Something went wrong with my facelift and my jowls dropped completely 5 months later

Revisions are part of plastic surgery. Most surgeons have a policy for revision will surgery and should be reviewed prior to the original operation. $15,000 does seem like a lot for a facelift and I personally would charge the patient nothing more. That's a personal issue and not necessarily what your own surgeon thinks is right and proper.

The costs related to your revision surgery really depend on the surgeon, and usually it is determined on a case by case basis. Before proceeding with any surgery next time, you may want to get the full details on what you'll be charged if revision surgery is necessary.

Its common to see some recurrence of facial jowling and neck laxity a few months after a face lift procedure. Skin has a natural tendency to relax when placed under prolonged tension, like during a facelift, tummy tuck, breast lift, brachioplasty and other skin contouring procedures.

What you are experiencing is very common. Skin is a live organ and as such will respond to the forces placed on it. Just like during pregnancy when abdominal skin stretches to accommodate the enlarging abdomen, facial skin relaxes in response to the tightening caused by the facelift. In most cases there is a 20 - 30% relaxation of the skin over the first few months. In a small number of cases like yours the relaxation is enough that a revision may be appropriate. I think it is very generous of your surgeon to not charge you for his time and expertise in addressing this with further surgery. Good luck

Your doctor is being honest with you and wants you to be happy and is willing to revise your surgery to try and get the best result for you.  Most surgeons have a revision policy along the lines that within 1 year, if there is an issue, the surgeon won't charge a fee but the cost of  the facility the surgery is done in will be borne by the patient.  Beyond 1 year,  most surgeons consider any further surgery as a secondary surgery and fees, perhaps reduced, would apply. 

It is good to have a clear understanding of your financial responsibility for revision surgery no matter what type of operation you are having.  Most surgeons price the original surgery so that it doesn't include the costs of a revision.  It is easy to be critical of a result if you do not share in the financial responsibility for an enhancement. In my practice I try to be clear in advance with patients and then I do the best I can to get them a great result that makes them happy.

Thank you for your question.  I understand your frustration, but plastic surgery is an art and unfortunately results do not always turn out the way we would like them to.  I think your plastic surgeon is handling this appropriately. There are fees associated with surgery apart from the surgeon's fees that the doctor's do not control such as anesthesia fees and facility fee. They have agree to waive their fees which I think is the right thing to do. Good luck

Revision procedures are usually not free of charge.  Sometimes, a Surgeon will agree to perform revision procedures free of surgeon fees.  Unfortunately, this usually does not cover facility fees and anesthesia fees. This varies per surgeon, but there are certain fees that cannot be avoided.

It sounds as a you have a good relationship with your plastic surgeon which is very important.  Please understand that the surgeon has many expenses which are required for a revision facelift.  In my experience it is common for good surgeons to perform a revision facelift and not charge a professional fee but to charge a facility fee which is usually in the range of $1500-$2500.

Your surgeon is in line with most on charging only for facility and anesthesia for revision and not any surgeon fee.  Even in the best of hands results will not always be perfect.  Donald R. Nunn MD  Atlanta Plastic Surgeon.