I have no doubt about Dr. Louton's expertise and I'm very excited to see the final result once the swelling goes down

This will be a detailed ongoing review as I heal. I read and appreciated the detailed healing posts when I was waiting for my procedure so I'd like to do the same for others too. I had silicone cheek implants put in today. Yes, just this morning. Malar/submalar augmentation is the official title for this surgery. My procedure was at the Advanced Center for Surgery in Altoona PA and the employees were all wonderful! I was to be there at 6:00 am for intake and scheduled for surgery 7:45. I was prepped and ready and actually taken back for surgery at 7:45! I am very impressed! Not only was Dr. Louton professional and friendly but the other employees were too. They did an excellent job of calming my nerves and letting me know exactly what to expect. After putting a gown and compression stockings on, I had an IV put in. They then administered antibiotics and zofran through it to combat infection and nausea after surgery. A bit later, closer to my surgery time they added medication (also via IV) to relax me before I was taken to the operating room. I was grateful for this step because there is nothing scarier than going into an operating room nonmedicated. Luckily the drs put the medication in before transport to the surgical room. The next thing I knew, I was waking up with my new cheeks in place. After recovery I was dressed and taken to the car where my "driver" was waiting. You have to have someone drive you because you will be in no condition to drive after and they won't let you leave on your own for safety reasons. Dr. Louton had thankfully administered lidocaine when I was sedated and my face was numb for about an hour to an hour and a half. I'm not completely sure because I was groggy for the a while after. I was glad for the lidocaine because it let the pain gradually seep in instead of a huge whammy upon waking from surgery. Luckily the zofran did it's job and I didn't get nauseous. I sipped a protein shake. Not because I was hungry but because I felt that my body needed the nutrients. My throat hurt. It still does but that's to be expected. At first it felt the way a cut burns if you get soap in it. After drinking some of the shake it felt a little better but it's still pretty raw. When I got home I tried to take an antibiotic. It was huge so I cut it in half. One half didn't seem to go down and it hurt. I coughed and swallowed repeatedly. This could have happened because of the procedure and the tube down my throat during anesthesia or it could be because of that and because of my "pouch" opening being smaller because of previous gastric bypass surgery. So I had an emotional moment and struggled not to cry because by then my face numbing stuff had worn off and hurt very bad. It was a 9 on a scale of one to ten. I was worried I wouldn't be able to take the pain medication because I couldn't get the antibiotic down. I kept swallowing and sipping hot tea to try to melt the antibiotic. Then I finally got it down. I was desperate for relief from the pain so I smooshed the pain medicine and put it in the medicine lid with some liquid protein powder mixed in. Then I spooned it into my mouth and drank a bit of protein shake after each mini sip. This was a little hard because I had my implants placed via incisions inside my upper lip but it I managed. I called the nurse line and asked if it was ok to crush my medicines and told her there was no way I could get my vitamins in today. The not being able to swallow the pills scared me. I asked if it should be better tomorrow because I have other meds I'm not sure if they can be taken smooshed. For example my thyroid pill. She reassured me and was very friendly. If you can't tell I'm feeling much better now. Well enough to write a review. The pain medicine (Percocet) kicked in and my pain is more manageable. It's a 5 on a scale of one to ten. I must add I'm to keep wearing the compression stockings for 24 hours and I had a prescription for antibacterial mouthwash that I dab on my mouth incisions throughout the day (esp after eating and drinking). I had screws to fix the implant into place but he also wants me to keep tape in place until my first post-op appointment to help keep sweeping down and stabilize the implant. I'm glad the tape is flesh colored. Overall, I'm extremely glad I had the procedure done. My Dr and his staff are very experienced, answer my questions thoroughly, and are warm and friendly. I have no doubt about Dr. Louton's expertise and I'm very excited to see the final result once the swelling goes down.

(On a side note I have had RHA 2 in my lips and nasolabial folds at Blair Plastic Surgery (Dr. Louton's facility) too and found it a rewarding experience).