Lower face lift and I am so happy I did it. Had 3 consultations in Chicago and chose Dr. Rachel because of his triple board certifications in facial reconstruction. So glad i did it. Looks fabulous !!
I went to see Dr. Rachel in Glenview and schedule procedure in June. I am working and have commitments so it is not easy to find free time and I wanted to have at least 4-6 weeks. Now I am thinking about my eyes since I will be there already and not sure about recovery. any suggestions to do it together? Updated on 12 Aug 2016: I've decided to see few more doctors just to make sure and after each visit I was more and more comfortable to go back to Dr. Rachel. Also with other doctors there are additional information and some of it was very educational. So I went back to Dr. Rachel and we decided that summer may not be best time of the year for me. In addition to that I ask him to look at my entire face and tell me what he would do if I was his wife or someone he cared about. He did say that my eyes are not real bad but since I am doing it he will do them the same time - especially upper eyelid. He also suggested to do Lipo with Harvest - something I did not consider. He would extract my fat and process it and injected when needed around face and lips. He will also freeze remaining of the fat so I can add more during the year. He thinks I need fat in my cheeks but will go slow since it can be added anytime within next 12 months. They will keep my fat in freezer and add at later time. He suggested to do it all in one step since it will be considerable large savings and definitely one recovery. I am taking his advise and will be scheduling it week after Thanksgiving. I can work from home and don't have any plans for several months. I was concerned about recovery and Dr. Rachel suggested to send a nurse home with me for the first 24 hours to keep me company - help with ice, medication, stay with me all night and in the morning remove dressing and help me to take first shower. That sounds real wonderful and my husband is relived. He is scared about me doing all this but went with me to all doctors, like this doctor and promised to support me even if he thinks I am nuts and I don't need to do anything at all. I will post pictures once I figure how to do it. I am leaving for vacation in Europe next week and will be back in 3 weeks. I will then reserve my date and start countdown. I don't feel bad about spending money since it is for me to enjoy my face. I am 58 and slim and my face is sadly looking at me. I have million questions and started making list when I will see doctor. Good luck to all of you. Updated on 24 Oct 2016: that's it - I have date for the surgery on 11/30 and I do have pre-op appointment on 11/15 when I need to pay full amount so no turning back. Have to do some blood work and EKG and see eye doctor to get clearance. Reading so many reviews and can't wait to have it done. Hired nurse from my doctor to take home for 24 hours and have my girlfriend to stay with me for day 2 and day 3 - she is medical professional. Don't want to depend on my husband who is supportive but do not understand why I am going thru all that - and money is not something he is concerned with. I am hoping for good results and for people not noticing too much changes in me. I don't have too many wrinkles on my face but I hate my neck and I have too much skin around my eyes and my chin so I don't even put make up today - I do have permanent eye liners and those should be OK per my dr. My mouth looks like I am unhappy and no fillers can put corners of my mouth where I want it to be. So I am hoping all my wish list is realistic and I don't want to look 35 again - my son is almost 38. I will take before pictures to post it for myself as a reminder. I think I am as ready as I can be. I am taking week vacation and then plan to work from home (I have that option since I am in IT) and not planning to go out until New Year. Updated on 24 Oct 2016: Pictures without makeup Updated on 14 Nov 2016: November 30 is the day of my surgery. I am ready. Doing everything I wanted at once- at least only one recovery period. Eyes, face, neck and fat transfer. Not scared but very anxious to be done. Set all month of December for recovery. I am not telling everyone but it's hard to hide from friends and family. Hope for natural results. I will post useful information as I go alone. Updated on 16 Nov 2016: I am all set for November 30 - hope to post more pictures and details once I am done and on the other side. I may have little problem seeing and typing but I will see how it goes. Updated on 17 Nov 2016: This is picture with make up, darker glasses and good lighting. I am hoping to look good after procedure without too much make up. Updated on 22 Nov 2016: I am one week before the procedure - payment already done in full and all prescriptions and shopping list from doctor are done. So now I need to survive Thanksgiving and week from tomorrow on 11/30 I will be done. Happy holidays