POSTED UNDER Facelift REVIEWS
Facelift Barely Lasted a Year
ORIGINAL POST
My husband and I decided to have a vow renewal...
RealDissapointmentMay 6, 2018
$9,000
My husband and I decided to have a vow renewal ceremony to celebrate our 20 year wedding anniversary. I knew we would be getting professional photos and I wanted my husband to walk down that isle and think I still looked as beautiful as when he met me! We talked about it and he said he was okay with me getting some kind of cosmetic procedure. I scheduled a consult with a local surgeon for a surgical face lift and a non surgical face lift with filler. Dr. said I needed a deep plane lift with a SOOF lift of the lower eyes and an upper eyelid lift. The total was going to be $13,000 but would also include a CO2 resurfacing of the eyelids and would last about 10 years. Wow. I was not totally sold because it seemed like a lot of surgery for someone in their mid 40s. He also gave me a quote for a filler face lift using multiple syringes of filler all around my face. The cost for that was going to be $5000 and he said the results would only last about 1 year to 18 mos. I wanted another opinion so I googled face lifts and found RealSelf. There were several reviews for Dr. Harley on the home page... I started reading his reviews and was impressed there were no negative comments and really excited about the low price! After talking to Dr Harley on the phone it seemed like the Biltmore lift was less invasive and less risky than the deep plane lift. He told me there was no chance of nerve damage and the healing time would be quick. He said I didn't need a lower lid surgery and the face lift plus upper eyelid would be $9,000. Before I knew it I was booking the surgery for 2 months before our vow renewal ceremony. Yay!
I flew in for my surgical consult the day before my surgery. When I got there and saw the surgery is done in a room inside a house he uses as his office, my stomach felt a little uneasy. I've gone with friends who've had cosmetic surgery before and the surgical suites looked very different then what I was seeing. Dr. Harley came in to discuss the surgery with me, but he seemed rushed and annoyed by some of my questions. He only spent about ten minutes with me before I was sent back to the surgery room. The surgery itself went alright as far as I know. My sister came with me and said I was in there about 90 minutes. We stayed in town for a week and I had my sutures removed by a nurse and then was sent on my way. The doctor did not do a post op with me.
Once at home I made a point of following all of the post surgical instructions. There are lots of reviews on Realself with photos of people who looked great after only 1 month so I was planning on being camera ready way before my event. I had some post surgery complications, I got bumps around the scar lines on my eyes and they were very very itchy, red and hot; my neck felt very weird on one side like it was being pulled down; my chin incision was very thick and didn't seem to want to close properly. I didn't receive any follow up calls from the Dr. office so I called in as the weeks progressed to report the problems I was having. I was told more or less to be patient and let my face heal. I began to regret not choosing a doctor in my city who could have monitored my progress more carefully.
Right before the event my face looked really great! I was still a little swollen but my bruising was gone and my skin looked very tight and smooth. I was a little disappointed no one at the ceremony noticed my face looked any different at all. My husband and my sis knew, but I thought for sure some of my other family members would compliment me on my face but it didn't happen. I got lots of compliments on my dress but that was it.
For about 5 months after surgery I was happy with the look of my face even though it was numb and the scars were really visible. But when it got past 6 months things really began to change and I began to wonder if I actually looked any better than before the surgery. My cheeks got really flat; flatter than they were before the surgery. The pulling feeling in my neck got worse and actually went from just being uncomfortable to being painful. Lines started to appear under my neck, and on one side there was a painful fleshy bulge that I don't remember being there before. By the 10th month I was getting anxiety watching my surgery results disintegrate before my eyes - the pain in my neck got worse and I had to start taking ibuprofen daily. I contacted Dr. Harley and he was always available to listen to my concerns, but he didn't seem very interested or able to offer to do anything to help me. When he told me I needed to get some filler for my cheeks I got upset. I had not been told before the surgery that I was going to need the face lift and also filler a few months later, which meant the cost of the surgery with the travel and everything else was not turning out to be any bargain at all.
The procedure date I put on here is not my actual surgery date because I want to keep my privacy but my one year surgery anniversary passed a couple of months ago. I did not get any filler and now a year later my face actually looks older than it did before surgery. My eyes are more open, but my face looks older, the skin is thinner, the shape of my face is boxy. When I look at photos of myself before surgery I feel like crying. Even though I did look better for about 4-5 months after surgery, it wasn't worth looking worse now than when I started.
