I had my facelift on July 17th. Do not take it for granted that you will be ready to go to work in two weeks. Everyone recovers differently. I had a full facelift. I had my own fat injected into my laugh lines and under my eyes as a filler. I had the brow lift, neck lift and did my eyes. Some people like to add volume to their cheeks, I had fat removed, because when I smiled, I had fat cheeks. This was something the doctor recommended and I thought why not, for as we age, our faces start to droop again, I do not want to have fat cheeks dragging the floor at age 80 (lol). Today is day 25 after surgery and my cheeks feel completely frozen. I did go back to work on Monday, 24 days after surgery. I left work and went home crying. I felt uncomfortable. There are bumps and dents on my cheeks that look worse during poor lighting and it looks bad. I am not trying to discourage anyone from having surgery, just know and be ready if things di not go as planned. I thought it would take two weeks and it's now been three weeks and a day and I have missed five days from work. I have numbness, but no pain. Sunday, I accidentally hit the bottom of my right eye where I had my own fat injected and now I have a bump plus a bruise and it looks like I have been abused. With makeup, I look good in certain lighting. If you decide to do a full facelift, know the risks. As far as scars, I show none, the incisions were done on my scalp, nothing on on the edge of my hairline. My doctor has many years experience and does a great job, the only concern I have is, will my cheeks look ok? Will I be happy with something new? I need to be patient and wait, but like others who have undergone a facelift, it creates anxiety and you worry if you will look good enough to go out in public, especially like me, I had to miss five days of work last week, i had the last stitches removed last Friday and I am still not ready emotionally, I do not have the luxury to miss any more days.
I went my appointment yesterday at exactly 3 weeks time and my doctor showed me how to do massages to get rid of the bumps on my cheeks. Just know that bumps and can be fixed easily, find someone who does non-surgical facelifts of the lunchtime facelift and go for a session and it will help sculpt your face. Do not be afraid you will be like that forever, it is only an inconvenience for a short while. I think what causes the anxiety in us is time dragging and making us impatient. We need to be patient. I will come back to give more updates.
Updated on 21 Aug 2017:
At exactly the beginning of my 4th week, I could not believe it. I got 2 seriously huge n-gown zits and 3 smaller ones on my right side of my face. The surgeon drained the one in my neck and sent a sample to get analyzed. I will see him again this week for follow-up. The before photos in the update are from a face sculpting therapy right before deciding to do the surgery.
Updated on 21 Aug 2017:
Still a little swollen on right cheek from the acne that suddenly attacked me. Dr. Lopez Castillo has been very attentive making sure to stop the in-grown zits. Thank God for make-up! I find that Smartcover covers really well. I recommend it highly. The "Before" pictures are pictures I took after doing a couple of micro-current sessions on myself. The "After" pics I took today - 35 days post-op. My cheeks will come around when I least expect it. There is numbness and no pain. My doctor did a great job hiding the inscisions. I am also using a scar recovery gel. It will help the scars become less noticeable. They say we need to do this early.
Updated on 9 Oct 2017:
My face is settling. I still feel numbness in my cheeks. Here are some carefree photos. Let me know what you think
Updated on 14 Oct 2017:
Updated on 14 Oct 2017:
About three weeks ago, a co-worker of mine point blank told me that she had no idea why I had a facelift, that now I look older. Looking at the pictures, I say to her, “pictures don’t lie.”
Updated on 14 Oct 2017:
Updated on 28 Oct 2017:
Here is a more current picture. I took it yesterday. I am still a little frozen in my cheeks. I see myself looking better, though.
Updated on 21 Dec 2017:
If you had a facelift, like me, probably your cheeks are still numb or feel numb. This is my second FL, but first time the fat was removed from the lower part of my cheeks. I will upload a picture of me right before the surgery. I had been using my micro-current machine and then I will upload some NOW pictures of me.
Updated on 4 Jan 2018:
I am still healing. Cheeks still feeling a bit numb.
Updated on 6 Jan 2018:
Old passport photo - I was 51 Years old versus the new photo - now 61. My first FL was 10 years before that first picture. I was very cheeky. I like the new look. My eyes look almost the same. The shape of my face now is different. It was sooooo very worth it.
Updated on 21 Jan 2018:
As I heal, I have increased self-confidence. I love it! I laugh more and I am not afraid of the spotlight. I am not afraid to be myself. That alone has made it all worthwhile. Before, I did not like to draw attention to myself, now, I don’t feel uncomfortable. I feel good about myself.
Updated on 31 Mar 2018:
Today, at 8.5 months, things have settled down a lot. I still do not have all the feeling back in my cheeks. Because of that, I cannot use my micro-current machine. Any imperfections left from the surgery will be smoothed out. As you can see in the second photo, there is an imperfection, my cheek does not look at 100%, but it’s not the end of the world, I do not worry about that, Juviderm injections or my machine can fix that. I love that I have no visible scars. Being my second FL with the same doctor, he did a great job...AGAIN.
Updated on 31 Mar 2018:
Here, you cannot notice the imperfection as much.
Updated on 12 Apr 2018:
Still healing from my cheeks. I decided to tattoo my eye-brows and the eye-liner. Soon I will also tattoo my lips. I like the red.
Updated on 23 Sep 2018:
Here Is an update. I still have a little numbness in my cheeks. I recall when I had my first FL 22 years ago, my face looked and felt the best 2 1/2 years after the surgery. I remember I felt the clamp feeling on top of my head for like 2 years. This time around, even with the same surgeon, the clamp feeling was gone after 4 months. My cheeks, this time, are taking forever. I know they will come round. I just need to be patient. Every day I think about fixing the problem with my sculpting machine, but I won’t, cause what if I damage the nerves under the skin? There is no rush, I will wait until all the feeling comes back, whenever that might be. All surgeries are different.
Updated on 18 Nov 2018:
As time passes, you see a better version of the you before surgery. I had fat cheeks, now I don’t. We must not be afraid as long as you make sure that you are healthy and you have no serious health issues. If you are on meds, continue taking them, especially high blood pressure meds. Blood pressure health issues can cause serious consequences. My friend did a full tummy tuck and did not take her meds and part of her skin dried up due to lack of circulation to that area and the doctor had to repair the hole, he had no choice, but to do an ugly zigzag and it healed really ugly. Imagine if that happened in the face? Always take your meds as directed. It’s common sense. Good luck
Updated on 19 Nov 2018:
Updated on 15 Jun 2020:
This is my second facelift with Dr. Lopez Castillo. I have no regrets. I was seeking a fresh and younger look and that is what I got each time.
Updated on 20 Dec 2021:
It's been 4 years and 5 months and a FL is supposed to last about 7 years. I believe I can make the 7 years stretch another 5 or so years by eating right, taking care of my skin and taking my supplements. Someone asked me what creams I use on my face. I do not use any creams. After I use the Everyone 3 in 1 soap I get on Amazon, I use the pure coconut oil XOXO. I also get it on Amazon and the. I use the Smartcover makeup with a little dab of the oil to make sure it spreads evenly. It works for me. Some people can not use oil on their faces or they break out.. I have dry skin. The thing is to use as few chemicals on your face as possible. We have to take care of our investment.