to everyone who is recovering and who is still waiting for their day. I know that first few days will be hard but each day will make it look and feel better. I am starting to practice patience. Updated on 29 Nov 2016: It's happening tomorrow and I can't wait. Not sure I can sleep tonight. Hope I will be fine and I am going to follow dr orders. Having done so much in one procedure will be hard but I don't want to have it done again. I will update information when I can see and type. Updated on 4 Dec 2016: Hello everyone. I am back on line and it's day 4 after procedure. I am thrilled it's done but it was hard few days. My surgery took over 6 hours. I took nurse home over night and had friend with my next two night. I am glad I did it that way. My husband helped but it's not the same. We did ice every 20 minutes for 72 hours around the clock. Head wrapping came off next day - nurse came to my home to remove it. I felt 100% better after it was removed. I have no pain and had nothing but Tylenol. It's pulling around ears and neck but nothing I can't handle. No nausea thanks to shot nurse gave me morning after. I post few pictures of day 3. So happy I did everything during one time. If you are getting ready and need advise or help please ask. Buy wedge pillow - it's a must. Updated on 5 Dec 2016: So far so good. No bruising on my face but still lots of swelling around neck and ears. Slowly feeling coming back. No pain but just lots of pulling on the skin. Started to eat more and able to have soft solid food. No pain pills needed. Can't wait to take all stitches and staples out and comb my hair. My eye lashes are all in one together and eyes very watery but dr said it's normal. Don't do ice as much as first 4 days and rest most of the time. Don't look myself yet and trying to be positive and patient. How long it takes till you look more of yourself? Not easy to type but so happy I am done. To all waiting to do it - good luck. Updated on 7 Dec 2016: All good but my eyes are very watering and not sure how long it will take for them to be normal. Does anyone have this info? Dr is removing all staples and stitches today so maybe it will get better. My face feels ok and no bruising but little swollen. I know it's only 7 days so I am very happy. Just wish I could see better. Updated on 8 Dec 2016: My staples removed and I feel better. My only concern my eyes. I developed condition calls chemosis or something like it. Eyes are watering and filled with gel like fluids. Don't hurt but very uncomfortable. Dr gave me steroid with antibiotics drops and ask to use them for a week. He said it's not uncommon for it and it should go away. Did it happens to anyone or just my luck? I was going so well. Maybe it's price for doing all procedures at once? I am following dr orders but definitely unhappy. All other parts looking and feeling ok. Today day 8 and I still have no feeling in my neck and on and around my ears. I started massaging myself as I was told and will start warm compress in few days. Staples were removed very easily and I have lots of self dissolving stitches around hairline, around ears and in some other areas under my hair. It supposed to dissolve in few weeks. I will try taking pictures tomorrow. Updated on 11 Dec 2016: I am 10 days post facelift, fat transfer, neck and eyes. I. General I have no bruising and no pain. I do have problem with my eyes. Dr said I developed extra swelling inside my eyes and he gave me steroid drops. One of my eyes upper lid is not as open as my other eye. I am hoping I don't need a revision since it will set back my recovery. Perhaps it's not enough time. Did anyone had this problem with eye surgery? Updated on 13 Dec 2016: Looking not myself yet but feeling ok. Still have all stitches in my head not dissolved and more pulling around ears and neck. Took shower and use blow dryer on low setting. Still can't use hair brush and using pick for my hair. Pictures not best but it is what it is. Tomorrow us 2 weeks anniversary. I will celebrate with my husband and friend and glass of wine???? Updated on 15 Dec 2016: I am two weeks post op. I have still hard areas under chin and around ears. I can still feel most stitches and I am seeing my dr next week and he will trim more stitches. I feel fine to go out and only concern today is one eye little more closed and I have to wait for swelling to go away and all stitches dissolved completely in my eyes. I feel that I am more aware of my eyes then people around me. Today after 2 weeks all I can say I am glad I gig all procedures at once. Updated on 15 Dec 2016: so days are just rolling one after the other - I don't have any complains outside of the lose of feelings around temples, ears and neck but doing massage little by little which is not most pleasant feeling. I am patient since doctor promised me to address any issues I may still have once I am totally healing. I do see huge different if I take pictures before and after using body parts. Technically all selfies looks