At the one year anniversary I scheduled a consult with a facial plastic surgeon recommended by a friend. The surgeon told me that I had not gotten a true face lift, but more like a "lunchtime" lift that probably wouldn't last for even another year (what does that mean, its going to get worse? Yikes) He said I needed a deep plane lift and a small cheek implant because I look so hollow and he doesn't believe in using fat or fillers. I was crushed. After spending over $12,000 for my surgery + travel a year before, here was someone telling me I needed more surgery. I had to choke back tears when I realized if I had actually listened to the first surgeon I went to, I would have had the real results of a face lift that would have lasted years.
I haven't told my husband about the new consult. I don't see how I will ever get him to agree for me to spend the same amount of money I spent a year ago for the same procedure on my face. Even the $5000 filler face lift would have been better and probably lasted longer than the Biltmore Lift plus I wouldn't be taking ibuprofen daily for pain and using dermablend to cover up the scars.
I know this site is meant to be helpful, but I can't help feeling I was tricked into something with these reviews. Who is writing this stuff? I didn't end up seeing the negative reviews on the Harley patients with nerve damage, scarring, saggy necks, flat faces until after my procedure. I wish those reviews would have come up when I was originally looking but they didn't. Most people probably won't read my review because I won't post photos, but if you are reading it please please consider using a surgeon in your own town that you are referred to by friends, or by reviews on Google of real local people. Please also know there are no shortcuts or safe surgeries. My family doctor thinks I have some nerve damage that may or may not ever go away. If you need a deep plane lift, don't fool yourself into thinking this lift is safer or that it will be enough to lift your face. Its not. I'm glad I got some good photos of when I looked good, but otherwise this has been a huge waste of time and money.
I flew in for my surgical consult the day before my surgery. When I got there and saw the surgery is done in a room inside a house he uses as his office, my stomach felt a little uneasy. I've gone with friends who've had cosmetic surgery before and the surgical suites looked very different then what I was seeing. Dr. Harley came in to discuss the surgery with me, but he seemed rushed and annoyed by some of my questions. He only spent about ten minutes with me before I was sent back to the surgery room. The surgery itself went alright as far as I know. My sister came with me and said I was in there about 90 minutes. We stayed in town for a week and I had my sutures removed by a nurse and then was sent on my way. The doctor did not do a post op with me.
Once at home I made a point of following all of the post surgical instructions. There are lots of reviews on Realself with photos of people who looked great after only 1 month so I was planning on being camera ready way before my event. I had some post surgery complications, I got bumps around the scar lines on my eyes and they were very very itchy, red and hot; my neck felt very weird on one side like it was being pulled down; my chin incision was very thick and didn't seem to want to close properly. I didn't receive any follow up calls from the Dr. office so I called in as the weeks progressed to report the problems I was having. I was told more or less to be patient and let my face heal. I began to regret not choosing a doctor in my city who could have monitored my progress more carefully.
Right before the event my face looked really great! I was still a little swollen but my bruising was gone and my skin looked very tight and smooth. I was a little disappointed no one at the ceremony noticed my face looked any different at all. My husband and my sis knew, but I thought for sure some of my other family members would compliment me on my face but it didn't happen. I got lots of compliments on my dress but that was it.
For about 5 months after surgery I was happy with the look of my face even though it was numb and the scars were really visible. But when it got past 6 months things really began to change and I began to wonder if I actually looked any better than before the surgery. My cheeks got really flat; flatter than they were before the surgery. The pulling feeling in my neck got worse and actually went from just being uncomfortable to being painful. Lines started to appear under my neck, and on one side there was a painful fleshy bulge that I don't remember being there before. By the 10th month I was getting anxiety watching my surgery results disintegrate before my eyes - the pain in my neck got worse and I had to start taking ibuprofen daily. I contacted Dr. Harley and he was always available to listen to my concerns, but he didn't seem very interested or able to offer to do anything to help me. When he told me I needed to get some filler for my cheeks I got upset. I had not been told before the surgery that I was going to need the face lift and also filler a few months later, which meant the cost of the surgery with the travel and everything else was not turning out to be any bargain at all.
The procedure date I put on here is not my actual surgery date because I want to keep my privacy but my one year surgery anniversary passed a couple of months ago. I did not get any filler and now a year later my face actually looks older than it did before surgery. My eyes are more open, but my face looks older, the skin is thinner, the shape of my face is boxy. When I look at photos of myself before surgery I feel like crying. Even though I did look better for about 4-5 months after surgery, it wasn't worth looking worse now than when I started.
