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Lower Facelift Worth It But Be Patient With Your Healing!
I'm 51 years old and decided to get a minimal incision lower facelift from a certified facial plastic surgeon. I felt like my chin was disappearing under my jowls. Family and friends said I didn't 'need it' but I felt like how I felt on the inside didn't match how I looked on the outside. After a 10 month wait (including the initial appointment and the surgery itself), I went in for the procedure. First, I want to emphasize that I'm writing this to help all you out there contemplating it, about to do it or in the thick of your recovery and want some support. I am not being paid or encouraged by my amazing doctor to write this in any way. I am one month post-op and am really pleased with the results and would do it again despite that first 2 weeks post op when I questioned "what the hell was I thinking?"
This is surgery! Please do not go in minimizing it as I did. You need to give yourself time to heal just like any other surgery. If you had an appendectomy, how much time would you give yourself to heal? Do that! Make sure you have someone who is loving/supportive and will take care of you for about 3 days post-op. My sister stopped staying with me over night after the 3rd night but she checked in daily to help.
My procedure involved a lower lift going around the ears and also a medium chin implant, all with a local anesthetic and some oral medication to help me relax. Day of surgery, I was nervous but the staff were great and the medication given kicked in quickly. I do not remember much during the procedure except the slight pricks from the needle for the anesthetic and some talking among them. My sister took me home and I do not remember much either only that my bandage was really tight. Below I'll list some things I wish I'd been more prepared for - hoping it will help you, as well. Mind you, the surgeon and his staff did mention some of this but it didn't sink in because I was minimizing this procedure like getting a root canal at the dentist - NOT! Maybe hearing it from a patient will get you more prepared. Also, this was my experience....not everyone will feel the same.
1st - The first 3-5 days were rough. The bandage was so tight, I begged my sister to loosen it - which she didn't but she did call the doctor and they gave her some advice on how to make it more comfortable - didn't help much. It really cut in under my chin. Resist the urge to put your finger in there to try to loosen it... wont work and you can damage your stitches. IT WILL PASS! I had to take a Valium for those first few days so I could chill out and relax into it. Also, take your pain meds. I only needed them for the first 2 days, then managed it with OTC Tylenol. Ice is your best friend. I bought 6 packages of frozen peas and rotated them so I would always have a cold pack. FOLLOW YOUR DOCTOR'S DIRECTIONS - they know what they're doing.
2nd BE PATIENT WITH YOUR HEALING... this is what my neighbor told me. I was thinking that there was no way I would be 'presentable' 5 days post op and I had to go back to work. 3 days in, I was very swollen, my ears looked misshapen and I almost did not recognize myself. Definitely cried my eyes out a few times. BE PATIENT WITH YOUR HEALING... Everyday the swelling became less and while at 5 days, I did brave going to the grocery store, I wore a scarf around my head to hide my swollen cheeks. Definitely did not feel normal. I also opted to use more PTO and took additional 2 days off which took me into the weekend which brought me back to work 12 days after the procedure. Way better. DO THIS IF YOU CAN! BE PATIENT WITH YOUR HEALING.
3rd Let's talk about ears... they will not feel like your own, nor will you be able to feel them, at all, for about a week or 2. At 1 month post op, my left ear feels completely normal and my right ear is still numb midway down. I do not wear earrings because I fear I may accidentally pull it out and not feel it, ripping my ear lobe. It's also still numb near my Tragus (the part of your ear you push in to plug your ears). The numbness extends 1 inch toward my cheeks. After they removed the bandages, I personally opted to tie a soft scarf around my head covering my ears. As one RealSelf reviewer put it - they feel like Mr. Potato Head ears. It sounds odd but I was actually worried I would find them popped off my head and in my sheets somewhere. The scarf gave me some security and comfort.
4th Sleeping... I'm a side sleeper. Challenging, to say the least, to sleep on my back elevated. Those 7 days post op, I gave in to the idea that the nights were meant for cat naps and that I could cat nap thru out the day. Rest is important. I would sit up and watch TV or read a book until I felt like I could sleep again. My main issue was headaches at the back of my head and neck pain due to not being able to rotate in bed. Sitting up helped and I bought one of those round neck pillows people use on the plane - really helpful.
5th Stitches - keep them clean! They will get a lil crusty if you don't. Also, my skin peeled behind my ears and a bit down my neck. I was told that's normal.
