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

A side by side before and at 6.5 weeks post

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.