If I'd Have Known How Awesome the Results Were Going to Be I'd Have Done It a Lot Sooner!

I'm 58 years old. I grew up in the sun and, like all other teenage girls in the 70's, I slathered my skin with baby oil and BAKED everything not covered by my bikini all summer long. A really nice tan was required back then if you wanted to look healthy and fit! The bad news about sun damage didn't really become mainstream until the 80s. By that time a lot of damage was done -and precious little could be undone. No matter how much I spent on great skincare.
In addition to the age spots, lines, wrinkles, and heavy texture on my face, my eyebrows were drooping and uneven. Only a brow lift could fix that.
I like feeling pretty as much as anyone. Getting older doesn't change that, it just makes it harder. I take very good care of myself mind, body, and soul. Even so, in the last several years I've begun to feel less and less connected to the image I saw in the mirror.
I decided to begin with research into the C02 Laser resurfacing. The lines around my mouth were the most troubling and C02 was the procedure that would best address that. And...make the most difference overall. I was open to considering a brow lift but wasn't sure I could afford both.
I did my research on RealSelf and was happy to find so much information about the doctors in my area. I'm also a Kaiser member and they have a host of cosmetic services available as well. I picked 3 physicians from RealSelf and scheduled a consultation with them as well as with Kaiser.
Dr. Rice was my first choice on RealSelf and my second consultation. He is a double board-certified facial plastic surgeon. That means his expertise is everything to do with the face. Many of the other qualified doctors on the site offered to head to toe services. That could be a facelift or a tummy tuck. In my humble opinion that may make them good enough but good enough is not good enough for my face. No one would ever notice a less than perfect job on your tummy tuck. But your face is on display everywhere you go. It just doesn't make any sense to me to trust my face to someone who isn't famous for being awesome at faces!
I was so impressed with him and his staff that I canceled the other appointments and scheduled my surgery with The Esthetics Center.
I wrote a separate review of my experience with Dr. Rice and his staff BEFORE my surgery and I encourage you to read that as well. I didn't want my rave review of the staff or Dr. Rice's professionalism, presentation and expert advice to get lost in the shuffle of my review on my actual results.
Results are everything, but then again...they aren't everything. So much of cosmetic surgery is a tangled emotional web of fear, anxiety, self-doubt, hope, and expectations. If your doctor and his/her staff don't help you address those too, your experience and journey will be far more difficult even if you are ultimately satisfied with the results. I just can't say enough about how much trust was inspired by Dr. Rice, Tammy Bub (Patient Procedure Coordinator) and Kari Eide (Patient Care Coordinator).
Dr. Rice agreed the C02 Laser Resurfacing was the best option to address the issues that bothered me most about my skin. We discussed and compared it to the other popular lasers available (Fraxel, Erbium...) but we agreed Full Face C02 Laser resurfacing was the best option for me.
He also recommended a brow lift and upper bleph. This would make my eyes and brows even and move them back up where they belonged. Initially, I decided to not do the bleph because of the added expense but on the day of surgery, I changed my mind. It was the right decision and I would have regretted it terribly if I hadn't done it.
One of the truly WONDERFUL things about The Esthetics Center is how well they help you prepare for your upcoming procedure(s). Tammy gave me a shopping list of things I would need, detailed instructions for pre and post-op care, and every pro-tip she knew for making recovery as comfortable and successful as possible. She also provided me with an entire regimen of nutrition supplements to optimize my immune system and reduce bruising and swelling! I left my pre-op appointment with ALL this plus the prescriptions I would need for anti-biotics and pain ALREADY FILLED. Can you believe that? Awesome!
No one can truly prepare you for how you're going to experience something you've never experienced before and the post-op C02 Laser, plus brow lift, plus bleph was a wild ride for a couple of days.
The pain medication provided was more than adequate and the pain only lasted a few days. The brow lift triggered a couple of weeks of migraine headaches but I had medication for that on hand. My worst memories are of the unrelenting grossness of a full 1/2 inch of Aquaphor slathered all over my face. It was difficult to sleep but Dr. Rice had been thoughtful enough to include medication for that as well.
I looked a fright for the first few days. My poor grandsons may well be scarred for life and in retrospect, I wish they hadn't seen me like that. For some reason the swelling made my face look square and they were worried I was going to look like a Minecraft Character for the rest of my life. Thankfully that didn't last too long.
I learned to love Aquaphor and kept a jar near me at all times. When my skin itched I put on more Aquaphor. When it burned I put on more Aquaphor. When it felt a little dry I put on more Aquaphor. I became so dependent on it I found it hard to give it up! Hard to imagine!
By the end of 2 weeks, my skin was still fragile but well healed. I could see how beautiful it was! I was absolutely amazed. I don't like admitting it, but I spent a lot of time looking in the mirror! It just seemed too good to be true. All the age spots were gone. All the heavy texture was gone. The lines were gone. The deep creases all around my mouth that made me feel so old and ugly were almost completely gone! It was more than I had hoped it would be.
And my eyes!!!! Oh my goodness, my eyes! With my brow lifted and my heavy lids cut down to size I look so much younger! And younger wasn't really what I was after. I just want to be as pretty as I can be for a 58-year-old woman. But I don't look 58 anymore! I look better today than I did a decade ago. How awesome is that?
So here I am 9 weeks post-op. Fully healed and very happy. I chose the right doctor and the best procedures to give me unbelievably wonderful results. Perfect? Nah. Nothing is perfect. I have a few slightly visible lines left on one side of my mouth. I don't think they are noticeable to anyone but me though. Plus I know how to get rid of them if I really want to! There is a tiny skin bump that sometimes happens in eyelid surgery but it's small and it doesn't bother me. My eyes aren't a perfect symmetrical match - but that's unrealistic anyway. I've been studying the people I see on TV and realize MOST people have one eye slightly smaller than the other.
What matters is that nearly every trace of age and damage has been erased and I feel pretty again. My confidence in my appearance has risen dramatically. I feel great!
I plan to protect my investment by continuing to use high-quality skincare and keeping the sun off my face. For ev er.