At the one year anniversary I scheduled a consult with a facial plastic surgeon recommended by a friend. The surgeon told me that I had not gotten a true face lift, but more like a "lunchtime" lift that probably wouldn't last for even another year (what does that mean, its going to get worse? Yikes) He said I needed a deep plane lift and a small cheek implant because I look so hollow and he doesn't believe in using fat or fillers. I was crushed. After spending over $12,000 for my surgery + travel a year before, here was someone telling me I needed more surgery. I had to choke back tears when I realized if I had actually listened to the first surgeon I went to, I would have had the real results of a face lift that would have lasted years.
I haven't told my husband about the new consult. I don't see how I will ever get him to agree for me to spend the same amount of money I spent a year ago for the same procedure on my face. Even the $5000 filler face lift would have been better and probably lasted longer than the Biltmore Lift plus I wouldn't be taking ibuprofen daily for pain and using dermablend to cover up the scars.
I know this site is meant to be helpful, but I can't help feeling I was tricked into something with these reviews. Who is writing this stuff? I didn't end up seeing the negative reviews on the Harley patients with nerve damage, scarring, saggy necks, flat faces until after my procedure. I wish those reviews would have come up when I was originally looking but they didn't. Most people probably won't read my review because I won't post photos, but if you are reading it please please consider using a surgeon in your own town that you are referred to by friends, or by reviews on Google of real local people. Please also know there are no shortcuts or safe surgeries. My family doctor thinks I have some nerve damage that may or may not ever go away. If you need a deep plane lift, don't fool yourself into thinking this lift is safer or that it will be enough to lift your face. Its not. I'm glad I got some good photos of when I looked good, but otherwise this has been a huge waste of time and money.
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Replies (74)
May 13, 2018
RD, I am so sorry you are going through all of this! I hope you’ll find a small amount of comfort in knowing you’ve helped others who are in the process of researching surgeries. Best wishes!
May 13, 2018
Thank you Suits , there really is no consolation. I am still sitting in front of the mirror every morning when I get up pulling up the sides of my face like we all do when it starts to droop. You don't know how depressing it is to do that after you recently had a facelift. And now I've used all of my money and can't really afford to do anything else. :(
October 14, 2018
I do it every morning as well and all it does is make me cry. I can afford a revision but I am too scared to even try it again.
May 13, 2018
Thank you for your review. My heart goes out to you because I know how emotionally painful it is to dedicate your time, money and emotions into something that turned out not as you expected. It was this site and a review from someone else who went to Dr Harley (review has since disappeared) that made me think twice and take myself off his waitlist. I was convinced for a year that Harley was the way I would go. It has really become a bandwagon mentality based on 2 days post procedure pictures that look great. Add in the relatively low cost (except not so much after you add in travel and lodging) and it seems like a win win.
If you haven’t done your homework you don’t know the right procedure for you and people don’t seem to dive deeper until they have a problem.
Now that I’ve had something done with a local ps, i saw my doc day after procedure, 10 days later, 1 month later etc. That is the type of follow-up you need. Not this fly in and fly or assembly line. My recovery has been slower than I anticipated because I thought it would be similar to Harley patients. My doc told me, “if you looked that good 2 or 3 days post procedure, I don’t think you’d be happy with your results in 6 months.”
Thanks for sharing. You may have saved someone else a lot of heartache.
May 13, 2018
Cathleen you are so right. When people look good a week after surgery, it usually means it wasn't a good surgery. And none of us are getting any follow up! I don't know what possessed me to have a surgery out of state where it would be impossible for me to return for any follow up. I wish all of these ladies posting reviews and pictures of themselves a week after surgery would realize they are misleading people to book surgery before they even know if they got a good result. There are women who end up being unhappy a year later, but never remove the positive review they did 2 weeks after surgery. Everyone looks 10 years younger right after surgery, but that is not the final result. I wish I had known that when I was reading all of the Harley reviews before my surgery. I'm ashamed to say I got sucked in. His reviews are like an infomercial you get moved by all these emotional testimonials that sway you into acting without thinking. But like the products sold in infomercials this surgery is more hype than anything. For older women with a lot of loose skin there is some temporary improvement, but for those of us who don't have hanging faces and want long term results with both skin and muscles tightened and lifted this is not the way to go.
