guest made me feel incredibly at ease prior to my facelift. He gave me the time and patience needed to answer all of my questions and after my initial consultation I had every confidence in his ability as a surgeon. The aftercare from Mr Guest and his team following my facelift was really good, exactly what I needed after taking the plunge to go through with the surgery.

I began worrying about my jowls over 15 years ago but didn’t consider surgery until recently. Over time I had begun to develop a few “tics” e.g. frequently covering my lower face with my hands (my partner had pointed this out), trying to keep up a permanent half-smile in order to hide increasingly obvious marionette lines, and more recently a sort of pursing up of my mouth and chin area in order to do the same. I wondered if I was too old at 67 even to be considering a facelift, but my jowls were only getting worse. What would my friends and family think about me doing this? I was hesitant and fearful - what if it went wrong? Most important: who could I trust to do the job? I saw two consultants at different locations, both times getting as far as booking a surgery date only to chicken out nearer the time, maybe because there was something about both that I didn’t quite trust. The first had hurried the consultation and tried to persuade me to have my eyes done as well, which I didn’t feel was necessary. The second seemed quite judgemental, he said “you don’t need a facelift” (though he was prepared to do it). I wanted to say to him that it has nothing to do with what others think about the way I look, it’s to do with how I feel about myself. Both surgery options involved having a general anaesthetic and I was uncomfortable about that, too. I was aware some procedures could be carried out with local anaesthesia and sedation but didn’t know if this was possible with facelift surgery. Then some research found Me and the Advanced Mini Facelift. Eureka!

After my initial consultation with Mr Guest I drove home with a big smile on my face. It’s hard to be specific about what made me sure about going ahead this time. Mr Guest’s straightforwardness and honesty about what could be achieved? His training, experience and expertise? Studying the website and reading about the experiences of patients in the forum? Probably all of that; anyway, it felt right from the start.

I wanted to keep my surgery a secret and my partner was away for a few days which fitted in perfectly with my plan. I’d not told anyone else. The night before the op everything felt unreal and I only got about 1.5 hours’ sleep before driving to the hospital. I was shown to my room where I started having panicky thoughts “what am I doing?” then the anaesthetist Dr Sasada and Mr Guest came to see me and the panic subsided. I didn’t feel too bad walking to the theatre – by then I’d decided it was too late to do anything but give in to it… and amazingly, the next bit was really good. It sounds odd but I actually enjoyed the operation! Having light sedation was brilliant. I felt no pain whatsoever, only an awareness of what seemed like a series of vibrations along one side of my face then the other – quite pleasant because of the sedation - and it all came to an end too soon! The next thing was one of the nurses fitting me with a head bandage, then I was helped into a wheelchair and returned to my room. A bit of pain but nothing that couldn’t be managed with paracetamol. Not a great night, mainly because of the head bandage, but I was able to get some sleep. Luckily I had no drains.

The following morning the nurse came in to remove my head bandage which was a great relief. It had been a bit too tight around the neck (I didn’t realise I could have loosened it because it had a velcro fastener) and because of this, I had a low blood pressure episode and the house doctor visited. All was OK though. I then went to the bathroom and saw my face, which was noticeably different, but something concerned me: I appeared to have two markedly stretched areas sweeping up from the corners of my mouth across the middle of both cheeks and I thought “oh no, the dreaded wind tunnel effect”. I know now this was because my face was swollen and the skin therefore overly taut, and should have taken note of a previous writer in the forum who said DON’T PANIC at the way your face looks in the early stages after surgery, it’s a continually evolving picture. I should have asked Mr Guest about it when he came to check me over and discharge me, but I didn’t, which was a pity because he could have reassured me and I would have had a better night in the B&B where I’d arranged to go before driving home the next day. Once I’d showered and was able to leave the hospital I got a taxi to my B&B, where I spent the rest of that day and night angsting about the possible “wind tunnel”. But I needn’t have worried. Over the next three days or so my face magically rearranged itself.

Two weeks have now passed and I’m delighted with the outcome so far. It’s exactly what I wanted but hardly dared expect could be achieved – a slightly younger version of me - subtle and natural looking, not too different. Not only have the jowls gone but my neck is significantly improved, which I really wasn’t expecting. There’s still some slight numbness down the sides of my face and lower ears but this is reducing daily and I’ve had hardly any bruising. I know it will be several weeks before everything is completely back to normal but I’m well on the way… thank you so much! My partner (amused at my subterfuge) is supportive and very happy with the result, as is my daughter. She'd known how I'd been feeling for years and was surprised and delighted I'd finally had the surgery, more so when she saw me!

