Two months after surgery and very happy—I look like myself, but not droopy and saggy.

I wanted to wait until three months after my surgery to write a full review, but because I relied heavily on these reviews when choosing my doctor I decided to talk about my experience now at two months after surgery. I will not post pictures or anything that is personally identifying, I'm a private person and if you need pictures to evaluate my review, then I'm sorry, they're not coming. This review is an account of my experience with Dr. Jacono and his staff.I chose Dr. Jacono because the before and after photos I saw of his work seemed to me to have the most natural results. I paid a deposit fee upfront and met with him on FaceTime before my surgery. I live in another state, so I was also able to meet with him in-person a few days before the surgery. He is the only surgeon I consulted with. He and his staff were friendly, welcoming and I never felt rushed. One thing in particular that I like about Dr. Jacono is that I never felt pushed into doing more than I wanted/needed. I had a deep plane facelift and neck lift and I'm sure I could benefit from more, but neither he nor his staff tried to convince me to do more than I chose to do. One thing I would like to talk about is the cost. I'm not going to say what I paid, but it wasn't inexpensive. But that is my decision - much like other things in life. You can drive a Hyundai and it will be safe and get you where you're going and it might even be stylish, or you might want a Mercedes, which costs more and is more luxurious. I'm only making this comparison because there are many good plastic surgeons and Dr. Jacono is one of the best. He happens to have an ability and level of experience that allows him to charge the amount he does. If you aren't happy with what he charges, find a doctor in a price range you're comfortable with. This is elective surgery and part of the election is how much you personally are willing to pay. I felt and still feel that the amount was worth it The day of the surgery I felt incredibly calm and I didn't have any second thoughts or hesitation. I jumped right up on the procedure table. The nurse told me I was going to be so happy when I woke up and I told her that I'm already a happy person and I couldn't wait to see the results. I spent the night at the surgery center and was very well cared for by a night nurse who applied cold packs and fed me apple sauce and was an absolute angel. If you are having any elective surgery, I highly recommend doing this for the first night. It made a huge difference for me, especially because I was staying at a hotel for the remainder of my time in NYC. The next morning after the surgery, Dr. Jacono came in and removed the bandage around my face. I was amazed, my jaw looked sharp and my cheekbones were restored to where they were in my thirties. I looked like me, but without a droopy neck and sunken cheeks. I was thrilled. But to be honest, that feeling was short-lived because, in a matter of a few hours, my jaw and neck looked terrible and swollen. My face was badly bruised (I bruise easily) and for the next three to four weeks I felt distorted. It was hard, I'm not going to lie. It was much harder than I expected and the initial recovery took longer than I expected. Not because I was ill-informed, but because I tend to be optimistic and it took me by surprise. I could not have gone back to work at two weeks and three weeks would still have been pushing it. The first four weeks were filled with second thoughts and worry. I now know that it is typical and the results improve dramatically over time. Thank goodness for zoom and turtlenecks!My in-person follow-up appointments at Dr. Jacono's office were very good. I felt like the nurse and Dr. O'Connell (who is completing her fellowship) were very helpful with advice and addressing any concerns I had at the time. Dr. O'Connell explained how the procedure was done and what would happen over the next 1-4 months with healing and smoothing out and overall recovery. I left New York ten days after my surgery and felt like I was headed in the right direction with my healing, although I was looking pretty rough. I did have to contact Dr. Jacono's office a couple of times about small concerns I had with swelling and redness on my neck and each time I was treated as if my concerns mattered and weren't a problem for the nurses to help me with. This week I am at the two-month mark. It's funny because the surgery seems like it was longer than two months ago, even though this year seems to be going by quickly. I am still healing and I am still numb on the sides of my face and along my jaw. I look good though. Not gorgeous, because I was never gorgeous. I look like myself, but not droopy and saggy. I have three kids who are away at school but have been home for a short spring break. Not one of them has mentioned that they think I look different. they are not shy about critiquing me which makes me think that the results are natural. I haven't told anyone other than my husband and no one has said anything. This makes me very happy because I wasn't exactly trying to look younger or more beautiful. I just hated how my neck and jowls looked and decided to have it fixed. One last note, my incisions were impeccable and I have no obvious scars just eight weeks after surgery. I suppose if someone looked closely, they could see some redness where the incisions were, but I think this is one of the advantages of seeing a doctor with as much experience as Dr. Jacono. No surprises - just highly skilled. I hope this review helps you with your decision. I'm happy with my choice and I hope you will be as well. Also thank you to the real self patients who offered advice to me through this process, I relied on their experiences to get me through the hard parts of recovery. XO