Birth Certificate Says 55, But Feel More Like 40 - Going for Biltmore Lift & More!

I meant to add these photos so you could see my face a bit better than the scenic pics from earlier today. They are not the best for expression ( a bit puffy from salt) and not very sharp in exposure, but you can see my face a bit better than the other three more distant ones. The interior photo was taken the other day.

I know it's been a while, but I am still with the living! In fact, living as normally as possible has been my focus. I flew back to the UK last week and it has taken me a few days to get back into a nornal ( for me ) sleep pattern. I am still using my neck pillow and sleeping in a reclining position so no rippled bits or imprints in my face in the morning. I have not been as diligent with my Lo salt diet over the past few days and I can see and feel it in my face. It makes my eyes feel tight and my cheeks look a bit off size wise. No one can really see it unless they are looking for it which is a big temptation to eat more salt than I should. My dry eye issues and the dreaded itchy eyes are getting better all the time and the itchy bit is almost a non issue now. We are leaving for France tomorrow and will be away for ten days so imagine what a strain it will be to avoid the things I would do better without. I have been trying to get a few closeup photos and will get my husband to take some so you can see my progress at six weeks. It is still quite remarkable to me to see my changed face in the mirror or in photos taken by my husband. He was quite surprised when he saw me at the airport and could see my face for the first time since my surgery. I would not send him pictures during my recovery so he was totally surprised. His comment that I looked great and like myself only younger was just what I had hoped he would think. My biggest fear was he might think I looked too young as we have a sizable age difference between us already. Rest assured, he was not bothered by having an even younger looking wife than before. People who have seen me who don't know about the surgery are noticing the weight loss ( 38 lbs ) and my new haircut instead of my improved and refreshed face. I'll let you know if anyone guesses the truth. I am including a couple of photos taken during a walk near our home earlier today. We live in rural England not far from the coast surrounded by natural beauty and very little traffic. I will be back again in a bit and should send my next update from Brittany, France.

I used to be one of those women who would not leave the house without makeup even though what little I usually wore was barely noticeable anyway. I've moved past that on RealSelf and once again I am giving you all a good look at my makeup free face although I do have some steri-strips hidden under my hair. I took the strips off my eyes for the photos and the next time I post I'll take some closeups of my incisions so you can see how nicely they have healed. About the worst thing I see on these photos is a woman who needs a haircut and a bit of color to cover the grey. This will have to wait until I return to the UK next week so while my face gets better my hair will get worse. :-) Seriously speaking, my recovery continues to go well. I can close my eyes completely now and I have what feels like normal to near normal feeling in most of my face with only a few places still somewhat numb. As my eyes have healed I have had a bit of dry eye, but that is improving daily. The worst thing has been itchy eyes. They don't itch all the time, but when they do it is maddening and it feels like I've been attacked by a mosquito colony! I don't really scratch or rub too hard even though i want to and it can go on for several days and then it's gone. I have had this experience three times with each time lasting off and on for about three days before things return to normal. Benadryl has been a big help along with warm to hot compresses and ice packs to sooth the eyes afterwards. Mind you it's not an all-day itch fest so do not freak out if you are having your eyes done. It may not even happen to you so don't let this put you off. After the third time which happened last night, I sent Dr Harley an email and bless him, he got right back to me and explained that the intense itching was due to nerve endings doing their thing as they healed. Okay, he did not actually use the words " Doing their thing " but you all know what I mean. He said, " The tiny nerves in the skin get severed and need time to grow back. " This is what he said causes the type of itching I've been experiencing. I will post again ( with makeup maybe ) as I get closer to my departure date.