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Fantastic Process - Eyelid Surgery, Brow Lift and Lower Face and Neck Lift
I started writing this review and got sort of carried away with processing my experience as if it was a marathon race report, something my friends and I used to send to each other after completing a marathon, so I apologize for the lengthy post. Because of that I chose to add a short version just below, most of which was taken from the closing paragraph of the longer version, so if you want the rest of the story you can read on at your leisure!
Short version:
I highly recommend Dr. Hessler and her staff at HPS for any and all procedures you may be considering! I also suggest listening to any ideas, additions or substitutions she may suggest after you share what procedure(s) you’re interested in having done, as she has an amazing eye for beautiful results and the experience to deliver them, all the while making sure you’re informed and comfortable with the plan every step of the process. She is an energetic, compassionate person, and a gifted, skillful surgeon with an equally caring, talented staff who deliver far beyond expectations in a personal way that makes you feel like you’re their most important patient ever!
Long (original) version:
I’m a 60-year-old male who recently had a lower face and neck lift, upper and lower blepharoplasty with fat transfer and brow lift for my eyes, and submentoplasty. I’m writing this approx. 5 week post procedure.
I’ll start by saying my decision to have Dr. Hessler do my procedure was an easy choice because my wife did extensive research and had consultations with multiple surgeons she was referred to by friends before selecting Dr. Hessler for own procedure, long before I even considered it. I didn’t go with her to her pre-op but later wished I had. My first encounter with Dr. Hessler was the morning of my wife’s procedure, which was a lower face and neck lift, lower eye blepharoplasty and submentoplasty. My role in her process was to be her caretaker in the weeks following her procedure and drive to appointments. I have to say that the paperwork they provided her and to me as her caretaker before the procedure was very thorough and contained what to expect based on the procedure choices she made and how to prepare for her recovery.
The day of my wife’s procedure, as they were preparing her for surgery I looked thru a book of some patient before and after pictures that was in the room and I immediately had the confident thought that she was in the right place. Each patient looked better and amazingly younger, 5-15 years younger but none were overdone or “appeared to have work”. I actually told Dr. Hessler that story in a later appointment and she said basically that when you notice that someone had work done, that’s a sign it wasn’t great work (my words). Her goal is to make you look better, which is usually younger, not different. That was a magical phrase that became true in the weeks to follow as I watched. Perhaps a fresh appearance is the best way to describe the finished look. Dr. Hessler answered all our new Q’s before her procedure and away she went into surgery.
Dr. Hessler schedules the first follow-up visit the very next day after the procedure and one of her amazing, caring RN’s changed the bandaging and cleaned the stitches. I watched while she explained what she was doing and why she did it so I was able to see exactly what I’d be doing on the following weeks. We had more Q’s now that she was on the mend and she had the answer to all of them. Many of the things they had told us before the procedure made sense now that my wife was recovering. They really did a great job conveying the exact process to expect, including a pretty accurate time line of the healing of the bruising, numbness and of course soreness. They were able to reassure us many times since it’s easy to become doubtful as the healing starts off seemingly slow. I laugh now but I remember thinking in the first few days after her procedure, “wow, and you voluntarily did this to yourself”. However in a short time my wife’s results were amazing, especially since women have the advantage of using makeup so she was able to cover the affected areas and be out into her regular routine in just a couple weeks (sorry advantage doesn’t seem like the best word since it takes time and effort but just meant that she had a usual method of concealing the healing).
So finally to me, I inherited my mom’s “heavy” droopy eyelids, and fairly pronounced bags under my eyes. My mom is in her early 80’s and her upper lids now cover about half of her eyes and she has fairly pronounced bags under her eyes as well, so at age 60 I have an earlier version of all that and more bags in the corners of my eyes that have been there a long time. For years I’ve had friends occasionally say something like “you look tired” when in fact I feel just fine and actual am frequently told that I’m one of the most energetic people around! I’m still very active and run 20 miles per week and participate in 3-4 half marathons each year and have lots of energy, it’s just how my eyes make me appear. I always hated that but just assumed it was my luck of the draw but seeing my wife’s results gave me the idea of having my own eye work done.
