Great Lower Face and Neck Lift with Dr. Michael Kreidstein - Toronto, ON

Hi Roxy, I'm sorry that your recover it's going as planned. I'm not a doctor but it sounds very odd to still be bruised after 5 weeks. You may want to get a second opinion before doing a revision with the same doctor. My face was quite slack as was my neck, yet I had only very mild bruising and no broken veins after surgery. I'm 8 weeks post lift, the sides of my face are still numb and the incisions are a bit tender when pressed but it doesn't "hurt" at all. I only have my experience to go by but happy to answer any question you have. I really hope everything turns out well for you and you get the results you were hoping for.

The loose neck is only on my left sd under my jaw , and that side is still sore to touch on my jaw bone and behind my ear , both sides are still tender ,I'm not back to work yet thank god , I don't know if heavy lifting will make me worse, because when I bend down it hurts and I need to wear this compression garment 100% , the dr said to wear it at all times ( you don't want that side to fall ) I still can't sleep on my side it hurts , is this normal it's been since Dec16,2014

I meant Dec 16 '. 2013

Well my doctor told me NOT to lift anything heavy or bend over; nothing that could make your face red or put strain on the incisions for at least the first 2 weeks. I never had to wear a compression garment, just light dressing until the stitches were all removed. I think it seems odd that you are still experiencing issues at 6 weeks (but I'm not a doctor). I was feeling pretty good at the 2 week point, only sore to the touch point would be if pressure was put on the incisions which are healing great but are still tender and sleeping on my right side is more comfortable than the left. I'm wondering if you should get a second opinion from a top surgeon as it seems it's taking you a long time to heal and having to wear a compression bandage 100% of the time is very limiting. With makeup, my longer hair and a turtle neck I would have been good to return to the office at the 2 week point. Let me know how things go.

I wasn't told to do anything , I went back after 5 days to get bandage off , and drains , then I came back again the following week , but never any instuctions as to what I shouldn't do , I just used common sense and didn't lift or strain , when I got out of bed and I still do this > I put my hand on the back of my head and lift it so I dnt over use my neck muscles. I could deal with everything going on except when I see the loose skin hanging down on that one side. my rht side cheek looks discoloured and flat . when you walk can you feel your skin on your face move and on your neck move too

That's very odd; I went back 24 hours later for him to remove the dressing and put a new one on. Before the surgery I got very specific written instructions on what I could and could not do for the 2 weeks post op. I did check your doctor out on ratemd.com and he's got very good ratings but I still think if you're not happy you should see him on the 31st and then get a 2nd opinion before more surgery (especially if it involves paying more). It's been 6 weeks so to still have discolouring seems odd. I noticed that there is a surgeon in Toronto who specializes specifically in face lifts and has excellent ratings, I would also highly recommend my guy. I hope things go well on the 31st, try and not stress out!

I know there are some better surgeons in Toronto , it was traveling back and forth for check ups in this bad weather too , so my dr is an hour and half away and I checked him out first as well and his ratings are good , were you told to wear that compression garment at all times too ? I went back the very next morning he took the bandage off and drains out and in 5 days later at home he said for me to takeI the dressing off , I didn't get any instructions or cream to put on only the compression garment, I just wish the neck wasn't loose on one side like this ,it is very noticeable , I put pics on last night don't know where that at ??

Hey there, I didn't have to wear a compression garment and I didn't have drains, just the dressing. I went back the next morning and he redid the dressing then some of the stitches out after about 6 days and then final stitches out after 10 day. I'll keep an eye out for your pictures and hope all goes well on the 31st.

I didn't have any stitches to take out they were all self dissolving

Oh -- and when I spazzed out at 50, I got an upper bleph. I needed it as I have a lot of eye area. I loved that when I was younger, but not so much when it started getting crepey and drooping. :) The blepharoplasty made a huge difference and looks so natural. It's easy to put on eye makeup again and it looks great. The same doctor will be doing my lower face and neck lift.

Hi, I'm not sure where you live but I'm in Toronto so doing the surgery when the weather turned colder was really such a plus; hiding out at home for the first week and then turtle necks for a bit until all the bruising was gone. My 2 week pre-op routine was no meds but Tylenol, I had to stop all my vitamins and no wine/alcohol for 10 days before. I asked about arnica before surgery and my surgeon said no not to take it but did recommend bromelain after surgery. I didn't feel like the dressing was tight or claustrophobic; it's gently packed and I didn't need to wear any type of "compression" dressing. I was really surprised at how mild the bruising given the extent of the surgery, by day 10 I was out for lunch with some makeup on and a turtle neck ( I also have shoulder length hair which helped a lot). I love walking my dogs as well, but if are "pullers" and large give it time. I did not exercise other than good walks for at least 2 weeks after and then started very gently, you really don't want to take a chance of compromising results after all of that. It's been 2 months and I don't have tightness in my neck but the very far sides of my face still have some numbness and I'm "aware" of the incisions in the area behind my ears. Overall, I'm so glad I did this but I was so nervous (I can't believe I actually did!) I think the most important things are; a great surgeon, following the pre op instructions to a tee and being very careful in the two weeks following. I hope your surgery turns out great, I have absolutely no regrets and feel much better about the 52 year old face in the mirror.

