POSTED UNDER SMAS Facelift Reviews
1 year post-op - extremely pleased with neck and mid-face lift results
ORIGINAL POST
Results After a Full Year! Neck and Mid-face Lift
R387362January 15, 2022
WORTH IT$14,000
Waited a full year to write this review because I wanted to see how the neck and mid-face lift Dr. Prendiville performed at age 54 would hold up held up over the timeframe he said it would take to see the full results.
Shown here are the ‘before’ photos, and ‘after’ photo at one month, six months, and eleven months. Some of the after photos have a camera filter than evens skin tone, but there is no makeup in any pic.After age 50 I began to see an increasing level of skin laxity, and after a few years decided to do something about it. I am so glad I did this in my early 50s, at a time when my face would continue to age in relative to the rest of my body, rather than wait until I was in my 60s or later.After doing a lot of research about surgical techniques and narrowing my choices only to the most qualified for FACES ONLY (e.g., board-certified by both the American Board of Facial and Reconstructive Surgery and the American Board of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery), I was pleased to find Dr. Prendiville in the Naples/Estero/Ft Myers area, and learn that he is among only a handful of such highly credentialled facial plastic surgeons in SW Florida. While I live in NY, I knew I would have a more relaxed, stress-free recovery away from home!All the surgeons I spoke with (except for one, who suggested Ultherapy) confirmed both a neck and mid-face lift were necessary to address my concerns. Two other surgeons recommended an outer brow / temple lift and fat transfer/fillers to enhance results. Ultimately, I declined these add-ons as I have never done fillers of any kind and wanted to see what a ‘baseline’ result would look like first.In terms of surgical technique, Dr. Prendiville promises a deep plane ‘approach’, and his helpful analogy is to compare the SMAS to a carpet underlayment that is directed upward during surgery. Yet with so many techniques being performed by different surgeons, he understandably is careful not to attach an exact surgical name to what he does, and instead relies on a verbal description, video (which he showed in his office), before/after photos, and direct responses to specific questions. While this approach is thoughtful, serious, and direct, it was clear he became frustrated by the specificity of my questions. For example, I wanted to understand whether he fully releases the underlying ligaments, as described in a medical article, and other highly technical details, which he steered away from addressing work other than his own. Instead, he explained his own surgical methods as clearly as possible.Ultimately I decided to move forward with Dr. Prendiville after his staff provided the referrals from three former patients, all of which gave glowing reviews and provided selfies to me directly upon request, and all at different post-operative stages. I was convinced after seeing how two women in particular looked incredible after 3+ years, which spoke volumes for the work!The prep, procedure, and follow up visits were very efficient, thanks to the excellent staff that have been praised by many other reviewers. I felt well cared for at every step. I went out of my way to follow post-operative instructions, and once I was cleared for lymphatic massage, I went twice weekly to Christina M. Mitchell, LMT in Naples, and I am so glad I did! Christina's treatments and personal attention were so welcome as I recovered. I healed beautifully, with none of the skin irregularities or bumps reported from patients undergoing facelifts, and I know this additional care was part of my success story. That said, it took me at least 2 months to feel good about letting people take a very close look at my face, because the inflammation takes a while to resolve itself.Today, at one year out, my face looks great, the jawline is beautiful, the neck is very tight, and literally not one person has asked me if I had work done. Even my best friend did not notice… I just volunteer the information to people if they say I look good. I am focused now on honing in on a skin maintenance routine that works for me. I use high quality retinol 3x week (PCA SKIN Intensive Age Refining Treatment with 0.5 percent pure retinol) and Vitamin C serum. Will start up a bi-annual regimen of microneedling soon. Still no fillers!The one downside: I do suffer from headaches, which of course I cannot fully attribute to the facelift, but I have a hunch it is a factor because it feels as if the SMAS is being pulled downward toward the neck, which to me feels like it puts some kind of internal pressure on the temple area, resulting in a headache. To address this I have experimented with Botox injections in the muscles around the eye, which I think has helped. With that, I would honestly appreciate the opinion of any facial specialist who might be reading this as to whether a release of the mid-face ligaments could be a factor, or any other advice.With the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, I recommend Dr. Prendiville and his staff without hesitation. He is an excellent surgeon, and in my opinion has provided not just a great result but excellent value, especially when compared with other surgeons in and outside SW FL.