not natural to me but if I just do eyes or lower face I can see huge difference. I am posting before and after pictures of the face parts. Still slipping on my wedge pillow - not sure how to live without it now. Eating regular food but easy on salt. Never got any bruising and swelling coming down I think. I am seeing doctor at 3 weeks and he is going to trim stitches - I have way too many especially around drain area at the back and around temples and everywhere around my hairline. But it is a very small price to pay. I walk outside yesterday and bumped into my next door neighbor - she did not say anything so I guess she did not noticed which is great. I am hoping to go out next week. Updated on 16 Dec 2016: I can't find scar under my chin and very little scarring around my ears. My neck still swollen and because of it looks bigger. But turkey neck is gone. Updated on 18 Dec 2016: Not sure if anything changed. No make up pictures. Updated on 21 Dec 2016: I went today to see my ps and all looks great. He took tons of pictures and we compared it. What a difference 3 weeks made. I will see him in 3 month and we will discuss fat injection. He froze my fat to add when needed. I need to be patient to get all my feelings back. He said I don't have any restrictions. Incisions still there but they will dissolve with time and so will I get feeling around my ears and under chin. I can start using make up if I want to. My eyes needs artificial tears few times a day. I am going to the office next week. Went shopping today and stop to see my mom. She said I look myself but younger and natural. Feel great. Updated on 21 Dec 2016: Updated on 23 Dec 2016: Thinks are getting much better and I am more comfortable going out. My incisions looks good and I am using Silagen gel for scars. I ask my husband to take pictures of the scars so here they are. Updated on 27 Dec 2016: So I am going to work for a first time tomorrow. I work in large company but managing 12 man IT group. I know that man don't pay too much attention (I hope). I told them I had corrective eye surgery just in case since I have tine scars above my upper lids and they little extended. I hope it will be ok. Last week I had two dinner parties - one at restaurant with real bad lighting???? and other at people home. I put lipstick and mineral foundation and I have tattoo liners on my eyes so I was presentable. Nobody looked at me strange way or said anything. My incisions healing good but still too much stitches not dissolved and area where I had drain still have crusted area. If I pick crust a little it start bleeding so I am leaving it alone. I still have lots of pulling and areas around my ears, earlobes and neck are very hard and no feeling like it's not mine. But I have no bruising and never had any. I feel like swelling is almost gone. So outside of being uncomfortable I feel ok. I am having hard time when I am driving to turn my neck all the way. I feel that one eye is bigger then other but I think it's because of numbness in my temples and I feel more pulling when I am closing my eyes tight in that eye. I just wish I gain my face back. The only area soft is in cheeks. Most people saying that big mark is 6 weeks so I am 2 weeks away. I am happy I did it all. I still have fat frozen and will check with my ps in 3 to 6 month when and where to add it. For now I am just trying to live with all the issues and I am not complaining to my husband. He was and is supportive but saying that I did it on my own without any necessity. I guess he is right. I took picture today and I hate selfie but I want to keep it for the records. Updated on 29 Dec 2016: So I am back to the office. Put little makeup and looks ok. Updated on 2 Jan 2017: I am kind of sad that after all this time I am not able to feel my neck and areas around my ears and temples / it's hard like a rock. At night it feels like I have something fulling my neck and I still can't sleep on my side. My earlobe still swollen and my sutures still not dissolved around my hairline. My upper eyes stitches better but still tiny red line but lower eyes looks good. Sutures where I had drain still not healed and I can feel crust there. I guess I look much better then I feel. My dr thinks it's normal and as expected. Am I ahead of myself? I did not imagine recovery takes that long. I go out and go to work. My neck turning about 70% but under chin and around ears and temples it is 90% hard without any feeling. I wonder if I am not alone. I can close my eyes but when I do I can feel my mussels working around my temples. I tried to do a massage myself but it's very hard. I use warm compress first before massage. I never had any pain but just lots of pulling and tightness in my face and neck. I am beginning to getting used to that feeling but would love to feel normal. I am going to see kids in 3 weeks and hoping for some improvements but don't expect any miracles. Is someone feels the same I would like to hear from anyone. Updated on 4 Jan 2017: It's 