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What did Dominic do for me? In a nutshell, he...
This is my journey. From the age of about 44, I started to feel like my face was slowly melting. My jawline was drooping and I was developing a turkey neck that was really bothering me. I’ve never been overweight so weight gain/loss wasn’t the cause of it. I tried to improve it myself through facial/neck exercises but they did nothing. Some days I felt better and in some mirrors I looked ok. But on other days and in other mirrors, I hated myself. The hate grew over the last few years to the point where it was seriously affecting my self-esteem. We all have issues about our bodies and as we get older, that list just grows. But there is a difference between changes that we can be more accepting of – a few more wrinkles, wobbly bits, some cellulite – and something that we can’t hide from the world. I found it increasingly difficult to go out with any confidence, knowing that how I felt at this point of my life was just going to get worse over time. You can cover most things up and that helps you to cope and present a confident exterior. But my saggy neck just looked like someone 20 years older than me. It wasn’t me. It wasn’t fair. I was determined to do something about it and not just accept my fate. I later found out that a full hysterectomy at age 42 which meant enforced HRT to avoid immediate menopause, was probably the cause of what felt like a sudden decline in my skin laxity. That made sense and it gave me comfort to know it was more than normal ageing, that it was exacerbated by something outside of my control.
When I made the decision to look into the possibility of surgery, I made a pact with myself. I’d choose two surgeons and go for a consultation with both, then at least I’d know what my options were and could make a more informed decision about whether I could really go through with it. At that stage I didn’t know if I would be able to.
I chose a local surgeon and Dominic. The consultation with my local surgeon came first and it was awful. He asked me what the problem was and then told me how much it would be have a neck lift. His manner was cocky, dismissive, rushed. I asked him about the option of local rather than general anaesthetic (as I’d learned was Dominic’s method) and he said he was “willing to give it a go if I wanted to be his guinea pig”. The man was an arrogant idiot that I’d just wasted a consultation fee on. The experience almost put me off the whole idea. But my determination to at least get another opinion was strong enough to force me to plough on – I had nothing to lose really.
I stumbled across Dominic after extensive research on the web. I could tell from his website that this was someone different from the rest and I was intrigued. I made an appointment for a consultation (which was free). I knew from the moment I met Dominic that he was the right surgeon for me. He had a vitality and presence about him, a disarming personality and sense of humour that created an immediate rapport and just put me at ease. His energy and passion for what he does gave me the conviction I was looking for. I knew I could trust him with my face. He was honest – he told me a neck lift would not give me the result I needed. It had to be a lower face lift, with a neck lift. He also recommended liposuction on my neck to create more definition (I’ve always had a fatter face). The message was clear - if you want the best result, don’t cut corners. Sure, a neck lift would improve my neck laxity, for a while. But the droopy jowls and the fat under my jawline would remain and that would make any results from a neck lift alone quite temporary.
It was a big decision to make. I chewed it over for a few weeks. I pondered the logistics at work – how to get time off and who to confide in. Once I had figured everything out, I chose a date a week before Christmas shut down, which would give me an additional week of recovery before I had to go back to work. Once I’d made the decision, every question I had about the surgery was answered by Dominic or his PA, Lucy. I never felt like I was pestering them or being a pain.
Provider Review
I followed the diet restrictions as best I could. I bought arnica cream and tablets to reduce bruising (as well as taking all the tablets provided by Dominic before, during and after surgery). I don’t smoke anyway but I like a glass of wine and I abstained for 3 weeks before and 2 weeks after. On the day of the surgery, I booked into the hotel and got myself together. It was a five minute walk to the clinic. Dominic was there to greet me. The anaesthetist was a great character and he put me at ease straight away. The banter between him and Dominic was wonderful – they made a great team. I wasn’t at all nervous. I made a last minute decision to have my upper eyelids done too (I figured I may as well, as the downtime would be the same). It was a very relaxing experience – to be able to hear what was going on, respond to directions from Dominic, yet not feel a thing. It was quite heavenly actually. My partner was waiting for me after surgery and we actually walked back to the hotel. I had a snood over my head and kept my face down and to be honest, I don’t remember anything about the walk back. The hotel was perfect – discreet, close by, comfortable and with excellent service. I had an afternoon surgery and that evening, Dominic dropped by the hotel to check on me, make sure all was in order. I saw my face for the first time and, although bruised and looking quite scary, I could already tell I was going to love the finished results. The next morning I went back to the surgery to have my hair washed, some treatment on my face to speed up recovery, a facial stocking and my instructions. We took a taxi from London back to Peterborough so I didn’t have to contend with the train and people staring. It was the right decision. I’ll be honest, the first few days were really quite painful and I did find it hard to handle the pain. But I had a lot of surgery – lower face lift, liposuction, necklift and eyelids – so it was to be expected. I almost caved in and took some stronger painkillers but Dominic advised against it, as it would slow down my recovery. Dominic was in touch every day, checking up on me and making sure I was taking it easy. He gave me his mobile number in case I needed it and that was really reassuring to me. The surgery was on a Thursday. Friday and Saturday were the worst days pain-wise. I soldiered on without taking extra meds and by Sunday morning I woke up and knew I had turned a corner. From there, it just got easier and every day was a journey of discovery. I got excited seeing the transformation. I kept looking at my face in profile to see my new neckline and jawline. It was amazing. I expected the bruising to be much more obvious but, apart from the eyes, it was very minimal and easily covered with a neck scarf. Out walking the dogs from day three and I didn’t feel self-conscious at all. I went back to see Dominic after one week and he treated the bruises to disperse the blood, so the bruising inevitably looked worse when I left than when I arrived, but it speeded up the recovery very soon afterwards so it was worth doing. 12 days after surgery, I visited my family in Cornwall so this was my first real “test” of the reaction from family members who didn’t know. I only told my closest sister and chose to keep it from the rest of the family and decided that if they asked me, I would tell them. But if they didn’t, I wouldn’t. My close friends knew – I needed support through the journey - but it was also really important to me to get a truthful reaction from people who didn’t know what I’d done. Everyone said how wonderful I looked. Questions like: have you done your hair? Are you using new face cream? Different make up? Everything except – have you had a face lift . It was exactly the reaction I was looking for and it gave me confidence to go back to work. When I went back to work in the New Year, I could see the questions in people’s eyes – I looked different but they couldn’t put their finger on it. I just looked like me, but fresher. I truly couldn’t be happier. Dominic has given me my confidence back. It was worth every single penny and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend him. You won’t regret it. Dominic, you are a one-off, amazing, a genius. Thank you. X (And sorry for the delayed review – it’s been on my to do list for months )