May 16, 2018
i went for a consultation with Dr. Harley last year, I drove 7 hours and he spent about 10 minutes at most with me, then rushed off to take a phone call. Thats when i got a bad feeling and decided against the biltmore lift. I did get caught up in all the great reviews on this website but it did seem like an assembly line. I always thought a surgeon would need to examine each individuals face carefully but that was not the case. i'm really sorry you are going through this, take care x
May 16, 2018
Montee your comment is timely. I was just responding to a personal message about the importance of having a consult. If I would have done the one thing you did and went for an in person consult I would have never made this mistake. Good surgeons do examine each individuals face carefully and can sometimes spend months discussing a possible surgery with someone before the patient feels comfortable enough to pull the trigger. Sadly what drives almost everyone to do this lift is MONEY. Most of us are smart logical people, but somehow we allowed a bunch of unverified anonymous online reviews sway us into booking surgery with no consultation and letting someone operate on our FACE when we haven't spent more then 10 minutes with that person discussing the procedure because its cheap. Crazy.
May 16, 2018
You are exactly right, I didn't even think a surgeon could operate without actually seeing a someone in person before the actual day of surgery. That means its much harder to cancel if you get a bad feeling at the quick consult on the day of surgery. I feel really bad that you didn't get the desired results, right now i'm living with my dreaded jowls : (.
Also now when i'm checking reviews for businesses, restaurants etc i always look at the negative reviews first as they are usually right.
Sorry if i sound negative but just being honest x
Also now when i'm checking reviews for businesses, restaurants etc i always look at the negative reviews first as they are usually right.
Sorry if i sound negative but just being honest x
May 17, 2018
Montee, once again you hit the nail on the head! When I arrived in Asheville for the pre-surgery consult my sister and I had already scheduled the time off work (unpaid); we were checked into the non refundable lodging, I had paid for the non refundable plane fare (for both of us) and I had paid the non refundable surgery deposit. I already had thousands of dollars invested into the surgery before I stepped foot in the practice, so what was the likelihood I would back out even with serious misgivings? My sister told me she got a very bad feeling about Harley during the consult and was appalled at the operating facility but she didn't say anything because she knew I already had a bunch of money into it and she didn't want to upset me. So unless people are willing to roll the dice on all that money and hope they get the warm fuzzies about the doctor and the surgery in the 10 minutes he spends with you they need to weigh this with their other options. And guess what, I'm living with my dreaded jowls too! But the difference between you and me is you didn't just spend $10K+ to look the way you do.
June 2, 2018
Dr h procedure is not affordable when you factor in travel, lodging food aftercare. You can find a qualified ps in your area for the money you would have spent on dr h's cheap surgery cost - just sayin
June 2, 2018
Your candora and braveness and other dr h patients on the site have prevented my own potential bad decision to do my lift. I forgo the $1k dep because of wonderful, truthful women on real self who walk the difficult road before us. It sucks when you don't feel good about a decision most friend family usual don't understand or support. My positive vibes go out to you. Mahalo
June 2, 2018
Aloha Miller, you are very right friends and family and especially husbands don’t understand what this does to a woman’s self esteem. It’s hard to believe you could feel less self confident after surgery. Most women see a facelift as the holy grail to reclaim some of their lost youth, but that isn’t always the outcome .
July 27, 2018
July 27, 2018
oh —- I am so sorry !! I thought you were talking about Dr Z !! please do not pay attention to my reply — I too saw some pretty awful pics of scars from Dr H and chose different PS thanks to this community !!!
July 28, 2018
UPDATED FROM RealDissapointment
1 year post
Is the Biltmore Lift just a different name for the Lifestyle Lift?
