8 days post op - face is numb and smile is crooked.

September 15, 2014

I hope and pray this resolves itself. Eight days is still very early yet, so perhaps when your sensation returns and your swelling diminishes you will look and feel much better. I feel terrible for you that you are suffering such anxiety.

September 15, 2014

Thanks for the kind words. This is a very tough life lesson. My face is ruined : ( I went from an 8 to a 3 in the span of one day after undergoing this procedure.

September 15, 2014

All I can say is I hope and pray you are wrong and given time this will resolve itself. Such a shame though to be feeling so horribly. I once had acne scars and remedied the situation with liquid nitrogen. The gun dripped causing deep liquid nitrogen burns resulting in indentations. My skin was left rougher than it had been before following this painful and damaging treatment. In any event, I was resolved to fix the damage and I now have nearly perfectly smooth skin. Give yourself enough time for healing. There are answers out there for you. I got through my awful time by never doubting I could find an answer to my problem. I hope you will find the courage to overcome this difficult time. LaTrec

September 16, 2014

Your kind words about never doubting the ability to find a solution were just what I needed to hear. I've been so depressed and at one point didn't even want to be around anymore. I just hope whatever nerve damage resolves itself. It's scary not being able to talk or eat or smile, w/o apoearing impaired.

Shiva_zamanie

October 28, 2014

Dear LaTrec I would like to know about your experience with liquid nitrogen treatment and the solution you found for your acne scars.I already suffer from those scars and have had many painful and very expensive tratments with very little success.please contact me.

September 16, 2014

I wish you were able to contact the doc to help you through this. That said, I was curious about the cheek augmentation surgery and what to expect. One of the sites I found was Kirby Plastic Surgery. They stated that smaller facial nerves are apt to be cut. As a result, it takes 2-3 months for sensation to fully return and the nerves to fully regenerate. Your body has a lot of healing yet to do and you have only just begun. Those of us who have undergone cosmetic procedures always have that phase of doubt where we look at our injured face or body and wonder if we should have left well enough alone. Thank God this passes. In 2-3 months you may love your new look, but it will take time. I've had chemical peels where my face was horribly red for two months or more. I wondered if I could ever go out without heavy makeup lest I appear disfigured. Your body has no way to rush the process. I can certainly understand your being afraid, but keep in mind that this is a two to three month journey. Try to focus on the improvement you see in week two over week one and so on. If you focus on the fact you are healing and moving closer to your goal each day it will make it much easier. Best to you, LaTrec

Tinydancer415

October 20, 2014

I also have cheek implants that were placed in 2010. I have the same jowling and issues with marionette lines. I look 10 years older. I have consulted many plastic surgeons and none want to take them out. They say my face will sag anymore. I was wondering if you took yours out and what the outcome was.

October 20, 2014

I was told the implants werent in place long enough at 3 weeks and everything would return to normal. Because the surgeon also did a "buccal lipectomy" that I never asked for nor wanted, that may also be why my sagging is so horrible. You will need a soft tissue resuspension concurrent with removal or a cheeklift 6 months later, if you have them removed, despite what anyone says about things bouncing back, they won't.

Chloe44

October 21, 2014

Hello, I have lived through your nightmare with Dr. Yaremchuk. In August 2010 I had surgery with him for cheek implants. I also did (or so I thought) all my homework. I thought I was in the right hands. I had a total of three operations. The first on all he did was put his intra-orbital rim implants in me. Those go in the corner near your nose. I wanted cheeks, and I got the opposite area done! Without my consent. So the second time I went with my dad, so I had a witness. I cried my eye out the night before my procedure. I needed him to understand that I wanted those eye implants OUT and cheek implants put in. I didn't feel like he was hearing me. That night I tried to cancel my operation for the next morning. He called me back and reassured me that he understood what I wanted. The second surgery was a DISASTER! He said he removed the eye implants, but I could still feel them. He also literally put filler In all around both eyes. In my temples, above my eyes and below. He put so much in that it pulled the skin away from my eyeballs. I had two pink gaps on the outside of my eyes until I had another doctor attempt to correct it. It's still not right. My incision in front of my airline was horrible. I wanted it all out. Everything he put in I wanted removed. I struggled with who to go to not that he had messed me up twice, but I convinced myself that the best person to take it out was the person who put it in because he knew where all the screws were. I went back a third time. This one was the most traumatic. He claimed to have taken everything out. I looked like my face was going to bust open it was so swollen. My eyes were no better. It took 3 months before I could see that he did not take anything out. I had a 3D CT done and you can see all the stuff was still in there. Since then I have had two revision surgeries with another doctor and I'm now planning my third. I will post pictures. Please contact me. I'm in the same boat. The only difference is you got your out. Mine are still in. Mine are bumpy and cause me pain. He shouldn't be allowed to do this to people over and over again.

