Get the real deal on beauty treatments—real doctors, real reviews, and real photos with real results.Here's how we earn your trust.

POSTED UNDER SMAS Facelift REVIEWS

50 Yr old just had Facelift, Neck Lift, Fat Transfer and Active FX Laser-- very happy

ORIGINAL POST

My 50 year old saggy neck and jowls and had been...

my2ndhalf
WORTH IT$17,500
My 50 year old saggy neck and jowls and had been bothering me for a while and I knew it was beyond anything ultherapy or Botox could correct and that surgery was my only option. My search for a plastic surgeon was about a two year process. I really ad countless reviews on different plastic surgeons from around the country. I met with about eight plastic "top" facial plastic surgeons from New York City, Los Angeles, Asheville, and Miami before I found Dr. Miller. I read reviews and had seen Dr. Miller's before and after pictures which were so astoundingly dramatic but yet completely natural looking. His incision placement impressed me so much--- tucked up in the hair, tight around the back on the ear and inside the ear. No perceivable scars!
When I met him, I knew that I'd found my surgeon. For my initial appointment with him, I flew into LAX, drove down to his office in Aliso Viejo, CA (Orange County) and met with him. He was friendly, down to earth, confident, knowledgeable, easy to understand, and generous with his time. He is double board certified and only works on the face which were both very important to me. When I first began looking for a doctor, I never thought about how important it is for a doctor to specialize in just one area of the body. I don't believe that a surgeon can be skilled with every single area of the body. Repetition in one area makes for a more skilled doctor. When I asked him what procedures he thought would be most beneficial for me, he mentioned the obvious neck and lower face lift that I knew I needed, but also mentioned a couple of procedures that make a big difference in appearance that I hadn't really considered and only one of the other doctors I met with mentioned to me. Dr. Miller's recommendation for me was a neck lift, a high SMAS lift (deep plane face lift), fat transfer, and active fx laser.
If you think about how people age, it is usually not just one factor such as wrinkles, but a combination of wrinkling skin, uneven skin tone, fat/volume loss, and bone loss. His approach with me was to address all the above (except bone loss) in the most natural way. I hadn't realized how much fat/volume my face had lost over the years and how aging that loss of had been. The fat transfer was the only part I was nervous about as I'd read so many unfortunate stories and reviews on fat transfers. But from seeing Dr. Miller's before and after pictures, I saw how great a fat transfer could look as long as you have a competent surgeon who does it often.
Two weeks after meeting with him I went back for the surgery. My husband and I had a break in both of our work schedules and Dr. Miller had an opening and I saw no reason to wait any longer. That's how sure I was of my decision on Dr. Miller. We rented an inexpensive one bedroom apartment in Dana Point (lovely little beach town close by). We flew in the day before surgery and had a nice time shopping around Laguna. The next morning my husband dropped me off and I think I was in surgery for approximately 7 hrs start to finish (general anesthesia). I spent the first night after my surgery at his recovery suite at his office which is a must in my opinion. I can't imagine not doing that. I went back to our rented apartment the next morning with my husband. I was quite tired for the following week and didn't do much but sleep, watch tv and go for drives along the beach (I didn't drive). It's a pretty great area to recuperate. I had no real pain to speak of. I was a bit weak and had numbness all around my ears and was quite swollen and red from the laser and fat transfer and had to keep my face slathered in greasy ointment for about a week or so. I had read enough about others experiences on RealSelf (and also from speaking with the doctor and his practice manager Sandi) that I knew what to expect, so I wasn't alarmed by any of my recuperation process. During our stay, I'd go into the doctor's office every 2-3 days for the doctor to check my healing and take out various stitches (not painful at all). After 12 days, I flew back home. I'm 7 weeks out from my surgery and, while I'm still a bit swollen and not done healing, I'm thrilled with my results. I went back to work after 3 weeks (could have gone back probably at 2 weeks but was still quite swollen at that time). No one at work knows I has surgery, but a few people have commented on how great I look or how great my skin looks. I have told them I had a laser procedure????. I feel like it took about 15-20 years off my age-- maybe more.
I wish that I were as good a writer as Dr. miller is a facial plastic surgeon so I could express myself to the degree to which he deserves. I could tell when I met him that he loves what he does and cares about his patients (I felt like all of the other doctors i met with wouldn't give a flip if I had problems or questions post surgery). Sandi, his office manager, has always been super fast to get back to me with any questions I have had (even when she was on vacation!) and Dr. miller has called as well. While one of the surgeons I met in LA likes to have his picture taken on cheesy red carpets in his free time, my surgeon studies and sculpts the human form in clay--that's the kind of doctor I prefer any day over the other. I feel very lucky to have had him and wish that everyone could have such an outstanding doctor and experience.