Within 2 months of my wife’s procedure I made an appointment for my own consultation just to find out what Dr. Hessler would recommend for my eyes, but by the time the appointment came my wife kindly pointed out that I would also benefit from a neck lift as well so that was my plan going in. I do recall my mom always thought it was cute that even as a child I had a “double chin”, which would become a sagging chin later in life. While waiting to meet with Dr. Hessler we had a quick conversation with one of the knowledgeable RN’s who phrased what I was about to do as “updating my look to appear as good as I feel”, which to me was perfectly stated! After I told Dr. Hessler I was interested in having my eyes done, the first thing she did was hand me a mirror so I could see as she gently lifted my brows the smallest amount and I knew immediately I needed brow lift along with whatever else she suggested – that simple movement made me look better and more awake and youthful, just like I felt and thought I looked! I must say I was also impressed how specific and exact she was when proposing MY procedure, meaning she very thoroughly looked at my entire head, face, ears, eyes and my whole structure before suggesting a very detailed procedure for me based on my features. It didn’t feel like a stamped out procedure that she routinely suggests to patients at all, but very individualized and precise like an artist delivering my exclusive one of a kind masterpiece! She also explained how she’s very conscientious about trying to hide the cut lines on men since we don’t have make-up or long hair to try to conceal them. She showed me where she would do her best to hide the cuts near my ears along hair lines and above my brows in wrinkles or creases that were already naturally in my forehead. She also deliberately does the brows on different levels rather than straight across from each side, again to conceal them as best as possible, something I thought was amazingly obvious AFTER she said it. Her experience shows in every little detail!
It’s worth noting that my wife’s reason for not telling many people about her planned procedure was simply so they wouldn’t look more closely at the spots she wanted “corrected” prior to the procedure. It wasn’t so much to hide that she was having work done, but just to see if anyone noticed after the fact, which I’ll say now that none did other than the few she told. Some months later a few told her she looked thinner. I decided to do the same thing and didn’t tell anyone at all what I was having done.
I had my procedure on November 5 without issue and started my recovery. I scheduled 3 weeks off from work hoping I’d heal enough to go back after that. Having helped my wife and witness her recover, most of the mystery was removed about what would happen, but since I had additional work with my upper eyelids, I did require a little more time for my eyes to heal and for the swelling and bruising to disappear. I’m usually a daily contact lens wearer but I was told it was best to not use them for a while so I used my glasses, which also helped conceal my healing. 24 days after the procedure was Thanksgiving Day and we had our family over and no one noticed anything different about me or said anything at all except my son said my one looked irritated. I was able to say that yes it was giving me trouble and I was taking steroids from the doctor to get it corrected, which was all true! I chose to take a 4th week off from work since it was a 3-day week with the Thanksgiving holidays and when I got back to work the only comment I got from one coworker was “is there something going on with your eye?” I was able to give them the same story about having an eye issue being treated.
As I write this I have the smallest amount of swelling on one eye which just seems to be healing a bit slower than the other but doubtful anyone notices but me, but all bruising has gone and my other eye looks great. There is a tiny a bit of redness in my cheeks where I had the fat transfer but that’s also getting better each day. I was reminded that while the outside healing is visible, there is also significant healing on the inside on its own course and that will all go away in time as well. The numbness is probably the strangest thing to describe. It’s also subsiding but the area next to my ears is still pretty numb to the touch.
Oh another great tip I got from Dr. Hessler was to purchase an electric razor because she cautioned me that it’s difficult and even risky to run a blade across your face without the feedback of feeling you’re used to. I’m able to get a pretty good shave with an electric razor and I bought an additional smaller shaver/trimmer to use around my ears. Dr. Hessler explained that since she pulled up and back the excess skin that was hanging around my neck, the area with facial hair is now closer to my ears that before. She was able to cauterize the back side of that skin so it hopefully won’t grow as much, but for what is there I’m easily able to remove it with a smaller shaver.
In closing I’ll just say again that I highly recommend Dr. Hessler and the staff at HPS for any and all procedures you may be considering! I also want to give a shout out to the HPS fabulous RN’s! Over the course of my post procedure office visits I received excellent care from 4 of them who I now refer to as the HPS Fab Four! Each of them provided a uniquely helpful perspective AND reassurance of the process with every encounter. It may sound strange to hear but I looked forward to going to the office for my follow-up appointments and even miss the attention and interaction now that my appointments are further apart! :-) Hopefully you’ll read the article in Gentry Health, which there is a link to posted on the HPS website. The writer documented very well my experience which clearly matches many others before me, specifically noting that Dr. Hessler and her staff are constantly available and responsive, and that you do feel like part of a wonderful family. If you choose to use HPS they’ll make you feel as though you are their favorite patient, and if you don’t choose them, good luck!
