Let me say first that this surgery is not for the faint hearted.

I've been thinking about doing this for a while and decided that the time was now. I'd noticed under my chin and neck starting to sag and jowels appear - I no longer felt that I looked like me unless I was smiling which gave me a mini face lift. I had been researching on RS for a couple of years to find the right surgeon but finally plucked up the courage to book two consultations with two surgeons who had two very different techniques- the concept facelift under local anaesthetic and the Turn back time vertical facelift pioneered by Dr Dirk Kremer. I was impressed with both initially but I was concerned that the less invasive concept face and neck lift wouldn't give me the long lasting result I was looking for, especially as the platysmal bands would not be stitched. However after meeting Dr Kremer and hearing about his technique in detail I felt this was the right option for me despite being a bit more expensive. I also loved the natural looking results Dr Kremer showed me of previous patients. So after a couple of weeks reflection I went ahead and booked.
When 24 July arrived I went up to London on my own. I had read up on pretty much everything and was prepared - or so I thought! Let me say first that this surgery is not for the faint hearted. There are no two ways about it, you are going to look and feel pretty rough for the first couple of weeks. When the head wrap bandage came off (which was super tight necessarily so) everything still felt so tight. Nothing prepares you for the feeling like you are being strangled which doesn't go away nor the fact that you can't move your neck. You can feel your stitches and it's not really painful but uncomfortable and claustrophobic. For the first week after I kept wishing I hadn't done it, I cried and felt panicky and hated myself. Be aware that this is totally normal!! There is a sort of mini depression that you sink into, you can't go out, do much or enjoy yourself for the first couple of weeks and being cooped up indoors to rest is no fun. However if you can get through this first tough period then it is so worth it! 7 weeks on and I am so happy with the results - Dr Kremer is amazing and Ali his PA is super lovely and very helpful. I felt I was in good hands from the start and no question was a silly question. Dr Kremer has given me 10 years back and I've got all my confidence back. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Dr Kremer to anyone considering a face and neck lift - he makes you look like you again and not a wind tunnel look in sight!

In response to comments, please see more (non-smiling) front face pics which clearly show jowels issues. The only way I could get rid of these was to constantly smile!

As requested, here is a ‘non smiling’ after pic, taken today, no make up and no filters applied, 8 weeks after surgery. I can still feel some tightness in my cheeks, behind my ears and round the jawline but nothing like it was a few weeks ago. I am back in the gym doing slightly lighter weights and resistance training on the TRX and am careful not to stress the internal stitches. Under my chin is now slightly looser but that means eating, breathing and moving is a lot easier. The skin will naturally drop slightly over the next few months as the tightness abates.