6th Bruising - I had very little because I diligently stopped taking all my supplements and herbs that could cause bleeding 2 weeks before as well as any advil products. Your doctor should have a list - follow it to the T. I also consulted with a professional Homeopath about taking Arnica Montana. Most people take it wrong so it doesn't work. I ordered a high dose of 1m - pellets. Do not smoke, drink coffee or chew mint gum while taking it as it will antidote the remedy. Do not drink 15min before taking it and 15min after. Shake the bottle about 15 times before putting the pellets under your tongue. Do not touch the pellets. 3 doses should be taken the day before surgery then 3 doses the day of and for the next 3 days after. I'm not a doctor or a Homeopath, I'm just sharing what I learned.
7th LED THERAPY - Love this! I really believe its helped bring my feeling back and has helped with the swelling (it will help with bruising, too). Find a CELLUMA LED provider near you and book sessions or you can reach out to Celluma to purchase one $1500. It's so helpful with acne, aging skin, aches, pains, swelling. Here in Austin, we are lucky to have a clinic with a full body ARRC Led bed at Rejuvalight. I go 3 times a week for 30min sessions. Again, not being asked or paid to mention them. I just know it made a difference for me and want others to benefit, too.
8th Shooting nerve pains - its a good thing! Means their coming back. The LED light therapy helped me and also I took another homeopathic remedy at 1M strength called Hypericum Perforatum. I ordered mine from Washington Homeopathics on line. I took that day after surgery alternating it with the Arnica. Again, I'm not a doctor... this is just what helped me. My sister once had her finger nail ripped off and had shooting pains thru her finger. She took a dose of this at 30C every time she felt it and she said it was amazing at alleviating the shooting pains. It definitely helped my shooting pains I felt, as well.
9th TIGHTNESS - oh dear.. it feels very tight after they do this lift. My doctor did warn me and, as he said it would, it has slowly eased up. It's very tight feeling all around my chin and jaw line and going slightly down my neck toward my Adam's apple. Sometimes, I even had a restricted feeling around my Adam's apple which felt a little like choking. I was not choking. It was just really tight and did loosen up. For the first 4 days, I ate soft foods as it was difficult to open my mouth all the way and chew. By the end of the week, I could chew just really small bites. Help your healing and resist the urge to eat sweet, soft things. Make yourself a healthy smoothie or buy some protein shakes. Sweets create more inflammation in the body. Protein is healing. At one month post-op, I can eat normally but still cannot open my mouth at 100%, almost there.
10th Chin Implant - it looked pretty square at first - Jay Leno chin the first few days... hence the crying.. but it's definitely softened and swelling has reduced. It's still quite sore but I no longer feel like someone punched me on the chin.
Again, 1 month out and I am loving the result. My son knew I was having this done. When he came home, recently, for Thanksgiving break he didn't even notice until I pointed it out, upon which, he exclaimed "you look so natural, Mom!" Thank you, Dr. Buckingham! Be patient with your healing.
If you have any questions, feel free to ping me.
This is surgery! Please do not go in minimizing it as I did. You need to give yourself time to heal just like any other surgery. If you had an appendectomy, how much time would you give yourself to heal? Do that! Make sure you have someone who is loving/supportive and will take care of you for about 3 days post-op. My sister stopped staying with me over night after the 3rd night but she checked in daily to help.
My procedure involved a lower lift going around the ears and also a medium chin implant, all with a local anesthetic and some oral medication to help me relax. Day of surgery, I was nervous but the staff were great and the medication given kicked in quickly. I do not remember much during the procedure except the slight pricks from the needle for the anesthetic and some talking among them. My sister took me home and I do not remember much either only that my bandage was really tight. Below I'll list some things I wish I'd been more prepared for - hoping it will help you, as well. Mind you, the surgeon and his staff did mention some of this but it didn't sink in because I was minimizing this procedure like getting a root canal at the dentist - NOT! Maybe hearing it from a patient will get you more prepared. Also, this was my experience....not everyone will feel the same.
1st - The first 3-5 days were rough. The bandage was so tight, I begged my sister to loosen it - which she didn't but she did call the doctor and they gave her some advice on how to make it more comfortable - didn't help much. It really cut in under my chin. Resist the urge to put your finger in there to try to loosen it... wont work and you can damage your stitches. IT WILL PASS! I had to take a Valium for those first few days so I could chill out and relax into it. Also, take your pain meds. I only needed them for the first 2 days, then managed it with OTC Tylenol. Ice is your best friend. I bought 6 packages of frozen peas and rotated them so I would always have a cold pack. FOLLOW YOUR DOCTOR'S DIRECTIONS - they know what they're doing.
