Every procedure on RealSelf comes with a Worth It Rating, a proprietary consumer-satisfaction score showing the percentage of real patients, with firsthand experience, who thought the procedure was “Worth It.” This story is part of the 2021 Most Worth It campaign to help you make smart, confident cosmetic decisions.
Tricia McCall is a 48-year-old woman living in Orange County, California, who underwent a lower facelift in July 2020, with dramatic results. This is her story, as told to Melanie Rud, edited for length and clarity.
I noticed the changes in my neck and lower face very suddenly; it seemed like my neck completely fell overnight. It happened extremely quickly, over the course of six months or so, at the start of 2020. I’ve struggled with body dysmorphia since I was very young and rarely look in the mirror. But anytime I did, all I could see were my jowls and sagging neck. I had also lost my job during the pandemic and knew there was no way I was going to present myself for job interviews looking like that.
I started researching my treatment options and quickly realized that I wasn’t a candidate for Kybella. I ruled out a thread lift when I learned the results weren’t long-lasting. That left a lower facelift as the only solution. With my body dysmorphia [BD], there’s a fine line when it comes to surgeries, and I knew that many plastic surgeons won’t even consider operating on a patient who has BD. I began researching doctors, following them on Instagram, reading reviews on RealSelf, and getting referrals from friends who had had lower facelifts. I ultimately narrowed it down to Dr. Raymond E. Lee [a board-certified facial plastic surgeon in Newport Beach, California] and one other doctor, and I scheduled virtual consultations with both.
What attracted me to Dr. Lee was how understanding he and everyone at his office were about my body dysmorphia. They had asked that I send photos of myself, but that was too challenging for me, so he agreed to do a video call instead. He also took the time to speak with my psychiatrist about my BD, and when I asked about possibly doing other procedures at the same time, he said he would only do the lower facelift. It made me feel confident that he really understood my situation, cared about me as a patient, and wasn’t just after my money.
I did tell some friends and family—my husband and kids, my mom, and my best friend—about the surgery ahead of time, but because of my BD, I was afraid they’d tell me I was crazy. So when I told anyone, I essentially put my foot down and told them they had to be supportive of my decision. To be fair, they didn’t really know how bad my neck and lower face looked. I knew exactly how to position my face and neck to make them look good, and I rarely allowed photos to be taken of me. The night before the surgery, I finally showed my mom how everything really looked and asked her to rate how bad it was, on a scale of 1 to 10. She agreed with me that it was a 10.
My lower facelift recovery and results
I had the surgery on July 29, 2020. The recovery, really, was so easy for me. The worst part was having a headache for two days after, which I think was because I wasn’t allowed to drink caffeine. I got my drains out the day after surgery and took the prescribed pain medication for just one day. I took Tylenol for another four days and had my stitches out on day seven. Two weeks after the surgery, I was back to all my usual activities.
I’d have the surgery again tomorrow, both because of the easy recovery and the end result. For anyone considering a lower facelift, I’d say: do your research, speak to other women who have had it done, and make sure you find a reputable surgeon who will be honest with you.
Dr. Lee did a beautiful job, and I’m so happy with the result. But because of my BD, it’s hard for me to believe that I really look this good. Even when I see before and after photos of myself, I have to ask my husband and kids if I really do look like that in real life. But while I still struggle with body dysmorphia, my self-confidence is much better.