5 weeks since big day. No regrets even if recovery much slower then I imagine. One of my opens little more and it's due to numbness in my temples. On the scale 1 to 10 comfort is 6 with 10 being very comfortable. Numbness around ears, temples and under chin is 4 on the same scale. People who did not see me don't ask any questions and I am comfortable going to work and out. I started to sleep in my side and it's no problems. My eyes are not dry but I am putting drops before going to bed. I am using moisturizers to protect my skin. I can't tell about fat since I don't know yet how much of my fat survived. My husband keep saying he can't see difference but I do. When I look at 1 week before photo and today it is shocking to me. Can't wait for 3 month mark since it's my new goal. According to most people it's when numbness suppose to be gone. I add few before and today photos. I hate selfie but want to keep it for my own records. Updated on 9 Jan 2017: So I am almost 6 weeks post my procedure. Anyone who met me cannot tell that I had something done. that is totally great. I don't have any bruising and my face round and even without any visible bumps or lumps. How I feel it totally different and very hard to describe - only someone who did it can understand my feelings. On the good side I am not depressed or unhappy. I look at any issues as a challenge and my PS seeing me on the first request or anytime I send him pictures about something I am not sure. So that is the good part. I am continued being numb in many areas of my face - my temples and areas infront of my ears are the hardest - when I need to scratch my ears it feels like I am touching someone else. Because of that area when I close my eyes I can feel skin getting tighter in the temples. maybe that is why one of my eyes little smaller than the other but nobody noticed but me. Area behind my ears healing nice and I don't have any issues. I am trying to do massage and I feel like areas under my ears are getting little softer and feelings coming back. Neck is getting softer to touch but under chin area especially around the incision is hard as a rock. From time to time I am getting tingling sensation which is probably good since it means that nerves are beginning to heal. My hairline incisions are hard to find so I am not bothered at all - I am sure they will dissolve next month. My incision where I used to have drainage is my big concern and I am seeing my dr about it. The area is not healing and after shower I have to be super careful. If I touch it wrong way I can feel blood and little discharge from the incision. I have lots of hair and I have a feeling that hair around that area are tangled with the stitches and maybe my dr can cut or clear area from hair. It may prevent it to heal faster. I can't even dream going to cut or color my hair in this condition. So if my drain will heal and if I could feel my face and neck I would say this is a success. My eyes looks great outside of being pulled due to the numbness and I look myself and not alien as I was first 2 weeks. I am trying to put my hair behind my ears but because my ears numb the hair won't stay there. Oh well, that is the small issues comparing to where I was 6 weeks ago. I wonder if anyone reading it had issue with drain area healing and any suggestion how to handle it? thanks everyone. Updated on 11 Jan 2017: Today is 6 weeks after procedure. I look good but still numb in many places. My left side more than right and because of it my left eye looks less open but I am only one to see it. I still have sutures where drain was bothering me and I am seeing my dr today. He may need to clean up area and maybe cut some hair. I have a lot of hair so no big deal but it may prevent from healing in that area. I sleep on the side and able to turn my neck but under chin and around ears area it feels like totally numb. Everyone saying I have to wait for 3 month mark so I am 50% done. Updated on 18 Jan 2017: Nothing new and some areas still very numb. Scars are getting better and neck turning good in all directions. Updated on 27 Jan 2017: It's two month since my surgery. Feel good and look ok and totally normal. Still numb around temples, ears and under chin but it's not bothering me. So glad I did it. Just went on vacation and nobody can tell that I did something - very natural results. Updated on 7 Jun 2017: It is 6 month since I did face and neck. I am happy and feel that I look good for 59 year old. I never hoped to look 35 but just want to look myself without wrinkles and turkey neck. I still 85% numb around ears and under chin. I also feel little numbness in my eyes but it's nothing to be worry or uncomfortable at all. I may do fat injections before it's expires in 6 month since I have it frozen and don't want to miss that option. I uploaded pictures without make up and just with lipstick. I am happy it's done and I still think my PS is good and honest and delivers what promised. My experience was easy and just as expected.