RealDissapointmentMay 20, 2018
https://www.realself.com/question/what-is-lifestyle-lift-no-one-will-tell-me
Today a very old Harley review popped up in my feed and it was from someone who reviewed having a Lifestyle Lift with Dr. Harley in 2013. I started checking and I found other RS reviews for LifeStyle Lift with Harley for 2014. The LifeStyle Lift company went out of business in 2015 because of all the blowback on the company using fake testimonials to sell the surgery and people were finding out the surgery didn't hold very long. I read the article about about the LifeStyle Lift technique and it sounds like exactly what I had done, does anyone know the difference between these two lifts? Or was Harley associated with LifeStyle Lift before they went out of business and just changed the name? :(
Today a very old Harley review popped up in my feed and it was from someone who reviewed having a Lifestyle Lift with Dr. Harley in 2013. I started checking and I found other RS reviews for LifeStyle Lift with Harley for 2014. The LifeStyle Lift company went out of business in 2015 because of all the blowback on the company using fake testimonials to sell the surgery and people were finding out the surgery didn't hold very long. I read the article about about the LifeStyle Lift technique and it sounds like exactly what I had done, does anyone know the difference between these two lifts? Or was Harley associated with LifeStyle Lift before they went out of business and just changed the name? :(
Replies (26)
May 20, 2018
That’s interesting. When I had consult with my plastic surgeon he was telling me about the days of the “Lifestyle Lift” and that docs would put their own spin on the name. I think that one of the biggest red flags about Harley is that he named a procedure - Biltmore Lift - implying that it is proprietary or unique. Also I think it is concerning that so much of his business comes from people traveling to NC based on reviews here and a seemingly low price.
I am 5 weeks post lift and have been surprised at how long it is taking me to recover - especially the first few weeks. My ps told me, I don’t think you’d be very happy in six months with results if your recovery was any quicker. The reason I thought I’d recover more quickly was based on Harley pics. One week after surgery - people look ready to go out.
I think Harley is indeed doing a Lifestyle type lift.
May 20, 2018
Blah blah - I now see I’ve made a similar comment on your original review. Sorry for the redundancy!
May 20, 2018
That's okay! I've now started looking at all of the reviews going back over time (I guess that's something I should have done before I had the surgery LOL). Its weird, almost all of the reviews stop saying anything right at 3 months. What happens at 3 months? Maybe I should request my surgical notes and have someone who knows more about surgery look to see if its a Lifestyle Lift. That's going to be really disappointing if it is.
May 20, 2018
Don’t you think a lot of people stop posting because their need for this site is over? I would think that if someone was unhappy they’d come back to rant.
Personally speaking, I had a Silhouette Instalift done in October 2016 that was completely worthless, overpriced ($4500) and performed by a supposed reputable surgeon. It still makes me mad today so I feel your pain. You feel betrayed and swindled.
May 20, 2018
I think people will report if they are either very satisfied or dissatisfied. I did an expensive medspa treatment before I got the facelift and it was a total waste of money the results went away in 30 days. (I found that treatment on here too, it had good reviews all done 30 days post treatment) I didn't end up posting a review. If I had loved the results I would have posted and if I had been injured I would have let people know about that too. Maybe 3 months after this lift there are small percentages of injury and small percentages of success and everyone else lies in between at "meh".....not upset enough to make a big deal but not happy with the results and wouldn't recommend it to anyone.
May 20, 2018
I knew the red flag about Dr.Harley. I prefer deep plane facelift. It should be better than lifestyle lift.
June 2, 2018
there are two on here that I DID look into and they updated at least a year if not several years after with long lasting results. One is a teacher in Asheville but I forget her name --- she still looks amazing. But perhaps she was just lucky? There are others who were sorely disappointed. It's just that the happy ones don't realize there is a "honeymoon" period right after, for several months --- that swelling then goes down and you're left with sag and older. That pisses me off, because a good dr should warn one that the swelling actually makes it look better. This is common sense and i find it reprehensible to not know this and inform patients.
June 2, 2018
Nadia, I have also seen reviews of people who had the biltmore lift done a few years ago and look nice today. I don't think this doctors work is 100% bad, but I do think the percentage of people this type of lift works for is very low. The women who had the good results did not have any jowling to begin with. People with excess loose skin and fatty necks (where the chin seems to run right into the neck) seem to have the best improvement. I've looked back on his reviews on other medical sites and it looks like a few years back before the review fire got lit on Real Self his surgeries turned out better. I think the results for the patients would be greatly improved if this doctor took the patients off the factory line and refocused himself with lower surgery quantity and higher surgery quality.
May 23, 2018
I feel for you and appreciate your advice, but I wish you would share before and after photos so we can get a better idea of what you don’t like -even if it’s just the areas of your face that you’re unhappy with. A few of the other Harley patients question the authenticity of your complaints. Without pictures it’s difficult to know.