my2ndhalf's provider

Timothy R. Miller, MD

Timothy R. Miller, MD

Board Certified Facial Plastic Surgeon

4.9 | 149 Reviews
PROFILE

my2ndhalf rating for Dr. Miller:

Overall rating
Doctor's bedside manner
Answered my questions
After care follow-up
Time spent with me
Phone or email responsiveness
Staff professionalism & courtesy
Payment process
Wait times

Replies (13)

May 19, 2017
You look absolutely amazing. It looks like you made an excellent choice in surgeons!
May 19, 2017
Thank you! You as well! You look no more than 25!
May 20, 2017
Thank you!
May 24, 2017
Truly stunning results! Thank you for sharing so many photos. It's very helpful to see the progression. I'm considering a neck lift with Dr. Miller and your results are super encouraging!
May 26, 2017
Thank you! I'm glad it was helpful. A neck lift by itself I think would be a much quicker recovery:-). I'll post more pics soon as the swelling has gone down a bit since my last post
May 27, 2017
Wow you look amazing ! Can't wait for my turn. I will be having the deep plane neck lift too. Did you have the incision under your chin to tighten the muscle?
May 28, 2017
Thank you! Yes, incision under chin.
May 29, 2017
Thank you for your reply : )
User Avatar
December 4, 2019
You did local anesthesia how many hours did it take for the surgery?
Thank you so much
User Avatar
May 27, 2017
Really amazing results! Did the redness and irritation of your skin ever frighten you? Like it might not heal properly or go away? That's my fear. That's why I ask. Thank you for sharing!
May 28, 2017
No, that was not a fear for me. I had read so much about what to expect and talked with my doctor that I knew it would be red for a while. I knew I could take care of redness with makeup without a problem. It's funny because I am so pale normally that I liked the redness when it calmed down.
June 15, 2018
Your results look amazing. Do you think you still look like yourself, just a younger version of yourself? My fear is that it would change my look into someone I didn't recognize.
UPDATED FROM my2ndhalf
2 months post

So happy with the results of my SMAS Facelift, Neck Lift, Fat Transfer and Active FX Laser

my2ndhalf
A side by side before and at 6.5 weeks post

Replies (0)

UPDATED FROM my2ndhalf
2 months post

Couple more at 6.5 weeks post surgery

my2ndhalf

Replies (29)

May 18, 2017
Wow!!!!
May 18, 2017
Beautiful result! Please keep posting for the long haul. It is important for us to see how the Dr's results hold up long term, like a year out. But so far so good for you!!!
May 18, 2017
Thanks! I will. I'm very happy so far! He did a deep plane facelift, so it should hold up much better over time.
May 19, 2017
Deep plan normally has a ton of swelling. You lucked out.
May 19, 2017
I meant deep plane.
May 19, 2017
I think I had an excellent surgeon who has "tissue respect" when he operates. I had minimal bruising which I think can be attributed to his skills.
May 20, 2017
DI'd you also have a platsmsplasty?
May 20, 2017
Yes, I believe I did. Super tight now.
May 24, 2017
How does the tightness feel? Is it uncomfortable? I've heard horror stories about people feeling "strangled" after a neck lift. (Though none of Dr. Miller's patients have reported this, which is reassuring.)
May 26, 2017
No, not uncomfortable at all-- even right after surgery. To me it feels like I have on a nice new turtleneck sweater (which I wear a lot and like the feeling of). I used to wear them to try to cover my saggy neck.
But you're right---I met a lady in a reknowned plastic surgeon's waiting room in NYC who said she was having a hard time breathing! Her neck did look great, but she was quite unhappy and miserable because of the tightness.
May 18, 2017
You look beautiful! Great results!
May 19, 2017
Thank you!
May 19, 2017
I loved the black out art in your photos! Very cute actually. You look so youthful and your jawline is seriously enviable. I was happy to read your positive review and why you chose your Dr. I'm 44 and can see my jawline starting to sag and other aging things occurring on my face. Appreciate seeing and reading about your experience.
May 19, 2017
Blackout art! That's funny! Glad you liked it. Seems only fair to post my experience as I relied heavily on others reviews and experiences before I made my decision :-)
May 25, 2017
very helpful !! Thank you so much, been thinking about it for a while now.
May 26, 2017
You're welcome!
May 26, 2017
You're welcome!
May 19, 2017
Gorgeous results! His work is truly outstanding and I love that there is no scar in front of the ear. I'm hoping for the same procedure by him in about a year. Thanks for sharing your story and you look beautiful!
May 19, 2017
Thank you! He and his staff are outstanding