I'm a Very Happy Man.

A Facelift- a Male Perspective.

Electing to have facelift surgery is a big decision and it’s incredibly important that you can obtain objective advice and opinion based upon other’s real experiences.

This is why I’m writing this, to give other people a real perspective on this experience to allow then to make informed choices based upon my own experience.

Should I have a facelift?

My decision to go down this route was not driven, as many might suggest, by vanity. I am 56 year old average looking man. The passage of time had, of course, aged me but not in any extreme or dramatic way. My face had become ‘heavy’, with jowls and a sagging neck line. I’m not overweight so understood that this was my new ‘resting face’ and that it was only going to get worse from here.

I grew a short beard 5 years ago, in truth because they were quite fashionable and to help disguise the aging process, and didn’t shave for years until a few months ago. I was shocked at what I saw in the mirror after shaving. The face that I saw reflected in the mirror just wasn’t mine. I was horrified by what I saw, my face had totally changed shape and become square and it seriously knocked my confidence. I spent the next week willing my beard to grow back whilst avoiding any social contact! It was this that made me start to think that facelift surgery might be an option for me.

I have found my 50’s to be a challenging time. My general muscle tone started to diminish and soften, my libido started to reduce and my face started to sag. All of these thing served to undermine my confidence in all life situations, whether they be professional, personal or social and frankly I’m just not ready to hang up my boots and give in to it. My wife is 14 years my junior and has been wonderfully supportive of my decision, whilst assuring me that it wasn’t something that was important to her.

My decision to undergo Facelift surgery was purely a confidence thing. I didn’t want to change my face, I wanted to refresh my face. I haven’t told anyone, other than my wife, and I genuinely believe that I will be able to move forward without having to explain anything to anyone as the change is so natural and the scars so minimal and discreet.

Everyone has their own reasons to consider facelift surgery and there is no right or wrong reason to have it done. It is entirely personal and you should feel no requirement to justify your decision to anyone.

Not all surgeons are made equal.

As in all professions, there a good and bad practitioners. There are good plumbers and bad plumbers, good car mechanics and bad car mechanics and of course, there are good and bad plastic surgeons. When it comes to surgeons, I’m of the opinion that ‘good’ isn’t enough, I wanted ‘the best’ and I certainly found it in Mr. Ali Ghanem.

I was incredibly fortunate to be guided by a lifelong friend who is professionally involved at the top end of the UK aesthetics industry. He told me that there is only one plastic surgeon that he would ever consider and that is Mr. Ali Ghanem. My decision was made and it has been borne out to the correct one.

It’s not so easy for most people, so I hope that this perspective on things will help you to make the right decision and enjoy a successful outcome to what may be one of life’s biggest decisions.

The Process.

My initial consultation at The Cranley Clinic, in Harley St., London, went very smoothly. Mr. Ghanem asked me what I was unhappy about and what I wanted to achieve and why I thought that surgery might be an option for me.

Mr. Ghanem took me through my options, two or three non-surgical procedures and finally the surgical option. All of them were clearly explained and their pros and cons evaluated.

For me, it seemed that only the surgical option would give me the outcome that I wanted and so Mr. Ghanem explained the process to me in great detail and then asked me to spend some time considering my options before making my decision as to which option, if any, I decided to go with.

A few weeks later I had decided to take the surgical option, called Dr Ghanem, made my appointment and all was arranged.

I was to have the surgery at the Cranley Clinic in their operating theatre under sedation.

On the day of the procedure I fasted from midnight and headed to the Cranley Clinic for 10:30 am. I met with the anaesthetist, a very engaging gentleman, who took me through a series of questions about my medical history, allergies, general health, post-operative travel arrangements etc. He was incredibly professional and put me totally at ease.

I then met with Mr. Ali Ghanem who also ran through some questions and then talked me through the procedure, photographed my face from all angles and then marked my face with a pen to indicate where he was to make his incisions. This was obviously for his benefit not mine but it was very helpful to see and understand what was going to happen.

I then changed into my gown and was taken in to theatre where I was met by the anaesthetist who settled me down and administered the sedative. Sedation is a sort of halfway house between consciousness and general anaesthetic and I found it a curiously pleasant experience.

