Part 1 of lip lift recovery - 10 days post-op deep plane technique

In order to post I HAD to give a starts-review so I'm putting 4 for now and def hope to update to 5/5 once I'm done with my recovery which I will chronicle on a regular basis going forward.

START / END POINTS: I began w 18.5mm philtrum - Dr. Orfaniotis suggested 5mm removal, I said I was looking for a "noticeable" effect, and we ultimately excised 5.5mm.

That being said! I was definitely shocked to see myself in the mirror at the end of the procedure. I'm still trying to come to terms with what my expectations should be: I thought "table" pictures are a solid indicator of what your final results will be bc swelling has not yet set in, but Dr. Orfaniotis said that what happens to many patients is they love their day-of look and then that drops significantly and they wish they'd gone in for more. So this helped to assuage my concerns somewhat.

See my Day 8 pic for how much it has dropped so far. It seems unlikely that it will drop and then... rise... again?! I certainly hope not. The progress does seem positive though, as in, somewhat less bunny-ish.

MY ADVICE: if you're going for anything other than an extremely conservative lift, ASK ABOUT POSSIBLE BUNNY EFFECT up front!!! I really wanted 5.5 excised; I didn't think I'd be in any danger w/a 13mm philtrum result. I now wonder if I really understood the implications based on my anatomy?

RECOVERY: I'm super active/social and am extremely expressive. At 10 days post-op, my initial speech impediment has disappeared, so I sound normal, but I do not look normal when speaking. I've been on camera for a few meetings in the last few days and I think I'll need to go back off-camera, the immobility of my top lip gives an extremely uncanny look (think ventriloquist doll). I'm also genuinely confused as to how much I can move my mouth. I know I can't have solid foods yet, but is smiling (to the extent that I can) even advisable, at all? Not sure.

DR REVIEW: Dr. Orfaniotis took his time w/me during consultations and on day-of op. He is extremely friendly, open and kind. I chose him bc he uses the deep plane technique and I will say, at least thus far, my incision is looking *really* good. I did find his approach towards talking about the result a little confusing though.

When I first showed him what I had pictured (by raising up my lip to mimic what a shorter philtrum would give), he seemed to want to temper my expectations and said I could end up with a very gummy smile, which I agreed to as a potential risk given my excise mm request. I said I really wanted nice volume to my upper lip at rest. He said fine, ok, but be warned you may need botox for your gummy smile. What he did not mention was bunny mouth at rest, which is what I'm now suddenly so paranoid about!

NURSE at HCA: Daniella? Danielle? An angel sent from heaven with a bedside manner that cannot be praised enough.11/10, no notes. She was present on the day of the op, took AMAZING care of me, and then took out my sutures which was so easy and painless.

OFFICE: Lian - fantastic! Lian has been so on top of it in terms of post-op care. I've had my calls returned, I've even had my emails answered with calls directly, she's just been so available and expertly fielded a few days of pretty paranoid emails haha.

FINAL THOUGHTS for now: the deep plane technique causes serious trauma and you are not 'back to normal' a week or two weeks after this procedure. It is not just taking off/pulling up some skin (bullhorn I think?) and it definitely has taken me aback to realize that I will look WEIRD, like VERY strange, when speaking for the foreseeable future. On top of that, I was not prepared for constant tooth-show at rest (bunny-look) and am really concerned about living as a bunny for the rest of my mortal life. And lastly my lips are uneven and have been since day the day of the operation, so I reeeeaallly really hope they even out.

Final final note for now???? Again the incision looks amazing, the scar is the literal last thing on my mind in terms of aesthetic concerns, given that the care instructions are easy but mostly bc the incision looks so amazing, clean, and tiny.

I'm amazed at the corner that I seem to be turning re: recovery. Late last week, 10 days post-op I was unable to feel almost my entire philtrum, it was basically entirely numb which meant that while I was loving the results from certain angles when photographed, I was also pretty freaked out by the total inability to move my upper lip which made me look SO weird when speaking.

This is now resolving itself extremely quickly! I would say 60% of my philtrum has regained feeling which is a fantastic feeling! Previous to that, you sort of feel like your weird numb philtrum is a foreign body, in your body? It's hard to describe.

Regarding incision: it continues to heal healthily and right on schedule. Right side of my incision is lower than the other and you can see it head-on, it's not hidden by the shadow of my nose. If the color fades enough, it may be unnoticeable without any further intervention. Let's wait and see.

Also, lip incontinence: this is also coming down so quick! I'm hopeful that by the end of this week I'm going to be madly in love with the result. That would be way ahead of schedule, too - my understanding is that I've now begun healing quite fast which is very lucky and of course thanks to my surgeon as well!