mda1992uca

October 27, 2014

I'm very sorry you had to go through all of this, I don't even know how to express it through typing...the whole ordeal just sounds so traumatic. I have been looking into surgery with this same surgeon for the past year now and was under the impression he was the best. Credential wise - Chief of Craniofacial Surgery at Massachusetts General and I mean, according to what I have read he literally wrote the book on facial implants. I also wanted cheek and chin augmentation. Just a slightly more prominent chin and more defined cheekbones somewhat like Eva Longoria. But I am starting to see horror stories about Dr. Yaremchuk's aloofness, cockiness and complete lack of compassion starting to pop out of the woodwork. The last thing I want to do in general is bother you when you are obviously going through a very rough time but since you said if anyone had any questions I'd just like to ask you a few things. Completely understandable and justified if you don't want to (or can't) answer. This is obviously a very invasive surgery, and you have shown pictures of the result but how are you tolerating the physical pain? I have heard jaw implants are especially painful and can take you out of commission for months during recovery and the fact that he put one in you without your consent is horrifying. I know your smile has been affected, but are you able to chew? eat? at the very least somewhat comfortably. The aesthetic result is one thing but if your quality of life has been so damaged you cannot even do basic things I don't know what to say. The idea that he may have taken liberties and just placed whatever unwanted/unagreed implant in you while you were under anesthesia is a chilling thought. Besides the cruel comments from your estranged Husband, which seem as mean as possible, just to spite you, how have your other loved ones reacted? Parents? friends? siblings? even Co-workers? or have you not been able to face anyone? You are always going to be much, much harder on yourself.. you need to see how some of your closest and most trustworthy (and honest) friends and family react. Forgive me if I sound ignorant and stupid but can you face any problems posting reviews like this online? Obviously it is a review site, but is there any limit to what you can discuss? I have never gone under the knife but do you really have to sign things like 'gag orders' before surgery? I don't really know what else to say, nobody ever imagines this can happen to them but I have to seriously reconsider have any surgery after reading an account like this. I admittedly am very, very unhappy with my appearance and never feel attractive, which, just from what I gather from your write-up, is a problem you seemingly didn't have before your husband left. Based on what you write you seemed happy with yourself before your husband left and that event just led you to do this when you really were hesitant and even mentioned that to the surgeon who completely took advantage of your emotional state IMO. I was under the impression that many surgeons wouldn't perform surgery on someone who appeared to be in a very fragile psychological state, and more-so admitted it and even started crying during the consultation. I hope in time things start to turn around for you, or you can find some measure of peace. Constant stress and worry and depression 24/7 for the last few months can really take a toll on you...much more so than people realize. I obviously am not knowledgeable enough to give you any advice on whatever avenue you decide to take next to remedy all this...but for whatever it's worth a total stranger is praying for you and genuinely hopes you can find some happiness again.