I woke up and remembered nothing of the operation. I had been in surgery for 4 hours, my face was tightly bandaged in a circular fashion, from my chin, around the top of my head covering my ears. I wasn’t in any pain. After a short time I got dressed and after talking with both Mr. Ghanem and the anaesthetist about how I was feeling and how the operation had gone, I was given some pain killers and precautionary anti-biotics, collected and taken home, due to return for a review in two days.

I rested as required for a couple of days, staying on top of any pain that I felt although in truth there was very little.

I returned as requested and Mr. Ghanem removed the bandages and some drains that had been inserted after surgery to reduce any swelling and inspected his work.

Even at this early stage the transformation was incredible, the heaviness had gone from my face, my jowls were gone although my face looked natural. I had very minor bruising under my jaw line left and right and visible stitches in my temple hairline and in front and behind my ears.

I was bandaged up again, much less tightly and was told that the bandages would not last long, nor were they expected to. When they came undone I could leave them off and start showering as normal, washing my hair gently and quietly getting on with things.

As instructed by Mr. Ghanem, I took it easy post op, gentle exercise like walking but nothing strenuous for maybe 4-6 weeks.

Every day my face is relaxing, the light bruising and minor swelling is reducing and any mild discomfort is passing. I have some numbness in my temples and they tingle from time to time but it just feels positive and just a part of the healing process.

I healed very well and on day 10 post op, I had the stitches removed. The process was conducted by Mr. Ghanem at the clinic and took about 20 minutes and was an easy process.

The Outcome.

So, I write this having just got back from having the stitches removed. It’s 10 days since I had the operation.

I have no visible scarring in front of my ears, any incisions that Mr. Ghanem made are cleverly hidden in the natural crease that runs vertically.

I have no visible scarring in my temple region as the incisions were cleverly positioned in my hairline and so there’s nothing to see. (I gather that there are options available if you don’t have hair, but I don’t know what they are)

The incisions behind my ears and into my hairline are again hidden.

So, 10 days after my facelift I have no visible scars, which is quite an unbelievable statement.

The Art of Subtlety

The facelift was done with such empathy for my facial character and features, retaining my ‘look’ and simply making subtle changes that have rejuvenated me significantly but not in a way that will provoke a double take from anyone that I know. The change is significant and profound whilst being incredibly discreet. It’s quite difficult to articulate in a meaningful way, but it is incredible and (to be honest) such a relief!

I might shave the beard. As I mentioned previously, I haven’t been clean shaven for years and the horror of seeing myself clean shaven was the catalyst to all this. If I shave the beard again, then I am confident that people will simply tell me how young I look without the facial hair!

I’m not embarrassed about having a facelift, I just don’t want to be judged by anyone nor feel the need to justify it. I’m just so content that on only day 10, I’m confident that no one will see any tell-tale signs and that no one will even think to ask the question.

I am incredibly happy and brimming with confidence.

Mr. Ali Ghanem

This man is truly a master of his craft and second to none. His pre-operative consultations were incredibly thorough and exploratory of all options, surgical and otherwise.

His team were incredibly professional and made me feel incredibly confident in their understanding of what I wanted and their ability to deliver the desired outcome. His technique is clearly masterful and demonstrates a profound understanding of the subtleties of the aging process and how to disrupt them.

I’m sure that there must be other surgeons that are very skilled, but I don’t know them. I do know this man and I cannot recommend him highly enough. He listened carefully to my concerns, my fears and most importantly to my desired outcome. He then calmly and simply delivered on everything to a level that I could never have truly anticipated. He’s an artist of the highest order and I am eternally grateful to him.

I have only ever had one facelift and consequently my experience is limited to only one surgeon. I am so glad that it was Mr. Ghanem.

I have told Mr. Ghanem that I would be happy to talk to any of his prospective clients that may need to just talk through the process with someone who has done it. I know that I would have jumped at that opportunity had it been presented to me. So if you want to talk to me about my experience to help you make your decision or simply for some reassurance about any aspect of the process then please let Mr. Ghanem know and he will give me your details for a discreet conversation at our mutual convenience. I know that it can be a big leap, so I’m happy to help you make it with absolute confidence in the outcome.