May 23, 2018
May 23, 2018
I hope I didn’t offend you. That’s not my intention. I know how frustrating it is to trust a doctor and have it go totally wrong – especially when they’re putting the blame on you. I’ve posted a few negative comments and photos of myself on the Viora treatment in hopes that no one else will try it-or at least no one with my body type. Most of us use RealSelf to choose the right plastic surgeon and find patients with similar issues/faces/bodies. It’s frustrating when we come across negative comments with no pictures (or in some cases no doctors’s names). It would be very much appreciated and help others on the site if complaints included at least photos of the area of concern. There’s no way anyone could identify you from that and doctors aren’t permitted to discuss patients with others.
May 23, 2018
Suzad of course I'm not offended. But I disagree with your opinion photos can be posted without revealing identity. No one uses their real names but people have told me they get emails from their doctor immediately after making negative comments about their surgery even if there is a non identifiable photo. So privacy and legal protection are why you will see women leave information out.
May 23, 2018
I'd say you are on to something. Not that it is some conspiracy to conduct surgeries using debunked methods but that it is a one-size all, less invasive, less expensive, less persistent lift. I think it works great for some, especially older women who get a big result from the large skin excision. But a woman in the early phases of aging doesn't see as big of a difference AND doesn't get lasting results. Again, I would want someone who has been working on my face for years and knows me and my goals-not someone who takes a quick look and gives you what they give everyone else then never sees you again.
May 23, 2018
Mamma Yes that is what I've been saying. People with hanging skin will see some result because obviously when excess skin is removed there is an improvement. But a facelift is supposed to also involve snipping and tightening the muscles in the right places before the outer skin is cut and redraped and that isn't happening here. Younger women may end up feeling let down when the swelling goes away or feel they look worse with the scarring, the lumps and bulges, crooked smiles from nerves, face flattening etc.
May 24, 2018
Changed my mind quickly when i realized it was a mini lift no thanks i am very sorry that this happened to but thank you for sharing the truth
May 24, 2018
CdOsmond can I ask how did you figure it out? As I said before most of us here are intelligent, mature women who leap before thinking. How did you figure out the procedure was basically a lifestyle lift?
November 16, 2021
oh i figured that out..did my research. Lifestyle lifts take an hour and half...a real face lift should take 4-5 hours.
UPDATED FROM RealDissapointment
1 year post
Facial batwing
RealDissapointmentJune 1, 2018
Yuk. The sides of my face continue to deflate and sag. I can literally pinch a sizeable amount of loose skin in front of my earlobes even though I had a face lift 15 mos ago. WTF? I don't get it, even if I got shafted paying for a lift that didn't include trimming and tightening the muscles, shouldn't the skin have stayed tighter longer than this?
Replies (49)
June 2, 2018
That looks normal to me. This Dr seems pretty conservative. He is still my top choice for my first time under the knife. Thanks for the photo though.
June 2, 2018
June 3, 2018
If that looks normal to you - you must enjoy giving away your money. Why are you trying to justify something that is clearly an outcome that no one would want?
June 4, 2018
Koda has been asked on 3 different reviews by different people if he/she is either Dr. Harley or a shill for him. This user says they are researching surgeons for surgery, but only comments on Harley reviews. This user also gives very detailed medical advice though he/she has never had a face lift and provides
oddly personal information about Harley like telling people he is right handed and that is why one side of the face lift comes out better than the other.
oddly personal information about Harley like telling people he is right handed and that is why one side of the face lift comes out better than the other.
June 22, 2018
Realdisappointment, very sorry about your results... and you are dead on about Koda…… I was one of the few that questioned the validity of this persons identity.
June 6, 2018
You haven't posted any helpful pictures, just the one "batwing" photo. Also, your review contradicts every other posting I've read on this website. It's understandable wanting to keep your photos private, but if you want to help others, you could easily disguise your upper face to show your lower face so readers can see what you are unhappy about. I'm sorry to hear you aren't pleased with your results. You might try re-evaluating how you feel, and if you were to post more neck photos, I'm willing to bet you'd get more feedback that might help give you another perspective.
June 6, 2018
JMS, I noticed your review doesn't contain any photos, but you are complaining that I've only posted one? This wasn't written to get someone else's perspective, only to share my own experience with results and longevity at 15 mos post surgery. Mine is not the only negative review about this lift on Real Self so I'm not sure what you mean by contradiction. I've spent over a year evaluating how I feel, asking the opinion of my husband, friends and family all of whom agree my face looked younger before surgery. In fact both my friend and my sister wanted to have a facelift too until they saw the results of mine. They are both now turned off by the idea of surgery and looking at other options like fat transfers, peels and lasers. That's honestly all the feedback I need. For me, the surgery was not worth it and that's really all I'm trying to convey here.