Short version:
I highly recommend Dr. Hessler and her staff at HPS for any and all procedures you may be considering! I also suggest listening to any ideas, additions or substitutions she may suggest after you share what procedure(s) you’re interested in having done, as she has an amazing eye for beautiful results and the experience to deliver them, all the while making sure you’re informed and comfortable with the plan every step of the process. She is an energetic, compassionate person, and a gifted, skillful surgeon with an equally caring, talented staff who deliver far beyond expectations in a personal way that makes you feel like you’re their most important patient ever!
Long (original) version:
I’m a 60-year-old male who recently had a lower face and neck lift, upper and lower blepharoplasty with fat transfer and brow lift for my eyes, and submentoplasty. I’m writing this approx. 5 week post procedure.
I’ll start by saying my decision to have Dr. Hessler do my procedure was an easy choice because my wife did extensive research and had consultations with multiple surgeons she was referred to by friends before selecting Dr. Hessler for own procedure, long before I even considered it. I didn’t go with her to her pre-op but later wished I had. My first encounter with Dr. Hessler was the morning of my wife’s procedure, which was a lower face and neck lift, lower eye blepharoplasty and submentoplasty. My role in her process was to be her caretaker in the weeks following her procedure and drive to appointments. I have to say that the paperwork they provided her and to me as her caretaker before the procedure was very thorough and contained what to expect based on the procedure choices she made and how to prepare for her recovery.
The day of my wife’s procedure, as they were preparing her for surgery I looked thru a book of some patient before and after pictures that was in the room and I immediately had the confident thought that she was in the right place. Each patient looked better and amazingly younger, 5-15 years younger but none were overdone or “appeared to have work”. I actually told Dr. Hessler that story in a later appointment and she said basically that when you notice that someone had work done, that’s a sign it wasn’t great work (my words). Her goal is to make you look better, which is usually younger, not different. That was a magical phrase that became true in the weeks to follow as I watched. Perhaps a fresh appearance is the best way to describe the finished look. Dr. Hessler answered all our new Q’s before her procedure and away she went into surgery.
Dr. Hessler schedules the first follow-up visit the very next day after the procedure and one of her amazing, caring RN’s changed the bandaging and cleaned the stitches. I watched while she explained what she was doing and why she did it so I was able to see exactly what I’d be doing on the following weeks. We had more Q’s now that she was on the mend and she had the answer to all of them. Many of the things they had told us before the procedure made sense now that my wife was recovering. They really did a great job conveying the exact process to expect, including a pretty accurate time line of the healing of the bruising, numbness and of course soreness. They were able to reassure us many times since it’s easy to become doubtful as the healing starts off seemingly slow. I laugh now but I remember thinking in the first few days after her procedure, “wow, and you voluntarily did this to yourself”. However in a short time my wife’s results were amazing, especially since women have the advantage of using makeup so she was able to cover the affected areas and be out into her regular routine in just a couple weeks (sorry advantage doesn’t seem like the best word since it takes time and effort but just meant that she had a usual method of concealing the healing).
So finally to me, I inherited my mom’s “heavy” droopy eyelids, and fairly pronounced bags under my eyes. My mom is in her early 80’s and her upper lids now cover about half of her eyes and she has fairly pronounced bags under her eyes as well, so at age 60 I have an earlier version of all that and more bags in the corners of my eyes that have been there a long time. For years I’ve had friends occasionally say something like “you look tired” when in fact I feel just fine and actual am frequently told that I’m one of the most energetic people around! I’m still very active and run 20 miles per week and participate in 3-4 half marathons each year and have lots of energy, it’s just how my eyes make me appear. I always hated that but just assumed it was my luck of the draw but seeing my wife’s results gave me the idea of having my own eye work done.
