Just Had the Lifestyle Lift - Happy So Far - San Ramon, CA

I will have surgery with Dr. Gray in the next few weeks. Thank you for writing the post. In addition to what you had done I will also have my upper lids done. How did you feel the day after surgery? Was your head wrapped and were you able to eat? It sounds like you still have stitches. Are they small and even?

I don't know how to add more text and photos to my existing post, so I'll just continue in this comment. Day 3: Yea! From now on I only need to wear the bandages and ace wrap while sleeping. Day 4: Not enough pain left to justify taking more Vicodin, although the discomfort from the tight sutures is unpleasant. Still lots of bruising evident, the worst of it in my neck, but a scarf (in the middle of summer?) would cover that. One ear lobe looks a bit messy. Also, there is considerable fluid accumulation under my eyes, which is similar to what I had with my upper eyelid blepharoplasty one year ago. One thing that is disconcerting is that you have very little touch sensation around the ears and jawline. I understand that will come back in due time. I get the sutures removed on day 12, so I’ll write more after that happens. Note to 140Sanon: The upper lids by themselves are not a big deal (I had that done one year ago), but added to the rest of the surgery may just make you feel that much worse. After surgery, all I wanted to do was sleep, but even that is not easy because you must keep your head elevated. After the face/neck lift, only the scalp, ears, and neck were bandaged. You can eat, but not anything too chewy because chewing pulls uncomfortably on the sutures by the ears. The stitches are relatively small, but you can see a crusty-looking red line connecting them, and for the first three days the bandages have to stay on 24/7.

Hi Rich. Did Dr. Gray also do your upper lids? How old are you. You mention bandages at night. The requirement for those were crossed off my list and am now thinking I need to buy some. I decided I only wanted to feel "bad" once and that's why I am doing everything at the same time. I have a fairly high tolerance for pain, although this is my first elective. I am enjoying your progress and it sounds like you are doing well. Thanks for the continued information.

No, my upper lids were done by a different doctor. They look nice enough, but now I have a problem with Dry Eyes, requiring frequent application of lubricant drops. Then again, who knows if the blepharoplasty caused it since it didn't become apparent until four months later. When the nurse changed out my bandages the first time (the day after the face lift), I remarked that I didn't have any on hand, so she gave me a full pack of them. I don't know if that is standard practice. I don't think gauze bandages or elastic wrap are on the list of things we were told to get.

I too was surprised over the extent of incisions around the ears. Not sure what a ligature looks like, but I had considerable bruising in the neck area, which is still noticeable on day 14. I also have some skin 'bunching' behind one ear, but was told it will disappear with time and massage. Surprisingly, the incision under my chin is the only spot that is still sore and irritated; it is not noticeable because mine is in the bottom margin of my goatee. Also somewhat disturbing is the loss of touch sensitivity along the jaw line and lower cheeks. I'm told those nerves will regenerate after a few months.

I saw Dr. Gray on Tuesday. I wanted some advice to prevent further scarring. A ligature (a broad raw skin line around the neck looking similar to having been hanged) was part of the swelling process and could have also been part of the lipo. I was surprised I had lipo as I hadn't signed up for it, although was told that everyone has some fat around their neck and he deemed it necessary. He told me to eat pineapple (natural enzyme to dissipate bruising) and also try some Arnica (natural plant) tablets to also aid in bruise reduction. I did some research on the web and found that at this point I could use warm compresses and topical application of vitamin E would also be helpful. I do not have any Arnica tablets, but gel instead. I am using the antibiotic cream on the open areas and vit E and warm compresses on the rest. My ears are a bit numb in the front although are resolving and my stitches in the back of my head are the only ones that are really bothersome (tight and still crusty). I keep all of them moist. Unfortunately I have very neon yellow beyond my ligature which is still scarlet although smaller in size than it was on Sunday. I am at day 7 today, although the healing process has not been as easy or quick as I had hoped. I get my stitches out on Monday. I have a function on 8/21 and hope not to look like a member of Frankenstein's family. I hope that it has been worth it to you...

I'm on day 27. The last of my bruising and discolorations was gone by day 23. What I don't like is that some of the hollowness in my cheeks has returned, now that all the swelling is gone. Oh well, it still looks better than before, and my jawline is amazing. I still have some pain in my throat area whenever I yawn. Also, I found two stitches that they missed. I'll see if my daughter can pull them out with tweezers. When I went to church service on Sunday, people kept asking me, "Did you loose a lot of weight? You look skinnier." I guess that's a compliment of sorts.

I did go to my function, although had steristrips on the front of my ears and a big bandage on the gaping hole in the front of my neck. I fluffed a scarf and wore my hair over my ears. Unfortunately it was windy. Nobody asked...and I didn't volunteer anything. I am today at day 21. All steristrips are off. I still have a gaping hole in my neck at my throat although it is not as large. I keep it moistened and massage the lipping skin 4x daily so it doesn't scar with a lump. I also pad the wrap all around my jaw and at my throat before bed at night. The blood blisters(?) behind my left ear are still oozing although the ones across my left cheek in the hollow are now healed. It is truly amazing how much your face can swell. I am glad to see my cheekbones again and the hollows that weren't... With the heat the other day I was just absolutely miserable. Salt in the wound? You betcha... Perspiration, swelling, healing made everything itch. My lipo "holes" are almost healed. The scarlet band around the top of my neck under my jaw are diminishing. My ears look pretty good. My skin still feels hard and leathery near the ears. I hope that too will go away soon. I think that you would have had to have had fat injected into your hollows if you wanted to plump them. Remember Geraldo Rivera did that a number of years ago. I do recall that he did very gaunt prior to his surgery. Wishing everyone the best and looking forward to getting on with my life.