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POSTED UNDER Facelift Reviews REVIEWS

Only a Week After Surgery, but Already LOVE the Face Lift - Lakeland, FL

ORIGINAL POST

My courage came from many of the people that...

$15,800

My courage came from many of the people that shared their stories here, and from many of the wonderful MD's that gave their opinions and shared their expertise with us. THANK YOU to each and every one of you. I am in my mid 50's.

I am a week and a half post op on my face lift, neck, Bleph and ptosis. Although I still have a lot of bruising and some swelling, I am very happy with the results. I know, from all the research I have done, that swelling can take up to 3 or more months to totally subside, so I do have realistic expectations.

It's also good if you can get the procedure done away from home so you can recouperate in a nice atmosphere. I had my surgery done in Lakeland, FL

When it comes to surgery, I am the biggest chicken, but I was totally knocked out and don't remember ANYTHING, so I was so proud of myself after the procedure. I had pain for about 2 days, but after 2 days, the pain was tolerable. I sleep at an approx 45 degree angle, and I put cold compresses on the operative sites frequently throughout the day.

At night, I wear a support which goes around my chin, cheeks and holds in place at the top of my head. This will be worn for 2 weeks. The 2nd week just at night. I do wear the support occasionally in the day time as it helps with the uncomfortable feeling I still have around the ears and upper neck area.

For me personally, I would not venture out in public unless I had my sunglasses and head/neck covering on. If I'm covered up, you cannot see the bruising which is on the way to subsiding right now, but without a scarf, you would see red/blue/black around my neck jowels, eyes and ears.

I did my research of the surgeon I used, and am VERY HAPPY with his qualifications, his personality, and most importantly, the before and after pictures of his patients, and talking to his patients, so I had full confidence in my doctor. That is very important. I'm on the road to recovery now, and really looking forward to the subsidence of all the swelling.

Before you do any cosmetic procedure, do your homework and don't rush into anything. Also, it is very important to have REASONABLE expectations post op, so if you have issues, discuss them with your doctor, but wait at least six months before you make final judgement.

's provider

Raam S. Lakhani, MD

Raam S. Lakhani, MD

Board Certified Facial Plastic Surgeon

rating for Dr. Lakhani:

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Replies (6)

secrets
April 2, 2010
Delighted to read that everything went well,and you are happy with your precedures, i,m not a doom merchant by any means,but initially we do look quite amazing during the first few weeks post op. I was over the moon with my results at first,but once all the swelling was gone,i,m afraid i was bitterly disapointed. And so i hope you will continue to be thrilled in the months to come.x
(unregistered guest)
April 2, 2010
Hi 'Secrets', I know what you are talking about. I have spoken to many post op patients who had to go back for corrective surgery. I think you should talk to your doc about what you don't like and see if it can be corrected. Since I wrote my initial accounting of my face lift, I do see two ridges on the side of my cheek. I'm almost at 2 weeks post op so I'll talk to my doc on Monday about this. I tend to have a positive outlook, and have experience with cosmetic surgery patients, so I think what I see is all part of the healing process. I wish you luck, but PLEASE talk to your surgeon about what you don't like.
retired507
April 3, 2010
Hi, What kind of surgeries did you have and what were you bitterly disappointed about?? How long since you had your surgery and are you still disappointed?
Doberman
April 3, 2010
Glad to hear your facelift went well. I am also thinking of going out of town for a facelift, so I was curious (1) how long you intend to stay in the area before flying home; and (2)where you are staying. I found an out-of-town surgeon I really liked, but I am afraid I will go stir crazy in a hotel room for two weeks. Also, at how many days did you feel comfortable venturing outside in scarf and glasses. Can I at least go sightseeing after 3 or 4 days?
(unregistered guest)
April 15, 2010
Hi Doberman. I come down to FL for a few months every year. I did not come here just for the surgery. I have a summer home here, so I plan on staying here until possibly June. IF you did plan on going out of town and can afford it, I would suggest you rent an apartment for a few months. There are some short term apartment rental units in a lot of areas. Just do the research. No one will know you so you don't have to be worried about people seeing your swelling and bruising. After my surgery, I went out the following day with my sunglasses on, and my head/neck covered by a pretty scarf. I would say, sure.... you should be ok to go sightseeing after 3 or 4 days, but remember, everyone heals differently... some quicker, some shorter, so as long as you have realistic expectations about post op recovery/swelling/bruising you'll be fine. GOOD LUCK!!
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deehotflash
April 25, 2010
I have a friend that helped me after my procedure and she will come down from Orlando and stay with me for her procedure and recuperation for about 3 weeks. I strongly advise you to have a buddy or nurse, someone who also drives you to appointments. The medicine can affect you and I had my eyes done and my vision was a bit off with the sutures so I needed a driver, my friend. Good luck and be safe.

Almost 3 weeks post op and I'm starting to...

Almost 3 weeks post op and I'm starting to heal well, and bruises are ALMOST gone. Just very faint at present. I am DILIGENTLY using Witch Hazel soaked compresses which is bringing out the bruising and aids with the healing.

The ridges on the sides of my cheek are almost gone. The hardness on my cheeks, neck and back of my ears is softening up. Scarring is healing up really nicely. I am slowly starting to see some really nice results, even in the 3 weeks since the surgery.

I also had an eyebrow lift, and that area is still somewhat numb, but the feeling is all coming back gradually. The feeling in my ears is almost complete. Just the lobes have no feeling, but I can feel the feeling slowly coming back there.

One thing I have noticed is that my taste buds are really explosive. It's kind of neat. Anything I eat, my taste buds immediately spark fireworks LOL. It's kind of funny.

So far, I'm VERY HAPPY with the results and the healing process.

I'll give another update in a couple of weeks.

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3 weeks and two days after surgery. All the...

3 weeks and two days after surgery. All the bruising is gone. I still have some hardness on the side of my cheeks, neck, upper eye lids. I can feel everything slowly softening up, and I really like what I see. My ears are still tingly and a bit numb on the ear lobes now. Right after surgery, I could not feel my ears at all.

The scaring around the front and back of my ears has healed up nicely and is not visible at all.

The ridges originally appearing on the side of my cheeks are disappearing and moving down towards the chin line which is still a bit hard and numb.

Scaring on my upper eye lids is still visible when I close my eyes. If my eyes are open, you can barely see the scars.

The scar on under my chin is visible, but fading.

I am still wearing the chin strap at night, and it feels really good to wear it. I am still sleeping in an upright position, but I think it would be ok to sleep on my back.

I see the doctor again at the end of the month and I'll post another update then.

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