I've had botox by several docs and Dr. Rachel is the best. fantastic results. My 11 was gone and it looked very natural. Botox is pretty straight forward so don't know why this is making me type a longer response. Sorry ladies and gents, apparently so much info is required to submit a review, kinda silly
I was considering lower face lift for quite some time now. i was going back and forth choosing different procedures. i was't thrilled about lifetime lift after reading all the reviews. At the end of the day i trully believe that no matter what procedure you select the most importand decision will be selecting your doctor. i went to Glenview IL clinic because i saw that Dr. Rachel is doing that procedure there. He is triple board certified and i had a lot of confidence in him. When i came for consultation i tried to avoid that whole promotional speech and ask the rep to arrande me a meeting with the doctor. He came in and i asked him questions that were my concern. he told me what exactly he will do and what to expect. i schedule surgery for the next week. when i arrived surgical nurse took me to the room, checked my vitals and took pictures. she also gave me 4 tablets of valium and one tablet of something to control nasuea. i didnt take all four pills, i old her that two valium would be ok for me. i aslo was taking arnica montana for 4days prior the surgery and started anabiotic night before. After giving me pills surgical tech took me to the operation room. i have to say this was a state of art facility: clean, lots of monitors. she laid me on the warm bed and covered with warm blanket. in a few minutes she started administering local anastesia. i asked her about her experience and she said that she is working with Dr. Rachel for 7 years and she has 30 years of experience in plastic surgery. it made me actually more comfortable. after injectic some of the numbing stuff she started to pumping actual numbic solution under the skin. i asked doctor about epinephrin and that it gives me heart racing so they used more diluted solution, which was nice and i didnt feel any heart speeding. in a few minuted doctor came in and he told me what he was doing every step of the procedure. i had my neck muscle tighten under the chin with a little lipo and then he did tighten muscles and skin around my ears. i didnt fall a sleep and hear everything, so probably if you will take all 4pills you most likely will be out. i felt what he was doing but it didnt bother me at all. there were no pain. i had doctor and two his assistants in the room all the time. i was hooked t o the pressure and oxygen monitors, hering nice quiet music. so it wasnt bad. after they were done nurse transferred me to the post operation room. i had tight bandages around my face. my face felt pretty tight so i couldnt even close my mouth. i was going home in about 30 minutes. at home i didnt take vycodin becase it makes me sick so i opted for talenol and ibuprofen every 3 hours. i cant lie - there is a lor of pain, i cant eat from the spoon so im just drinking water and yogurt. it is alo very painful to swallow because of all that neck repair. all together it took me 4hours in the clinic from the moment i came in. now its 7 oclock and im sitting in my bed because i cant lay down, it hurts. my neck it really hurts to the touch and i cant see the swalling yet because of thr wraps. tomorrow i will be going back o take the wrapping off, so hopefully i will have pictures to post. while i was there on the table the nurse commented on my neck and said that it looks very smooth and i have a nice jaw line. i cant wait to see myself. sorry for my typos, im on my ipad and no spell prof Updated on 23 Jan 2014: The first night was tough. i slept probably 2 hours alltogether. had lot of pain and the wrap was really tight. next day i went to the clinic to remove the wrapping. nurse told me to take shower and show me how to clean insisions. that second day was tough, i took tylenol but it didnt do much. my only relieve was from ice cold compresses. i actually used ice with water and cloth , it worked better then ice packs because it would contour my face and i dont have to hold it. nurse told me about it and im glad she did. by nine oclock i was so tiered and exhausted so i just took ibuprofen and half of xanax to get some sleep. i slept till 4am and acually feeling much better today. i