60 and You’d Never Know It! - Seattle, WA

I was recommended to Dr. Portuese by another plastic surgeon’s office! The nurse said, “If I was going to get a neck/lower face lift, I’d go to someone who only does faces.” So no breast augmenting, tummy tucks, and fat-sucking sculpting here. Dr. Portuese inspired confidence upon our initial consultation. I looked no further. He’s personable and informative, and he doesn’t rush you out of his office as if his time is more important than yours. Additionally, his staff was warm and engaging, and most of all, reassuring. Since I didn’t seek consultation from other surgeon’s, I can’t comment on cost comparisons, except only to say, I thought his charges were surprisingly reasonable for such procedures.

I had concerns about lose skin under my eyes that he recommended we not correct with surgery, but with laser treatments, and possibly fillers and Botox. He was right. I did all three and now it is a nonissue. Thus, his approach seems to be more on the conservative side, which I appreciated to maintain a natural look. Have you ever seen a woman’s face altered by plastic surgery that looked like it had been shrink-wrapped?

But back to my procedure:

I had significant bruising (I probably exacerbated it by taking an Advil PM too soon after the procedure which was a non no) under my chin for nearly a month, and swelling primarily at the jawline and ears that had noticeably reduced in about that length of time, as well. Now, after 4 ½ months, Dr. Portuese’s assessment is/was that I am now only showing some 5-10% swelling. The recovery was longer than I had expected but the results have far outweighed the downtime, which really only kept me indoors for about three weeks.

There is still some tightness and numbness where the incisions were made, which by the way, are completely invisible, this is true, except for one small incision beneath my chin. I never did ask Dr. Portuese if his hands were insured, but if they’re not, they should be.

My experience was wonderful, no more turkey neck, no more baggy jowls. We achieved our objective. My only regret is that I did not give Dr. Portuese a thank-you hug after our final follow-up as I had the terrific lovely ladies in the office.