2nd BE PATIENT WITH YOUR HEALING... this is what my neighbor told me. I was thinking that there was no way I would be 'presentable' 5 days post op and I had to go back to work. 3 days in, I was very swollen, my ears looked misshapen and I almost did not recognize myself. Definitely cried my eyes out a few times. BE PATIENT WITH YOUR HEALING... Everyday the swelling became less and while at 5 days, I did brave going to the grocery store, I wore a scarf around my head to hide my swollen cheeks. Definitely did not feel normal. I also opted to use more PTO and took additional 2 days off which took me into the weekend which brought me back to work 12 days after the procedure. Way better. DO THIS IF YOU CAN! BE PATIENT WITH YOUR HEALING.
3rd Let's talk about ears... they will not feel like your own, nor will you be able to feel them, at all, for about a week or 2. At 1 month post op, my left ear feels completely normal and my right ear is still numb midway down. I do not wear earrings because I fear I may accidentally pull it out and not feel it, ripping my ear lobe. It's also still numb near my Tragus (the part of your ear you push in to plug your ears). The numbness extends 1 inch toward my cheeks. After they removed the bandages, I personally opted to tie a soft scarf around my head covering my ears. As one RealSelf reviewer put it - they feel like Mr. Potato Head ears. It sounds odd but I was actually worried I would find them popped off my head and in my sheets somewhere. The scarf gave me some security and comfort.
4th Sleeping... I'm a side sleeper. Challenging, to say the least, to sleep on my back elevated. Those 7 days post op, I gave in to the idea that the nights were meant for cat naps and that I could cat nap thru out the day. Rest is important. I would sit up and watch TV or read a book until I felt like I could sleep again. My main issue was headaches at the back of my head and neck pain due to not being able to rotate in bed. Sitting up helped and I bought one of those round neck pillows people use on the plane - really helpful.
5th Stitches - keep them clean! They will get a lil crusty if you don't. Also, my skin peeled behind my ears and a bit down my neck. I was told that's normal.
6th Bruising - I had very little because I diligently stopped taking all my supplements and herbs that could cause bleeding 2 weeks before as well as any advil products. Your doctor should have a list - follow it to the T. I also consulted with a professional Homeopath about taking Arnica Montana. Most people take it wrong so it doesn't work. I ordered a high dose of 1m - pellets. Do not smoke, drink coffee or chew mint gum while taking it as it will antidote the remedy. Do not drink 15min before taking it and 15min after. Shake the bottle about 15 times before putting the pellets under your tongue. Do not touch the pellets. 3 doses should be taken the day before surgery then 3 doses the day of and for the next 3 days after. I'm not a doctor or a Homeopath, I'm just sharing what I learned.
7th LED THERAPY - Love this! I really believe its helped bring my feeling back and has helped with the swelling (it will help with bruising, too). Find a CELLUMA LED provider near you and book sessions or you can reach out to Celluma to purchase one $1500. It's so helpful with acne, aging skin, aches, pains, swelling. Here in Austin, we are lucky to have a clinic with a full body ARRC Led bed at Rejuvalight. I go 3 times a week for 30min sessions. Again, not being asked or paid to mention them. I just know it made a difference for me and want others to benefit, too.
8th Shooting nerve pains - its a good thing! Means their coming back. The LED light therapy helped me and also I took another homeopathic remedy at 1M strength called Hypericum Perforatum. I ordered mine from Washington Homeopathics on line. I took that day after surgery alternating it with the Arnica. Again, I'm not a doctor... this is just what helped me. My sister once had her finger nail ripped off and had shooting pains thru her finger. She took a dose of this at 30C every time she felt it and she said it was amazing at alleviating the shooting pains. It definitely helped my shooting pains I felt, as well.
9th TIGHTNESS - oh dear.. it feels very tight after they do this lift. My doctor did warn me and, as he said it would, it has slowly eased up. It's very tight feeling all around my chin and jaw line and going slightly down my neck toward my Adam's apple. Sometimes, I even had a restricted feeling around my Adam's apple which felt a little like choking. I was not choking. It was just really tight and did loosen up. For the first 4 days, I ate soft foods as it was difficult to open my mouth all the way and chew. By the end of the week, I could chew just really small bites. Help your healing and resist the urge to eat sweet, soft things. Make yourself a healthy smoothie or buy some protein shakes. Sweets create more inflammation in the body. Protein is healing. At one month post-op, I can eat normally but still cannot open my mouth at 100%, almost there.
10th Chin Implant - it looked pretty square at first - Jay Leno chin the first few days... hence the crying.. but it's definitely softened and swelling has reduced. It's still quite sore but I no longer feel like someone punched me on the chin.
Again, 1 month out and I am loving the result. My son knew I was having this done. When he came home, recently, for Thanksgiving break he didn't even notice until I pointed it out, upon which, he exclaimed "you look so natural, Mom!" Thank you, Dr. Buckingham! Be patient with your healing.
If you have any questions, feel free to ping me.
Provider Review
Buckingham Facial Plastic Surgery