Thanks for responding! That's very helpful. I will be sure to nix the wine 10 days in advance. I hope I don't have to wear the compression thing either and just get bandages. That would be wonderful. I will ask my doctor about that and the Arnica before and Bromelain after -- he may tell me not to take anything before also. I'm in South Carolina and although it would be what y'all consider close to shorts weather (lol), I can get away with wearing a turtleneck the few weeks after my surgery. I have two good friends in Toronto and they tell me to hush my mouth when I wish for snow. :) My dog is a Golden Retriever. He doesn't pull, but is definitely large -- 79lbs. My husband will walk him for as long as I need him to. He's really good about being helpful and is a good caregiver. I know I have a great surgeon. He's very detail oriented and is conservative in what he does -- which I prefer. I'm happy you have had such positive results and I know I will also. I'm sure I will be nervous right before.

my doctor is Brian Evans in London Ontario, he is a very nice guy, two weeks ago he saw my neck and said I may need a revision , it is loose on one side and its noticeable , I don't know if he ll charge for the revision , hope not , I have 3 yrs to pay the loan off that I used to get this done , I also took out most of my thread lift from 8 yrs ago , but he had to leave a couple he couldn't get them out , too deep , maybe that's what is hurting ,im going to ask him on jan31 opp . but my loose neck when I look in the mirror is worring me , I keep thinking im going to look in the morning and see my jowels too !!!!

I got my upper & lower eyes done too . I can tell if theres a big difference . I haven't been any where for someone to notice any difference on me , I have a half inch scar on my left eye where the crows feet are , he said that .ll flatten out . hope so , I can really see it . I started to put Kelo scar on it , Dr said that stuff don't work , but im putting it on there and my chin scar anyway , soon as I learn how to put some before and after pics on here I will , maybe ill get some better feedback so ill feel a bit better

Well I hope that he doesn't charge you, it's just so much to go through and a significant amount of money to then have a difficult recovery. Hoping he can do the revision and so you are finally happy with that side of your neck. It's weird that something specific is hurting you, if there is an infection hopefully antibiotics can help. Thank God, the jowels are gone! Post after your appointment on the 31st and let me know how it goes, if he is going to charge you then I'd get a second opinion. I really hope everything goes well, it's stressful enough having the surgery without complications. Hang in there, I'm sure at the end of the day it will turn out fine.

Oh yes, the 50th Birthday, that was a stressful one!!

My PS recommended the Kelo as well; he said you just need a tiny bit; thing is my incisions are all behind my ears so I can't really see them; nothing under my chin. That being said it feels sticky and a bit itchy, then again I have super sensitive skin. I just ordered this stuff from Amazon called Queen Bee eye cream even though it's an eye cream I've heard that it is very good for healing scars, red marks left from blemishes......... so I'll give it a try. I think healing can take a long time and I know it's upsetting and worrisome when it doesn't go as well as you anticipated, especially when it's your face!

It's funny because I went out with girlfriends and had an awesome 50th birthday celebration. The signs of aging showed up shortly thereafter. lol I started a thread here to review my experience. I'm sure it will show up soon if you care to follow my progress. I'm glad you've had such nice results!

It doesn't seem like he should charge for the revision. I can't imagine he would.

I'm scheduled for surgery Oct. 8. 50 was my line in the sand, as well. I am 54, 5' 4" and weigh 121 lbs. Like you I walk a lot, spin and lift weights. I am so scared tomorrow is the day I have to pay the balance for the FL and then there is no going back. My biggest concern is I don't want anyone besides my husband to know I've had an FL. My skin is in fairly good shape. I have jowls and a saggy neck but not a double chin. Is it possible to have facelift without others knowing. The pics at my doctors office looked conservative.

when i went back to work everyone thought i lost weight and one of the girls said i looked so refreshed . so i guess i looked almost the same just better without the loose neck and jowels

People keep telling me that's the usual kind of remark. I've seen some scary facelift around here that you can easily spot and that is not what I want to achieve. Did you do anything different to your hair?

my hair is very very thin . my dr cut up into my hair above my ear ,back and up further so as to not to see my scar ,because of my fine hair . also i bought this silicone wig .from my hair dresser . it does nt make your head iitchy . ( EVOLVE ) its expensive .she s the only one in this area that has the rights to get these wigs and put them on .but it really hides my scars . its not like any other wig ive tried !!!!!

Hi there, I know it's a big decision and I guess every surgeon has different views on the right time; the fellow I went to didn't believe in "preemptive" surgery but at the same time said it was better to do it when it wouldn't be shockingly noticeable. I had a lower face lift and neck lift and I am thrilled with results; that being said no one has noticed except to say I look great or that my skin looks really great (which is exactly what I wanted!). I was very nervous about the surgery, but it's the only thing that can really get rid of the sagging and that dreaded "chin rolling into your neck" look. I spent almost $10,000 and I feel it was totally worth it, to be honest I was starting to spend at least $3,000 to $4,000 a year on treatments and creams which didn't really give me the results I wanted. Recovery; I'm not working right now but I would have been good to return after the two week period. At the two week period I still had some swelling at the side of my face and some bruising. Two keys things allowed me to be out and about within 12 days; all one length hair to my shoulders; it can go a long way to hiding the light bruising and swelling that still remains at the 2 week point and I also live in Toronto, Canada so it's chilly this time of year and I wore turtle necks while the bruising was still slightly visible. I also followed my Doctor's pre and post instructions to the "t" so I had no complications, but trust me the first few days after surgery you'll be thinking "there's no way I'll be better in that 2 week period!". Hope this is helpful.