October 27, 2014

I read on a UK forum that several years back there were numerous complaints about Dr. Yaremchuk on the US forums: "all the other guys in implants have had patients that were unhappy, but with Dr. Y there seems to be a great deal of dislike which goes far beyond anything I have read about anyone else." It also mentions on this same forum about the negative posts being taken down or the posters being attacked. It's also possible to drown out anything negative by posting enough positive information online, which is what happens when you first do a search on Dr. Y. Other patients have been pursued by physicians, so I know it happens; however, freedom of speech should protect me from engaging in an honest discussion of what I've been through. I haven't used any false language (e.g., "butcher") and I've backed everything up with pictures. It's close to impossible to get justice, even after an experience like mine which has gone so horribly wrong on multiple levels, but I will say that when I contacted someone, they reacted with surprise when I told them the name of the physician, as just several months back they had been contacted about the exact same physician. Unfortunately he simply gets away with it time and time again because of the way the justice system is structured (see comments from above poster, who had a similar experience). I trusted Dr. yaremchuk's completely, and never imagined going through this Hell. Why would a wealthy plastic surgeon do something detrimental to another human being just to keep a surgery deposit? It's unethical. It's hypocritical as well, as I heard he wrote the foreward to a book about a woman who had too much plastic surgery. And like you said, he literally wrote the book, so I trusted I would be in safe hands. In essence, I went from looking like a 25 year old "model" to looking like my 60 year old mom. He completely ruined my face, and I can't even eat or talk normally due to the nerve damage I have in 3 different areas. Please do pray for me because honestly my life doesn't feel like it's worthwhile anymore. And yes my whole face hurts. If I blink suddenly to protect my eyes, I have pain where he cut my eyes. My cheeks hurt. My lip is stiff and numb and doesn't work properly. I get sharp pain along my jaw. Removing the jaw implant with the continued nerve damage would be unsafe, but even just having two jaw implants would still be better than having one jaw implant and a crooked face. My advice to you is not to have cheek augmentation done at all. Being able to smile and move your face normally is so much more important. Please read through the accounts from others on this forum and take them seriously. Don't just look at the few good results and hope for the best. But I will say the two highly positive accounts are from Harrison Lee in California, not Dr. Yaremchuk. In fact there are 4 people on this forum alone (cs student, steve, chloe, and myself) that describe having the implants Dr. Y placed removed within a year or less of placement. Some of the others blame themselves, only during my consult I actually started crying and stating how hesitant I was to proceed. Please, please try filler first and mark the amount and location in a journal. They now have fillers (e.g. volume) that last 2 years, and can be placed tear trough, infraorbital, submalar or malar to give you the exact look you want, which can't even be done with a rigid implant. It may be more expensive but it will save you so much pain and money in the long run and give you a much better result while enabling you to move your face normally. About the chin implant, I think it might be ok but please find a local doctor who works with silastic. Dr. Y only works in synpor, which he won't mention nor will he mention how it cements to your bone and tissue and will be extremely difficult and problematic to remove down the road. Especially with so many people having his implants removed, I would not risk it. Please find a local doctor so if there are problems you can easily go back. With silastic the implants can literally be removed in 5 minutes under local anesthesia only. They're much safer.

January 24, 2015

@mda1992uca, I finally told my family and had a chance to see them. one member politely stated that I look "different" and not in a good way. Then I was told I needed to wear makeup, as if makeup could spin crap into gold. Cruelly enough, my older child looked straight at me, then twisted his mouth to one side, and said, "pbah, pbah, pbah," in imitation of what I look like when speaking. Like most people, I used to really enjoy facebooking, but I deactivated my account bevause it's painful looking at the old pictures of how great my life used to be. I'd be humilated if I were to post any pictures now, so vast portions of my prior life have been shut down. Physically, it's gotten worse, but mentally, I'm adjusting to living with the disfigurement.

Seraffe

November 15, 2014

thank you for sharing with us about Dr Yaremchuk. ( he doesnt sound v. helpful, not my kind of doctor.)

UPDATED FROM plastic surgery nightmare

11 days post

cheek augmentation biggest regret ever

plastic surgery nightmareSeptember 15, 2014

I also had a large burn across my right lower thigh with no good reason for it to be there, which is still in the process of healing. I cannot emphasize enough how devastating this experience has been. From looking over the reviews, I see at least two other individuals had to have porex implants removed by the same doctor.

