Very Glad I Did This - Houston, TX

Look to the ears, ladies...and gentlemen!

I read somewhere to judge the skills of a facial plastic surgeon by how your ears look after surgery. My incisions were virtually undetectable after surgery and by 2 weeks out I could wear a ponytail. No one in my family knows that I had the facelift...just that I look relaxed and refreshed.

I've lost quite a bit of weight in the past few years, so people think my face shrunk from that, but I was very aware of my turkey neck and wore my hair forward to cover it. Three weeks after the surgery, I met with people I knew, and no one notices.

As a patient who has worked in a hospital setting, I really wanted a surgeon who had an ENT background. Dr. Sturm O'Brien had that, plus she completed an extra year of specialized facial plastic surgery training. I was traveling to Houston for body contouring surgery and researched different facial plastic surgeons in the area.

I wanted someone who would be with me over the years if I decided to go back in 10-15 years. I kept returning back to Dr. Sturm O'Brien. She was young, highly intelligent, skilled and there was something about her that I trusted. I'm a very good judge of character, and after meeting her, was confident in my decision to move forward. Also, professionals that I interacted with...other surgeons, nurses and ophthalmologists...had only positive things to say about her.

After consultation with her, I made the decision to go forward with a complete facelift, endoscopic brow lift and lower bleph. Each person's consult is individualized...that's why I didn't put pricing info up above...it would also depend on the number of OR hours you would need plus anesthesiologist hours.

I am adding some photos, but I'm a private person; I hope they help others. All of the photos are right after a shower (some soap suds if you look carefully) and with no makeup. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

I also must add that the staff was great, especially Lisa, the nurse I saw most often and Linda, the fantastic patient coordinator.

To reduce swelling after the surgery, I slept for the first 2 weeks in a recliner, to keep my head elevated. I made sure to eat very low sodium, high quality foods, with a bit more protein for healing. One other thing that I think was helpful is that I drank a lot of water with either fresh lime or lemon juice.

I did initially have more swelling on my left side, but that dissipated after the first week. I had very little bruising and I think that Dr. Sturm O'Brien has a gentle touch; for sure during followup appointments, of which there were many the first 2 weeks.

My daughter took this on my phone...this is about 2 months prior to surgery. My neck really, really, really bothered me.

Things are still going well. No regrets.