June 7, 2018
You have every right to feel disappointed as that is no one else’s experience or place to judge. Ignore the posters like JMS. I appreciate your honesty. It was a similar review by another poster that caused me to reconsider Harley and go elsewhere. I am thankful for that.
June 15, 2018
I do appreciate that you posted your opinion on here. I'm appreciative of positive and negative reviews, because they help people get multiple perspectives. My post wasn't meant to be critical, so I should have written my post differently. No judgement intended on my end, and it wasn't meant to be insensitive - my apologies. I respect the wishes of people that choose to keep their photos private. I was trying to offer an idea about how to post while maintaining your privacy, so that you might get some positive feedback. I didn't do any selfies before and after my procedure unfortunately, since I initially hadn't planned on posting a review. I never received photos from the surgeon's office, although they did say I could order a few from them after the fact, which I should have probably done. I mentioned in my previous post that I was sorry you didn't like your results - that was sincere. That must have been a huge let down. Sometimes comments on these forums don't always come across the way they are intended, and mine was no exception. After re-reading it, I can see how it may have come across. I hope you are able to correct the things you are unhappy with so you can find the satisfaction you deserve. Thank you for posting your opinion about your procedure, and again, my apologies if I sounded unsupportive. I also liked your "batwing" comment.
June 15, 2018
No worries JMS we are all judgmental even when we don’t mean to be it’s human nature ! Thank you for the follow up :-)
June 12, 2018
I feel bad for you and bad for another wiman on here that have been mislead i looked at Harley.and another Ps in California both under local ,both called another name than smas lift i dropped them both . I was wouldn't be getting the real thing as much as i wanted something done i kept researching and reading I so wanted do under local anesthesia because over and over i read how easy it is. Well i did my Fl last week under General Anaesthesia In fact i went under General Anaesthesia 4 days early for double foot surgery .I went to lunch 3 days later and waa completely fine. Reflecting either I waa just lucky or 28 years of working out and constantly working on my diet paid off and for me General Anaesthesia was no problem. I kept coming back to what PS said to me which made sense to me you let the dr . concentrate on face and the board certified Anaesthesia concentrate on keeping you safe he said in his opinion the ps should not try to both. At that point i stopped focussing on local anesthesia and refocused on the ps first. After much more research i was just decided to go the traditional route and play it safe . So so many woman were flying to Harley . (I kept ed wondering if they were flying there because it was so in expense too ). Again very sorry thank you for standing up for whats right sharing your experience and the truth. Part of my job is i am the VP of a local union so I stand up to people rights all day and everyday i walk into where I work,when lies are told I fix them keep us updated on what you decide to do.
June 13, 2018
CDOsmond, you got some good advice! I think a couple of years ago I thought stuff done under local was safer but now I'm realizing there is a reason lots of surgeons require you to go under. So much of it is perception right? You are a VP of a union? That must be a very interesting job! People have negative perceptions about unions, but they do help fight for people's rights and many employees are blessed to have people like you fighting for them.
June 15, 2018
I too was considering Harley at first but I heard that he was the lifestyle guy some years ago and just changed the name. when I was given the opportunity of local with Dr. Mao I decided that I wanted him to focus on my face while someone else worried about my heart and lungs. I think it was well worth it and u can see on his website under deep plane. just my thoughts, barbydoll
June 15, 2018
very very very happy. on his site see pics under deep plane 70 yr old. also video on his site
June 15, 2018
Deep plane facelift. There are four parts of ligament in the face. The dr will release the ligament before to lift the smas, soft tissue and skin. Which area of ligament did he released? In your medical report should tell you.
June 16, 2018
I have no idea, sorry. I did not get a detailed medical report with this information. I usually want details but this passed me by!!
If u wish to consult with him I could get such details for u. good luck. bd
If u wish to consult with him I could get such details for u. good luck. bd
June 16, 2018
90% of facelift patients do not concern themselves with these medical details. I know I sure didn’t. Also, unless you’re unhappy or filing a lawsuit, patients typically don’t ask for the medical report.
**Comment removed at user's request**