I've been wanting to have a facelift for several...
I've been wanting to have a facelift for several years and I've finally decided to just bite the bullet and go for it!! I've fine a lot of research and I'm going with Dr. Alejandro Lev in Costa Rica. He does amazing facelifts and has a lot of good reviews. I've been reading some of the reviews on here and I'm so encouraged by the comraderie I see here between all of you ladies!! I love how everyone supports and encourages you!
I have spent my life in the sun whether it was on the lake, the ocean or riding horses and my face looks like a road map of wrinkles!! I hate looking in the mirror! I'm enjoying this stage of my life and I just want to look the best that I can. I don't expect to look 40 but 50 would be nice! Lol.
I'm going to try to post pics and write about my experience. All of the reviews that chronicle their journey are so helpful and inspiring!! I hope mine will be too!! Love to all!! Tanya
On my way!!!
Ok, so I'm sitting at the airport in Phx getting ready to board my plane and I'm just now starting to quiet my nerves. Ok the bud light helped a little. I didn't think this day would ever get here , hence, probably why I haven't updated my review. Lots of things going on in my life, some good, some not so good. My 79 year old mom had been staying with me for several months and has been diagnosed with some damage to her left temporal lobe from a stroke she had last summer. We were afraid it was Alzheimer's but so far they don't think it is. She has gotten so forgetful she has trouble remembering to take her medications and it's just so sad to see her this way. She is freaking out about my trip and I'm so thankful for my sister, stepmom and dear friends who are watching over her while I'm gone. I almost cancelled my trip but decided to go ahead and do it. I just pray everything goes well with her in my absence. My little pug, Houston, will probably be really fat when I get home because she will forget she's already fed him???????? and he'll eat 10 times a day!! Lol
I'm here!!
There was a cutie patootie driver waiting on me when I cleared customs last night! Jimmy was just a doll and had me laughing all the way to Casa Mercedes house! Then Mercy welcomed me with a big hug!! What a sweet lady!! Her house is lovely and spotlessly clean!! I'll attach a couple of pics of the patio and my first yummy breakfast!! I could get used to this!! Lol I even have a tv with English channels so u can watch my soap opera, the Bold and the Beautiful. I need to see if Liam regains his memory and realizes the woman he thinks is his wife, ( she told him their names were Adam N Eve, seriously?? Lol!) is really his half brothers evil mother who once locked him in a steam room and turned up the heat and pushed his girlfriend off a bridge in Paris! He will need therapy for a long, long time when he realizes he had sex with that monster!! More on that later. Love and hugs to all!!!
Need a translator
Note to self, download Spanish translator app. Mercy, my driver, my Dr all speak English but I just tried to compliment the sweet cook on her chicken and rice dish and I told her that I love her chicken ears. ????
Today is the day!
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31 Mar 2016
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Day of treatment
Today is the day! I'm here at the clinic, waiting for Dr. left, and I'm so excited I think I need to go pee again! LOL. I'm so thirsty and I walk in to the clinic and there's a big coffee pot with creamers in all the good stuff sitting right there smelling so wonderful and I'm thinking, that's just torture! If I thought I could sneak over there and get a tiny sip without them seeing it I would. As a nurse I never follow rules LOL
Well when I met Dr. left yesterday he suggested the direct brow lift which is weird they cut you just above the eyebrow and it's almost hidden when he old. He lifted my eyebrow and showed me how much better my eye would look because for some reason or other I had too much skin or not enough skin,I can't remember what he said about the eyelid but I said go for it! What a sweet sweet man I feel totally comfortable and I'm really not at all nervous. Thanks for all the well wishes and all the prayers and I will see you guys on the other side!
I survived
Just a quick update for now. It's very sore and the tightness of the bandage is awful but I'm surviving
I see a light at the end of the tunnel
Oh my gosh, the selling has gotten so bad I thought my face would burst right open!! I had the worst two nights ever, trembling, hurting, just awful!! Of course I was all weepy and emotional and wondering what the hell I had done to myself and why??? But today the helmet came off today and some stitches came out of my eyes and suddenly I'm feeling so much better! It's just a really grueling ordeal that we put ourselves through and I'm really sure at this point if I would do it again. I'm just still second guessing myself although I do feel better than I did this morning. Ill post a few more pics here of the wonderful Dr Lev taking my helmet off.
Pricimg
I've had a couple of ladies ask abut Pricimg. I wrote a long update and .odt it .uug but I a nutshell here goes
Fl NL upper and lower eyes and brows. $7400
$120 antibiotics and a antiinflammatories
( I also brought my own because I'm a up wuss.)
$1425 recovery at Casa Mercedes
$457 rand trip flight on southwest al. Bags free. Around $9500 total
The shower was heaven!!! 3rd day
I left conditioner in my hair covered with a shower cap and ill try to rinse it out later. But I'm feeling a lot better!! Thanks for all ur support and well wishes! I couldn't have gotten through this without y'all!!
Second shower
Well I just spentabout an hour combing through my hair trying to get rid of the blood clots and dried tissue. Yuck what a mess. I ended up cutting one big tangle out. Still feeling better!!
Hair falling out?
Did anyone else's hair fall out? I'm sure when they make the incisions they have to cut it or shave it on places but oh my gosh!! I'm going to need a wig! There was one big tangled knot that I just gave up on and cut out. If I hadn't of known better I would have sworn it was full of bubble gum!!
