Expert Job!

I have been considering a lower facelift for many years now. Once I got to my early 50's and menopause took it's toll, I started pulling the sides of my face up to see just how it could be improved. I'm now about to turn 59 years old and really look older than I feel, so totally ready to have this procedure done.

After having contacted several possible plastic surgeons and having even visited a few, I finally decided to go with Dr Patrick Tansley. The considerations that tipped the scales were that most of the plastic surgeons in Brisbane are 'boob job" specialists and do very few facelifts, which was far from reassuring. I required someone with experience and expertise - someone in whom I could easily feel confident.



Dr Patrick Tansley is one of the most qualified plastic surgeons around the Brisbane/Melbourne areas, having completed all the qualifying certifications and then some - (unlike others who simply call themselves plastic surgeons and then join a society/fraternity to give themselves some clout with an unsuspecting public, and believe me, I ran into a couple of those.) Not only does he have the "know how", but his experience and skill are second to none.



I had the neck & lower face lift surgery on 9th August. Unfortunately my skin was a little more fragile than originally anticipated, which meant extra care with the stitching, which also meant the procedure continued much longer than anticipated causing a flow-on effect with the hospital costs (about and $3.5K extra and including anesthetist.) Ouch!



Pain & discomfort was awful for the first couple of days. The pain killers tended to make me nausious, so after having thrown up too many times, I decided I'd stick with the Panadol and only when I needed it. Thankfully the pain was only bad for a few days, and the discomfort was mainly at night - trying to find a position that was still comfortable but remaining upright and on my back.



The second lot of photos were taken on 12th August (day 3).



The biggest set back is not the pain but the lack of energy. Some days I'd wake up feeling full of vigor and so would try and catch up on some housework, only to find myself in an exhausted heap not very far into the work. I hate being a couch potato, but neccessary in order to heal.



I am healing very well indeed. There is still some swelling, but doctor thinks the remaining swelling is minimal, which is good.



I had the first stiches removed on 16th August (Day 7) and the remaining stitches removed on 21st August (Day 12).



The most recent photos are today (23rd August 2019), two weeks post op.



The surgeon did a fabulous job! His manner was always professional and informed me right from the word "go" of the things that could go wrong. Thankfully nothing did! The after care service was also faultless, as were the very helpful staff.



If I may be bravely honest with you. At this point, I am not sure as to whether it money well spent or not. Taking everything into consideration, although I was only tightening up my lower face, I think I subconsciously (and very unrealistically) expected I'd look a little more attractive, and while yes, I have shaved a few years off, when I see the photos, I'm still slightly disappointed in my level of attractiveness (or lack thereof) despite the beautiful job Dr Tansley did. I have never been beautiful, so in truth, a little tightening is hardly going to do the miraculous in that department! I'd need a complete restructure!! Lol!! But hey, younger is still better! :-) Please note: I've added this comment, because I wanted others to think realistically about the results they may obtain should they decide to go through with this procedure. Please don't rag me in the comments section!



I'm told it will take 6-8 weeks to see the final effect, so I'll add more photos then.



Cheers

I'm slowly getting use to my new face, or rather beginning to see my old face. Still need the monkey lines around the mouth and the tear troughs filled if I truly want to look like I use to, but so far people's remarks have been very positive. So I am very happy with the response. One ladt said I was getting younger every time she saw me, another said I am looking very well. Doesn't get better than that!!

I no longer need to wear the head bandage which I personally found a little uncomfortable. So glad that's done with! The scars are healing very well but every now and then my skin pushes out a piece of dissolvable stictches from underneath the skin. They're hardly visible, but I can feel them to touch. Both doctor and nurse have happily removed anything bothersome, so no drama there.

I am having near infrared treatment to assist with the healing of the scars and so far it seems to be doing a wonderful job. Will soon be able to apply some scar healing gel that should take away even more redness.

You may be wondering where are the stiches that normaly follow the hair line. Actually those stiches normally near the top of the ear were hidden up through the hair instead. So they are totally "invisible" to those who are looking. Very happy with the outcome.

The staff at Northeast Plastic Surgery are always wonderful, and are happy to answer every question. They have been quite supportive and caring.

When I look at the stitching and scarring of some people, and even when reading things that have gone wrong with some people's neck & face lifts, I am so very thankful for choosing Dr Tansley. He is a truly skilled plastic surgeon. The signs of surgery are minimal. The under chin is probably slowest to heal, but fading fast nonetheless.

Thank you Dr Tansley and Staff.

Will update again early October.

It is now late Dec 2019. I originally wanted the surgery to rid myself of the jowls time had created. I had read enough to know that simply pulling the skin/jowls up did not fix the problem because the weight of the fat simply stretches the skin and the jowls reappear very quickly. However, when I asked the doctor on my last consult about the fat removal (which I had taken for granted up to this point as standard procedure), I was told that he couldn't do anything about it since that it was all me. Well of course it's me. All my fat is me as well, but that doesn't mean it cannot be removed. (Alarm bells ringing but too late to pull out - I'd already paid, the date was set and I trusted he make it all right.) In photos my jaw is looking more square and sagging a little more in the second photo - 2 months on.
It was a beautiful job, initially, andI was very happy. Unfortunately now only 4 1/2 months later that jowlie fat has begun its journey back downwards.
Presently, I am looking at a procedure called lipo dissolve (which the admin at the clinic suggested I pursue, and which I wish I'd known about earlier) to correct this by removing some of the weighty fat and prevent further "falling fat" reforming the jowls. Naturally, the risk is that after the removal of fat, the skin may simply sag like an empty sack, making it look worse, but am told that fillers elsewhere can offset the problem, and help to lift the skin back up. Sounds great, but means more cash and down time. Thankfully, so far the reformation of the jowls is not too advanced, but I cannot afford to leave it much longer.
To add to this feeling of regret, I recently met someone who traveled to USA from Australia to Dr Harley to have the same procedure done, and at roughly the same time I had my procedure, who paid half the amount and whose scarring is almost invisible. That rubbed salt into the wound. Although I had investigated going to the US for surgery, I decided the costs of flights and other transport, plus accommodation would be enough to make such a venture far too expensive. The other consideration is that if something went wrong, it was a long way to go to have a small adjustment done. However, those fears cost me big time to the tune of over $33K. The hospital and anethetist costs here in Brisbane were extraordinary!
What have I learnt from this? The doctor doing the procedure may charge a reasonable price, but this cost may be minimal compared to the hospital and anethetist costs, AND if the hospital charges per time and not by procedure, any run-on can add thousands of dollars to the final bill as was my case. It is worth checking hospital for operating costs etc.
Also the "before" and "after" pictures at doctors' offices are not always indicative because the after shots are usually taken within the first six weeks before long term problems occur. It is far better to check out sites like this to guage what the real results are likely to be.
I have noticed too that some B&A photos from some doctor's sites have been enhanced to make them look better than they actually are, so stick to sites that have real people's testimonies and pictures. (I can tell this because I have been using photo enhancements software and other picture editing software for some time and can tell at a glance.)