Shown here are the ‘before’ photos, and ‘after’ photo at one month, six months, and eleven months. Some of the after photos have a camera filter than evens skin tone, but there is no makeup in any pic.After age 50 I began to see an increasing level of skin laxity, and after a few years decided to do something about it. I am so glad I did this in my early 50s, at a time when my face would continue to age in relative to the rest of my body, rather than wait until I was in my 60s or later.After doing a lot of research about surgical techniques and narrowing my choices only to the most qualified for FACES ONLY (e.g., board-certified by both the American Board of Facial and Reconstructive Surgery and the American Board of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery), I was pleased to find Dr. Prendiville in the Naples/Estero/Ft Myers area, and learn that he is among only a handful of such highly credentialled facial plastic surgeons in SW Florida. While I live in NY, I knew I would have a more relaxed, stress-free recovery away from home!All the surgeons I spoke with (except for one, who suggested Ultherapy) confirmed both a neck and mid-face lift were necessary to address my concerns. Two other surgeons recommended an outer brow / temple lift and fat transfer/fillers to enhance results. Ultimately, I declined these add-ons as I have never done fillers of any kind and wanted to see what a ‘baseline’ result would look like first.In terms of surgical technique, Dr. Prendiville promises a deep plane ‘approach’, and his helpful analogy is to compare the SMAS to a carpet underlayment that is directed upward during surgery. Yet with so many techniques being performed by different surgeons, he understandably is careful not to attach an exact surgical name to what he does, and instead relies on a verbal description, video (which he showed in his office), before/after photos, and direct responses to specific questions. While this approach is thoughtful, serious, and direct, it was clear he became frustrated by the specificity of my questions. For example, I wanted to understand whether he fully releases the underlying ligaments, as described in a medical article, and other highly technical details, which he steered away from addressing work other than his own. Instead, he explained his own surgical methods as clearly as possible.Ultimately I decided to move forward with Dr. Prendiville after his staff provided the referrals from three former patients, all of which gave glowing reviews and provided selfies to me directly upon request, and all at different post-operative stages. I was convinced after seeing how two women in particular looked incredible after 3+ years, which spoke volumes for the work!The prep, procedure, and follow up visits were very efficient, thanks to the excellent staff that have been praised by many other reviewers. I felt well cared for at every step. I went out of my way to follow post-operative instructions, and once I was cleared for lymphatic massage, I went twice weekly to Christina M. Mitchell, LMT in Naples, and I am so glad I did! Christina's treatments and personal attention were so welcome as I recovered. I healed beautifully, with none of the skin irregularities or bumps reported from patients undergoing facelifts, and I know this additional care was part of my success story. That said, it took me at least 2 months to feel good about letting people take a very close look at my face, because the inflammation takes a while to resolve itself.Today, at one year out, my face looks great, the jawline is beautiful, the neck is very tight, and literally not one person has asked me if I had work done. Even my best friend did not notice… I just volunteer the information to people if they say I look good. I am focused now on honing in on a skin maintenance routine that works for me. I use high quality retinol 3x week (PCA SKIN Intensive Age Refining Treatment with 0.5 percent pure retinol) and Vitamin C serum. Will start up a bi-annual regimen of microneedling soon. Still no fillers!The one downside: I do suffer from headaches, which of course I cannot fully attribute to the facelift, but I have a hunch it is a factor because it feels as if the SMAS is being pulled downward toward the neck, which to me feels like it puts some kind of internal pressure on the temple area, resulting in a headache. To address this I have experimented with Botox injections in the muscles around the eye, which I think has helped. With that, I would honestly appreciate the opinion of any facial specialist who might be reading this as to whether a release of the mid-face ligaments could be a factor, or any other advice.With the benefit of 20/20 hindsight, I recommend Dr. Prendiville and his staff without hesitation. He is an excellent surgeon, and in my opinion has provided not just a great result but excellent value, especially when compared with other surgeons in and outside SW FL.
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