have no bruising but my face and neck is swollen, also looking at my insions they look very nice. i will add photos when i get to the computer later today. Updated on 23 Jan 2014: actually my post was for the second day after procedure Updated on 23 Jan 2014: here are sine before and after. My surgery day and second day Updated on 23 Jan 2014: So i had surgery on Tuesday Jan 21. This is picture from Jan 23rd. you can see my neck is swollen and my ear is swollen too. Not much bruising yet... Updated on 24 Jan 2014: No pain! yey! I'm completely off the pain killers. Still taking antibiotic, cleaning the scars twice a day and applying ointment. Still very puffy on the face and neck, tight under the chin and behind ears. Updated on 26 Jan 2014: Yesterday i got out of my PJs and relocated from my bedroom to the couch in the living room. I feel more mobile today. I have no pain, just discomfort, my neck is tight, soreness behind the ears... I took a long shower today and washed my hair for the first time. Still swollen around the temples but it's getting softer to the touch. The bruising going down, I'm using arnica gel on my neck. That's the only place where I have yellow bruising. My stitched to be removed in two days so I 'm feeling very excited. I feel like it will be phase two of my recovery after that. I don't do much these days, really didn't go anywhere just took my dog for a walk yesterday for the first time. Updated on 26 Jan 2014: Updated on 26 Jan 2014: Updated on 2 Feb 2014: I'm healing very nicely; my scars on front are completely invisible. I still have swollen tissue behind my ears. My neck is also kindda puffy and tight and I have no feeling under the chin and temples areas. I will phone office tomorrow because i think that I have some fluid under the skin below my ears. I googled it and it's called ceratoma or ceroma. It is very common and should be absorbing by your body, but I wanted to see if the doctor can extract it. Other then that it looks great. Updated on 10 Mar 2014: I had a doctor's follow at week 6th. Everything looks great.The swollen things that I thought is seratoma - were just internal tissue scars that are almost completely dissolved. I still have puffy chin but that's about it. Little numbness and tightness but overall no complains or problems. Updated on 18 Apr 2014: It's almost three months since my surgery. The face is actually back to it's normal self - not swollen anymore. Still some numbness in front of my ears and under the chin. It looks great, especially neck. I still have some soreness in my neck so I can't go for a facial yet :) but very excited with the transformation. Updated on 1 Jul 2014: Everything is going really well. I still have some tight feeling under my chin and ears - but i kindda like it. LOL . I think that this was the best thing that I did. I'm very motivated now - i exercise every day and probably now in the best shape of my life. I love pulling hair up to a ponytail - which I would never do before. Love it, love it, love it!!!
i wanted to look 10 years younger. i wanted to remove loose skin around the neck and eyes. the turkey neck was removed along with the bags under the eyes and the dark circles under the eyes.there was minimal pain during the procedure. recovery time was only a few weeks. there was little bruising. i received many favorable comments on my new look.
wish I could give no stars. He made my nose look worse. It's bigger and doesn't fit my face. My facelift was a joke. He agreed to the example pictures I sent. Then did whatever he wanted. When I told him about it, he said that's another procedure. Really? I have to pay you twice for what you should have done the first time. The gaslighting at this office is over the top. You know? Like when a salon ruins your hair then tells you it looks great. Only this won't grow out. I have always been attractive, but now I am not, due to the nose he gave me. Stay clear of this office. I got this done in March and now I try not to look in the mirror, because every time I do I feel like crying. I looked into suing him for my money back so I can at least try to fix my nose with another doctor. But no lawyer will take a plastic surgery case unless you are considered legally disfigured. I guess him making me ugly is not criminal. The WORST decision I ever made! Truley! If you want to see my pictures look him up on yelp.