Within 2 months of my wife’s procedure I made an appointment for my own consultation just to find out what Dr. Hessler would recommend for my eyes, but by the time the appointment came my wife kindly pointed out that I would also benefit from a neck lift as well so that was my plan going in. I do recall my mom always thought it was cute that even as a child I had a “double chin”, which would become a sagging chin later in life. While waiting to meet with Dr. Hessler we had a quick conversation with one of the knowledgeable RN’s who phrased what I was about to do as “updating my look to appear as good as I feel”, which to me was perfectly stated! After I told Dr. Hessler I was interested in having my eyes done, the first thing she did was hand me a mirror so I could see as she gently lifted my brows the smallest amount and I knew immediately I needed brow lift along with whatever else she suggested – that simple movement made me look better and more awake and youthful, just like I felt and thought I looked! I must say I was also impressed how specific and exact she was when proposing MY procedure, meaning she very thoroughly looked at my entire head, face, ears, eyes and my whole structure before suggesting a very detailed procedure for me based on my features. It didn’t feel like a stamped out procedure that she routinely suggests to patients at all, but very individualized and precise like an artist delivering my exclusive one of a kind masterpiece! She also explained how she’s very conscientious about trying to hide the cut lines on men since we don’t have make-up or long hair to try to conceal them. She showed me where she would do her best to hide the cuts near my ears along hair lines and above my brows in wrinkles or creases that were already naturally in my forehead. She also deliberately does the brows on different levels rather than straight across from each side, again to conceal them as best as possible, something I thought was amazingly obvious AFTER she said it. Her experience shows in every little detail!
It’s worth noting that my wife’s reason for not telling many people about her planned procedure was simply so they wouldn’t look more closely at the spots she wanted “corrected” prior to the procedure. It wasn’t so much to hide that she was having work done, but just to see if anyone noticed after the fact, which I’ll say now that none did other than the few she told. Some months later a few told her she looked thinner. I decided to do the same thing and didn’t tell anyone at all what I was having done.
I had my procedure on November 5 without issue and started my recovery. I scheduled 3 weeks off from work hoping I’d heal enough to go back after that. Having helped my wife and witness her recover, most of the mystery was removed about what would happen, but since I had additional work with my upper eyelids, I did require a little more time for my eyes to heal and for the swelling and bruising to disappear. I’m usually a daily contact lens wearer but I was told it was best to not use them for a while so I used my glasses, which also helped conceal my healing. 24 days after the procedure was Thanksgiving Day and we had our family over and no one noticed anything different about me or said anything at all except my son said my one looked irritated. I was able to say that yes it was giving me trouble and I was taking steroids from the doctor to get it corrected, which was all true! I chose to take a 4th week off from work since it was a 3-day week with the Thanksgiving holidays and when I got back to work the only comment I got from one coworker was “is there something going on with your eye?” I was able to give them the same story about having an eye issue being treated.
As I write this I have the smallest amount of swelling on one eye which just seems to be healing a bit slower than the other but doubtful anyone notices but me, but all bruising has gone and my other eye looks great. There is a tiny a bit of redness in my cheeks where I had the fat transfer but that’s also getting better each day. I was reminded that while the outside healing is visible, there is also significant healing on the inside on its own course and that will all go away in time as well. The numbness is probably the strangest thing to describe. It’s also subsiding but the area next to my ears is still pretty numb to the touch.
Oh another great tip I got from Dr. Hessler was to purchase an electric razor because she cautioned me that it’s difficult and even risky to run a blade across your face without the feedback of feeling you’re used to. I’m able to get a pretty good shave with an electric razor and I bought an additional smaller shaver/trimmer to use around my ears. Dr. Hessler explained that since she pulled up and back the excess skin that was hanging around my neck, the area with facial hair is now closer to my ears that before. She was able to cauterize the back side of that skin so it hopefully won’t grow as much, but for what is there I’m easily able to remove it with a smaller shaver.
In closing I’ll just say again that I highly recommend Dr. Hessler and the staff at HPS for any and all procedures you may be considering! I also want to give a shout out to the HPS fabulous RN’s! Over the course of my post procedure office visits I received excellent care from 4 of them who I now refer to as the HPS Fab Four! Each of them provided a uniquely helpful perspective AND reassurance of the process with every encounter. It may sound strange to hear but I looked forward to going to the office for my follow-up appointments and even miss the attention and interaction now that my appointments are further apart! :-) Hopefully you’ll read the article in Gentry Health, which there is a link to posted on the HPS website. The writer documented very well my experience which clearly matches many others before me, specifically noting that Dr. Hessler and her staff are constantly available and responsive, and that you do feel like part of a wonderful family. If you choose to use HPS they’ll make you feel as though you are their favorite patient, and if you don’t choose them, good luck!
Provider Review
Board Certified Facial Plastic Surgeon
320 Lambert Ave., Palo Alto, California