I’m so pleased I trusted Mr Guest and relieved I took the decision to go ahead at last.

I had a mini facelift with Mr Guest 6 years ago. It was something that I had been planning for a long time and finally took the plunge. I have not had any other cosmetic surgery; I intended this as a one-off to help stave the natural ageing process and can honestly say that (as a 60+ year old) I still notice the benefits when I compare myself with my friends! I didn't tell anyone other than my family (& hairdresser) and no one has ever noticed. I get compliments about looking good for my age, which I just take with a smile!

Mr Guest instantly put me at ease with his honesty about my expected results and the rest of the team seemed very experienced too. They were all really helpful and I still remember how kind the nurses were, which for some reason I wasn't expecting (perhaps because it was an elective surgery which I felt a little self-indulgent for having?). Mine was a very straightforward procedure, with no complications - I took it as easy as possible for a week post-procedure and got on with life! I needed some antibiotics for a small infection in one of the incisions but it resolved and was fine. I would definitely recommend Mr Guest and Dr Sasada and the team if you are researching your procedure, I have been very happy with my results.

I am over-the-moon about a much-wanted lower face and neck lift. I'm always horrified to see my saggy neck and face in photos with the family, my self esteem is suffering. Mr Guest was recommended me by a friend who had work done with him. Mr Guest was very professional, and took the time to really listened to me. I wanted to look refreshed, not tight, or have it look like I had something done. He went through the whole procedure from start to finish so I had all the information I needed. Everyone associated with my surgery were friendly and went over everything very carefully and I felt comfortable to ask questions anytime. I had surgery under 'twilight sedation' which I was worried about, but I didn't know anything about the operation itself. Very very pleased with the results and am now much more confident with those 'family photos' I used to hate.

I had had a previous facelift 5 years ago under a general anesthetic in Prague which had left me with unsightly thick scar tissue which needed revising, so I did my research to find a Cosmetic & Maxillo Facial surgeon in the UK who could help to correct this as it was making me feel very self conscious especially if I wore my hair up.

Having already had a consultation with Mr Guest at the Spire clinic I decided to put myself in his capable hands and have an advanced mini face lift alongside the scar revision, Mr Guest confirmed he would be able to use my old facelift incisions which would stop the need for any further scars, he would also revise my old scarring at the same time.

I spoke with Mr Guest before going through to theatre he was lovely . Dr Sasada also spoke to me about the sedation before operation, must say i was feeling a little frightened at the thought of being awake but to my surprise it was very easy and I felt nothing but comfortable although very sleepy. Mr Guest has taken away all the scar tissue around my ears and this is now replaced with the most neat stitching i have everseen .This has also made a welcome difference this to my jowl and jaw line, remarkably i also had very little swelling and bruising .

I will not hesitate to use Mr Guest should I need a further 'refresh' in the future.... all the staff were wonderful!

Can i also say i found an amazing B&B the Belgrave its a 3 min walk from the hospital and beautiful room with ur own terrace and breakfast in your own room every morning really made my stay in Bristol perfect plenty of privacy

I went for a consultation with mr guest in February 2014.i already had 4 consultations with other people and decided to go with him. He is very direct and does not promise what's not possible which is quiet refreshing in this day and age . I had my procedure in August 2014 and could not be any happier , wish I'd had it done before.im 59 now and had a face and neck lift. Have pics but would prefer anyone wanting them to message my in box.

A tired face staring at me in the mirror was depressing, I started to scrutinise all older females to assess how I matched with their appearance and felt I fell short! I contemplated cosmetic surgery for about 3 years but did not want general anaesthesia so found Spire hospital and Mr Guest which met my requirement. Then it was a matter of courage to undergo surgery. The whole experience was excellent, all staff were very professional. Communication was superb as much was carried out over 4,000 miles!

My reasons for having a face and neck lift were simply because I don't feel my age at all and as we are all living longer I thought it stands to reason it makes sense to try and look as good as I can for longer. I lead an active social life and travel abroad on a regular basis enjoying my retirement years with my husband. I feel this procedure has enabled me to feel good about my appearance again and allowed me to wear certain clothes I used to avoid before.

Lacking in confidence and feeling my age after a stressful few years I decided I wanted to do something for myself and go ahead with the Advanced mini facelift. I researched a few local surgeons but it wasn't until I came accross Mr Guest that I was able to put my trust in a surgeon and have the confidence to go ahead. I am absolutely delighted with the outcome it is a subtle but definate improvement which has turned the clock back a good five/ten years. Thank you