Day 4
I've just been hanging out, being lazy, napping, eating and visiting with my friend Debbie. She is in Day 5 post op and looks beautiful! I have to say I am loving the neckline!! The face still looks swollen and bruised but I can see where it's going to look really good. I get some more stitches out tomorrow. Oh and ladies, take some Mirolax and Ducolax or whatever it takes because otherwise you will be so h comfortable you can even relax!! I'm going to post a couple of profile pics of my neck! Let me know what you think!! I'm trying not to be critical but now my nose looks big to me! Lol
Day 5 postop with lipstick!!
I'm feeling better every day! I see Dr Lev today and I think I get more stitches out. The ones behind the ears that extend toward the back of the head are the most uncomfortable because I lay my head on the pillow. But Tylenol takes care of that. I do still take a pain pill at night to help me sleep but I've always had trouble sleeping. Thanks so much for all the well wishes and good thoughts!! It's amazing how emotional you get and a sweet comment can just lift you right up!! I truly love and appreciate everyone of you sweet beautiful ladies!! I'll try to post updated pics along wit my old ugly ones because inly then can you really appreciate the difference!!
A Girls day out of post op day 5
My new friend Anna arrived today from Canada and she and Debby had appointments with Dr. Lev this afternoon so I tagged along and we did a little shopping and had tacos and cerveza at a little restaurant a block from the house. What a fun afternoon!! I wish I had gotten some pics of them, they are both absolutely gorgeous!! , but maybe next time!
Day 7 post op
What a beautiful day in paradise! I walked over to the doctors office and he removed more stitches. The new antibiotic he has me on seems to be helping and the redness has started to go down under my chin.
Confuskng
Does anyone besides me have trouble finding comments on this site! I will see that I have a new comment but then I have to go search for it, it may be on anyone of the updates and I may not find it for days! Frustrating because I like to answer questions or respond to comments in a timely manner. Oh well, it could just be I'm technologically challenged too! Lol everyone have a safe and blessed day and love to all!!! I still think we should all get together for a big happy girls reunion one day to celebrate and meet all of our wonderful new friends!! We could do it in Vegas, Vees home town or somewhere on a beautiful beach with cute cabana boys delivering us icy pina coladas as we giggle and flirt! Lol yes, that sounds like the best plan, but now I need to think about getting a tummy tuck!! Lol
8th day post op
Still really swollen in cheeks but felling better every day!!
Vampire facelift
Debbie and I just returned from having the PRP , aka Vampire facelift done. Hopefully it will help the texture of my skin and improve collagen production. Time will tell!!
PRP facial aka Vampire facelift or facial
This is where they draw a small amount of blood, centrifuge it which separates the components of the blood. Then they take the platelet rich plasma and inject it with tiny needles into your face. It doesn't really hurt at all. It speeds up the healing process, helps heal the bruising and then releases growth factors into the skin and helps build collagen and connective tissue making your face fuller and more youthful. It's supposed to work over the course of months and of course as with anything you should probably do it more than once. Mercedes recommended it, her skin is beautiful so Debbie and I jumped in with both feet of course! Lol. It cost $180 here in Costa Rica but I'm sure it's much higher in the states we just had the facial, the "facelift" part comes in if they inject fillers such as Restylne or whatever at the same time. My face feels tighter, and still swollen so I can't see any change yet. I will keep u posted! Hugs everyone !
9 days postop
I feel like I'm starting to finally turn a corner. The swelling is down a little and the bruising looks less like the Incredible Hulk than it did yesterday. Oh and I'm in love with my neckline!!!
I'm home!! Two weeks post op'
Quick update, I made it home Wednesday and it was so good to see my grandbabies!! I'm two weeks post op and still have some swelling and soreness, but I think that's to be expected. I have a question, my face along the edges of my cheeks, in front of my ears, and under my neck are really hard. I'm rubbing arnica salve on the areas, not on the incisions, and massaging lightly. Is it ok to do that?
3 weeks post op
I can't believe it's been three weeks!! I got an email from Dr. Lev this morning, I love my doctor!
The bruising and swelling are still there but are slowly getting better. The tightness in my neck still bothers me but I gently massage it twice a day with an Arnica salve. I'm going to get some Mederma today for the scars nut they are really fading nicely anyway. I'm a pretty happy camper!! I found an old pic from 35 years ago!!
4 weeks post op
I can't believe it's been 4 weeks already!! I'm really happy with the results! I wouldn't change anything about my experience at all. I just wish I could have done this 5 years ago!
I saw my family doc today and he was really impressed with Dr. Levs work, his words, " you look great!! not only is he an extremely skilled surgeon, he's an artist!" He said, I would never have known you had a facelift and I can barely see the incisions. That made me feel good!!
I still have some bruising on my neck and in front of my ears as well as numbness and tightness. I'm using Mederma on the incisions and lightly massaging arnica salve on my neck and cheeks. My ears are still so tender I can't sleep in my sides. How long does the tenderness, numbness and tightness of the neck last? I'll post some pics, I have some eye makeup on but no foundation so you can see the bruising a little on my neck.
5 weeks post op
I just wanted to post a few pics and will write more later. I'm healing nicely and still happy I did it!!
Almost 10 weeks post op
Wow, I can't believe it's been almost 10 weeks since my surgery! I've been so busy since I've been back I really haven't had time to post many updates but k wanted to post of few
At 10 weeks. I still have some tightness and numbness my neck, numbness along my cheeks in front Of my ears, also a little on my eyelids. It's gotten way better and it doesn't really bother me much. I continue to get
compliments which is SOOO nice!! Just last
Night my sister and some friends and I went to Bourbon Jacks, a country and western bar and danced up a storm. This younger man who I danced with several times said " I just can't believe you're 61!" Thank you to everyone who has been so supportive and encouraging during this journey. I really don't know if k would have had the courage to go through with this if not you all of you beautiful ladies!!
