Jowl Reduction

Late March 2021 I had an S-Lift/Mini Facelift. At the time of writing this review, I am three weeks Post Op and not sure if I have made a mistake or an investment into my self esteem.

My face has aged pretty well, I am 48 this year, and besides the usual wear and tear around the eyes, it is my hereditary jowls that were aging me by elongating my face. In my younger years I would describe my face as round, but as the years progressed my jowls have 'squared off' my jaw.

I have tried Ulthera, a Thread Lift, fillers and lasers etc but nothing, literally nothing has made any difference. I am of a slim build carrying no extra weight either.

It is now week 3 Post Op and I have a Pixie Ear, I have called the clinic to let them know I will be needing a review. As I live out of town I have to book flights etc so wanted to ensure I could have the ear addressed at the appointment without having to go back and forth.

Unfortunately, at the start of this week I found a blue suture stitch that the nurse missed when removing them, so I have to have that removed by a Dr in my home town ASAP.

So far, the experience has not been as positive as I'd've liked it to have been. I am hoping the stitch doesn't leave a scar and that my ear can eventually be rectified. As for the overall outcome of the surgery, I will leave that comment for after my 3 month review.

I attended a Zoom consult with DR Sharp in Dec 2020, he said I was a good candidate for the procedure because it focuses on the jawline and upper neck, which was the problem area I wanted to target.
I flew in from out of town and had my in person consult 15mins prior to the procedure. Dr Sharp reviewed my face and marked it up and one of the staff took some before photos.
Then we got straight into the procedure. It was at this time that I asked if I should take the Valium and if I should take off my shoes (heeled boots) before he began?
During the procedure the nurse and Dr Sharp chatted to each other about where they like eat out. I kind of felt a bit uncomfortable, like I was eavesdropping into the conversation as they talked over me and operated. The anaesthesia needle hurt like crazy, considering I'd taken the Valium only 1 minute before they started.
Hearing the gristle being cut into was probably the worst part of the Operation, no pain just a bit gruesome. Overall, the surgery took around 1hr 45mins in total, and the pain overall was tolerable.
Although, on the last stitch on my left side, I felt an uncomfortable tug which I mentioned to the Dr describing it as feeling 'not right' but my input was dismissed and he started the other side of my face. I did not feel the same uncomfortable tug when he finished my right side.
What really left me wondering if this was a huge mistake, was during the Op when the Dr had almost finished my left side, he asked me if anyone had ever told me my ears were attached weirdly. He proceeded to tell me at least 5 times during the Op I had an ear deformity.
When you're lying on a table with your face opened up you can't just hop up and leave, but believe me I wished I could have. I felt embarrassed, angry and annoyed.
Firstly, I don't have a deformity, because I assure you I would have noticed by now. Maybe a better choice of words would have been an abnormality; and for argument's sake the 'abnormality' should have been identified and discussed during the Pre-Op then taken into consideration during the Op.
After the Op the nurse put the pressure garment on, gave me my after-care instructions and I left with my sister.
My thanks to Liz, one of the reception staff who was the only warm person, working at reception. The Centre Manager who took my before photos was nice too.
I went home and took some painkillers and pretty much slept until the next morning.
I ate some soft fruit, soups, tea and yoghurts and slept with a little wedge pillow under my neck to keep me from turning over and as support during the night.

Pain has been minimal and I do not feel stretched at all around my jaw area, I am hoping that is a good thing :/
My only concern thus far is, the day after surgery, I removed the pressure garment and saw straight away that my left ear was weirdly attached to the side of my neck angling downwards (the recognised term is Pixie Ear). I called the clinic and requested that Dr Sharp attend the one week Post Op visit. The appointment was supposed to be suture removal by the nurse only but I was advised the Dr was at the clinic at the time of my appointment and he would 'duck in for a quick chat and have a look'.
At the week one Post Op visit I showed the Dr my Pixie Ear and he advised it may just look a bit weird because of swelling and that it may right itself once the swelling subsided. He also took the opportunity to remind me again that I had a deformity and asked if I remembered he did point this out to me during surgery :/ He advised that he would consider doing a review, (if necessary, at my 3month Post Op review, which I was happy to hear
It is only now when I look at the pics that I see my face was more swollen than I thought it was, my ear looks slightly better and I will post a pic at one month Post-Op.