I am having a rhinoplasty and chin implant done on May 24th. I am more excited than I am nervous seeing that I have done a lot of research and searching for the right doctor over several years. I can't wait to have it done now that I have made my choice and scheduled a day! I wish time would move faster! I have always been very self conscious about my profile due to my large dorsal hump and weak chin. I went back and forth about having the procedure done for years because of the permanent impact it would have on my face. After several consultations and countless hours of research on this site and other sources, I finally decided to pull the trigger. I had my pre-op appointment yesterday and my doctor spent a lot of extra time with me to answer all of my questions - which really put me at ease and got me really excited for what is to come. We discussed what I wanted to achieve through the surgery and I felt like he really got an understanding of what I wanted while guiding me from a professional standpoint what his suggestions were. We also discussed what sizes would work best with respect to the chin implant. We decided on making the incision and pocket from the outside, under my chin. He said he will fit both the medium and large sized implants and decide which is more aesthetically pleasing with my facial structure. Both sizes also have wings to help with projection for creating a stronger jawline. All in all, I am very excited for my surgery which is in just two weeks. Any advice, suggestions, stories, or a time machine (since I am terribly impatient) would be much appreciated! Updated on 21 May 2013: So I am three days away from the big day. I am really getting more and more excited, but also getting the slightest bit of nerves. I am just worrying about what I will look like after, will I heal well, will it be the outcome that I have wanted and hoped for all these years of waiting? I am confident my surgeon knows what I want and will deliver a great end result, but there is still that little bit of fear that I will be let down or underwhelmed by the surgery. I have really built up a lot of expectation after seeing pictures and hearing stories from other people! Also, since I am having both a rhinoplasty and a chin augmentation, I expect to see significant change in my facial structure. I have filled all my pre-op and post-op medications and went to the store to get the necessities for my recovery time, so now I am just counting down the hours! I will update on the day of surgery and during my recovery. Wish me luck!
Amazing doctor and his entire team. I go to him pretty much for everything. He is triple certified, experienced, great bedside manner. I would say if you need to do any procedure just go to him with out any hesitation. Updated on 11 Jul 2018: So it took me almost 2years to work up the courage and do it. If I knew it would be so easy I would do it much sooner. The procedure was not bad at all. I have done upper and lower abdomen and back with bra rolls. I went to the same surgeon who did my mini face lift 4years ago and I’m still so happy with it. So anyway I took 2 pills of Valium and was dr. Rachel did the markings and I was taken into the op room. It took about 15minutes to get the numbing solution into me. Deb is an amazing nurse and I didn’t feel a thing. After that dr. Rachel started with procedure. They all make you feel very relaxed and comfortable. I had no pain and the only time I feel some discomfort when it was the ribs area on the back. He quickly added more solution and that was it. All n all it too about 2 hours. I had 1000ml taken off my stomach and about 250 ml off each side of the back. I’m 5’6 132lb active,not much far all around. After the procedure Alicia and Deb got me all wrapped up and I went home. I still had no pain and wasn’t taking any pain medication. After getting home I just ate a little veggie soup and went to bed. I did take 2extra strength Tylenol but not because of pain but rather to prevent it. I slept til 8pm, and then got up to wash up. Getting up and laying down is the hardest part. Still no pain, just a lot of discomfort on the back. I walk around the room for about 15 minutes and then got to bed. Slept till 6:30am. Today I will be taking the wrap off and showering. I will post pics later tonight. Updated on 11 Jul 2018: Updated on 13 Jul 2018: I'm feeling much better. No pain just mainly discomfort. Easier to get to bed, I can even sleep on my side, yey! Drink ton of water, no