Hi there, oh boy the first week or 10 days is not fun; I hope you're healing well. I just had the last of my external stiches out on Tuesday, and it's actually 2 weeks today; hard to believe. I still have a little bit of yellow at the very outside of my face/under neck and a bit of swelling and of course numbness but can go out looking totally normal; I have all one length hair to my shoulder so that helps in hiding all traces. I'm finally looking and feeling pretty much back to normal; it takes a lot out of you; I told my doctor how tired I was at first and he said you need to really take it easy and sleep a ton to let the body heal. Even thought I got the stiches out on Tuesday I continue with the gross antibiotic ointment but at least I don't need to use the antibacterial soap any longer. Once all traces of scabbing are gone I'll move on to the silicone gel to help eliminate scars (I think in about a weeks time). My surgeon did the front stiches on the inside rim of my ear instead of in front of my ear which is great, so there is no trace in front. I can already tell you that I am thrilled with the results; my skin looks so much smoother even though I didn't have any real wrinkles to speak of and didn't really think of that aspect of it much before the surgery, all sagging is gone and my cheek bones appear more defined already! (I'll try and post some more pics in the next day or two). It's funny but I really only started to look like myself again on Tuesday (can't put my finger on it but just didn't look great, even with makeup on and hair clean). The one thing I did was stick to his every and I mean every instruction for the two weeks pre and post. I think I'm going to celebrate tonight and have my first glass of wine (or two!) in almost a month. I hope your next week goes well and that you continue to heal and see improvement. Feel free to ask me any questions you have about my experience. Cheers from Canada!

Thanks so much from your note. It made me believe that I'll finally feel normal at some point. I get your point about something not looking right and glad you got to the point where you feel you look normal. I feel a long way off from that. I look really weird to me. Like a different animal. A cat maybe! The swelling I guess makes my face wider at my ears. I'll look up the silicone stuff you mentioned. Good you have no scars in front of your ears - I do but I think they will be impossible to see as I barely see them now. I've been using my juicer to get bromelain out of pineapple etc. Good for healing. Just making anti-oxidant cake (beetroot & chocolate)... so bored at home.

Yes it was odd, I looked in the mirror and although my skin looked good I didn't look like me, I think the swelling even if it is mild can distort your features (as well as your body probably being in shock). I thought "great I've got no sagging and smooth skin but look "off". I actually started the bromelain 500 mg capsules (3x a day) 5 days after surgery which my PS approved of to help with bruising (and a lot easier than the juicer but as you said you have time on your hands!!). This and Vit. C is the only supplement he agreed to in the 2 week post op period. I just tried to not spend too much time at the mirror, sleep as much as possible (gravol helped) and yes start my diary to post up here! Careful in the first two weeks with any anti oxidants that can thin your blood as you're bruising will not heal as well (I'm usually big on taking all of my supplements/anti oxidants but stopped completely for the 2 wks pre and post op as per my PS's directions). Hope the cake works, I love the chocolate not so sure on the beetroot!!! Have a good day.

Thanks again, good info. I can't wait to take a photo that doesn't make me cringe. Noted on the anti-oxidants. I don't like to take any pills, favouring natural ways of getting vitamins and minerals. Juicing a pineapple with a couple of pairs is absolutely delicious. I just hate cleaning up the juicer! 30 seconds to make the juice, 4-5 minutes to clean the juicer. Do you have any tips on the best way to clean my face, ears, etc especially around my hair? The nurse mentioned salt-water, but I don't want to rub the area at all. Can only think of soaking in a bath with my head in the water? then put on the antibiotic ointment?

I used this special antibacterial soap that my PS says to use in his instructions, it's called dexiden 4% (it's OTC here in Canada). I used it for the first 10 days. I went back to normal shampooing after day 5 but still used this all around the wounds/stitches both in the shower and for washing my face, I found it easy in the shower For just face washing, I got very soft cotton Tshirts; cut them up into mini face cloths and used those to both clean and dry the wounds (make sure you wash them after each use). It made it so much easier, much more gentle and less bulky than a regular face cloth. As much of a pain as it is I was so dreading any infection. I then put the antibiotic ointment and a light gauze dressing on 2x per day. This Dexiden is drying, so I just used in on my wounds and the area around; I wasn't wearing make up so on the rest of my face I just used warm water and my homemade face cloths. I know what a production, but really I had time on my hands! My PS specifically said absolutely NO BATHS and no Hot Tubs. Hope this helps.

Hi there, just wanted to check in and see how you are doing, everything coming along well? Hope so!