Replies (2)

Deborah0419

May 27, 2015

Sandome

March 29, 2016

That sounds like an awful experience. I'm so sorry you're suffering.

UPDATED FROM plastic surgery nightmare

12 days post

slow improvement

plastic surgery nightmareSeptember 16, 2014

I'm updating the star rating I gave to the doctor, mostly because things seem to be slowly improving and I might have been overly hasty with my initial review. My L. upper lip is still numb, which doesn't concern me so much as the fact my smile is still crooked and my L. nasolabial fold is still blunted to the same degree post op day #12 as on day one. I also have trouble retracting my R. lower lip while smiling.

Replies (11)

September 16, 2014

Keep in mind that tissue repair is mostly done upon six weeks. Healing often continues beyond this point. Be patient and try not to panic. Meanwhile, give your body all of the rest and nutrients you can provide to support the best surgical outcome possible. LaTrec

September 17, 2014

If I was in your shoes, I would not expect to look better or even normal for a good 6 weeks if not 3-4 months. Right after chin augmentation, the area swells and can look crooked, and cheek implants do tend to create a lot of swelling from what I've seen on here. Have you been given any instructions about taking care of yourself throughout this period? Nerves can apparently become temporarily injured and regenerate within weeks to months. This seems pretty common; I know it must be scary. I once had a paralysed nerve due to a chin implant; that freaked me out. If your projection is too subtle there are ways to build on your cheekbones without needing to remove the implants later on. I can't really say why the fat graft was misplaced or why you got a burn, but aside from that, I would not imagine it possible to look great just 8 days after major implant surgery. Glad to hear you're feeling somewhat better - don't lose faith in your doctor at this early stage - try to maintain a good relationship with him, it's in your interests to keep in touch as you heal.

September 17, 2014

He did a buccal lipectomy as well, and I just look sick and gross, in addition to my face being crooked and losing motor function with an inability to smile (which I'm terrified might be permanent after reading other online reviews about the same doctor from different websites.) I'm only 115 lbs, so after the fact I don't even understand why he did it when I wanted more fullness to my midface. none of this was really explained to me. I went to the consult and stated I was scared and didn't want to do anything that would worsen my appearance. He took my predeposited payment and then proceeded to destroy my face : ( It's devastating.

September 17, 2014

It looks like you are going through a rough recovery. The goose egg areas (particularly on your right side, my left) look like swelling to me - I would seriously try to withhold judgement until all that goes down and you can see exactly what's going on. I would say wait a good 6 weeks at minimum. FYI, I think you looked absolutely perfect before - your cheeks look very nice in the first pic you posted. Nerves can often get temporarily injured - I had that happen with my chin nerve, and it was scary. Thankfully it regenerated, and I have heard from other PSs that this is fairly common with implant surgeries. If you hate the buccal lipectomy you could correct it with fillers down the line. Keep the faith.

September 17, 2014

unfortunately that lump on my right side is the hard mass of the synpor implant that was placed after all my natural fat was removed. It's not swelling. The right implant was positioned lower then on the left, which is more lateral and sits higher. Now you can see why I want them removed before they cement to my face. I was pretty before, which is why I told the surgeon I didn't want the procedures if they would make me look worse. I expected to go from an 8 to a 10 and ended up looking like a 3.

September 17, 2014

I would've said you were a "10" before your procedures and I think you are still a 10. There are more than a few options including removal, fillers, or reshaping/repositioning of the implants - I have read many stories of people having implants removed or reshaped due to placement issues etc. I do think you should consider waiting for the bruising to subside, but it's ultimately your face and your decision. Have you received any response from the doc?

September 17, 2014

Thanks, I wish what you were saying was true and still hope my nerve function might return, even though there's been no improvement in 13 days now. I sent an email stating my request for removal and replacement with silastic implants and am waiting to hear back on this... I'm trying to have hope but feel so depressed I can't sleep or eat at times. It's just awful. Thanks for your encouragement.