salt. I started walking same day of the procedure. First time I was able to walk for 15 minutes. Today I did walking excersize for 30. I would recommend Leslie Samson walk at home. This is perfect for post recovery. Easy moves, little stretch. It is better than lymphatic massage. And it's free on you tube. I also take arnika tablets. Started fast before the surgery. I have very little bruises. Staying positive, hoping to see results soon. Updated on 19 Jul 2018: Every day I can see more changes. I don't have any swelling on my sides, a little on the back in the bra area and more around stomach. I'm excersizing every day. Still sore in the stomach and itching like crazy. I have not taking Tylenol since day 2. Also I bought a lighter garment in Walmart today to wear at night. Updated on 20 Jul 2018: Not much to report. I wear my garment pretty much all the time. Bought a lighter one black for the night and if I need to go out. Still sore in the stomach and bra areas. Eat light and exercise. These photos are taken in the morning. I see that it's getting flat but telling myself that I have to be very patient. I have realistic expectations, I know that I'm not going to have results like 20 y.o. And that recovery will take many month. I'm excited to see changes that happen now, I can wait. Updated on 22 Jul 2018: I feel like my stomach getting more lumpy sms.ateb.com also one side on the back is more swollen than the other. I hope it's just temporary. I started my usual workout routine - cardio 30 min, strength 30 min. I also walk outside 2.5 miles. Am I overdoing? I don't feel swelling just one place on the back and around stomach. Updated on 25 Jul 2018: Had a doctor's visit today. He said everything looks great, no restrictions of any kind. I can be officially out of my garment. I will still put it on for the workout though cause it feels better. I do have some very mild swelling and will start massages. Overall I extremely happy with results. I'm excersizing at about 90%of my regular strength. I think starting early moving and excersizing is the key. Also I starting to apply some steroid cream on my back scars. I have it left since when I did laser under my eyes. I don't know what that is, doc. gave me in a small container. Anyway, I will continue adding my updates and hope everyone have speedy recovery! Updated on 31 Jul 2018: Well still healing, my stomach is very tender. My back is still numb in some places. I can see more ripples on the stomach and one spot on my back where it is swelled up. Here are some pics from morning. I don't wear garment at night but all the time during the day. Updated on 9 Aug 2018: It's getting better. Still soreness in the tissues, hard to do stretches, my back hurts in the car if I have to drive for some time. Massage definitely helps with bumps and lumps, however I feel that I'm more swollen after. I thought that it would be opposite. These pictures were taken in the morning after last night massage. I really love the way clothes sit now, especially shirt dresses. Just telling myself to have patience. Updated on 22 Aug 2018: I LOVE my results. Every day is getting better. I feel like swelling is going down. Still sore everywhere, I can't wear jeans yet, and tight anything around the waist. I don't wear garment anymore, I don't see much difference with or without. Massage helps with getting sensitivity back into the skin. Overall healing process is long. Updated on 8 Sep 2018: Just wanted to post update. It's been two months. I'm pretty much back to all my normal activities. Still have a little soreness in the stomach around navel area. It feels always more puffy then the rest of the stomach. I still love the results. I will be 55 in two month and do have realistic expectations and I'm aware that I will never look like Victoria secret model, so for me my results are amazing. I feel very confident in tight dresses and jeans, no more muffin top! It just made me more happier.
I've been thinking about doing this for 6 years. Finally got the nerve up to do it after reading about others journey on Real Self. Thank you all for posting about your experiences. I'm getting a Face & Neck lift, Brow lift, Upper & Lower eyes, Buccal fat removal, and CO2 Laser Resurfacing on full face and neck. May also do liposuction on my hips. Hope it's not too much at once! See my doc tomorrow to go over the details. I wish I could say I'm excited, but I'm more nervous!
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