ruthmaree
04-05-2003, 01:06 PM
I had a mid facelift with neck, cheek, chin done and felt that my jowl area looked better when I was still puffy. I am 12 days post op and was wondering if the jowling I am seeing is just swelling........does it improve with time? Thanks for any responses.
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bugeyes
04-05-2003, 02:32 PM
Yes it does, it takes a good 2 months for all the swelling to be gone, but you will start looking better in about a month post-op.
ruthmaree
04-05-2003, 03:26 PM
Thanks so much for the encouraging information. I was beginning to think that my facelift was not tight enough or that it had already fallen, since the jowl area still does not look great; although I remember being thrilled with the surgery right after, but I guess that was because the swelling was all over ....
so now jowls. I also had a lower bleph, with absolutely no problem, except I still have some bruising at about the cheekbone area.
so now jowls. I also had a lower bleph, with absolutely no problem, except I still have some bruising at about the cheekbone area.
stprdi
04-07-2003, 02:59 PM
What does a mid facelift involve exactly. Sounds like what I need. My entire problem seems to be saggy cheeks/jowls and some neck. I do wonder about my eyebrows though. They look like they are shifting position.
ruthmaree
04-07-2003, 03:11 PM
A mid or mini-facelift involves the neck, cheeks, and jowl area. It is somewhat less invasive and does less than a full facelift, but recovery is faster and it costs alot less.
stprdi
04-09-2003, 12:11 AM
I've seen the medical shows on tv on face lifts and it doesn't look so nice. Did you have a problem with jowls? Five to ten years ago I had such great high cheekbones. When I smiled they were even better. Now I"m in my mid forties and my face is suddenly square shaped from the sagging and I always have a particularly sad look. I look in the mirror lots every day and pull up a bit here and there. If only... I have even trained myself to have a slight smile all the time to avoid looking that way. Done it so much it's natural now. I'm really scared to have one day for fear I'll need one every 10 years or so. I'm even scared that I will be "the statistic" and some terrible disfiguring will occur. What did you learn in your appts.
ruthmaree
04-10-2003, 01:17 PM
Regarding mid or mini facelift. I am alot older than you and this is my first cosmetic surgery. I thought about it for a long time and had 4 consults & read some books. I opted for the mini lift because I too was afraid of looking too different or obviously "cosmetically altered" and felt the mini lift was less risky, which it is. My main prob. was the jowl area and some under eye fat pad sagging. I had a lower bleph in addition to the f/l. The changes are subtle but I like them. My skin was in very good condition, with little to no wrinkling or deep creases. This helped. This type of surgery is less expensive & invasive, but it is by no means a "weekend lift" and takes about 2 to 3 weeks for full recovery from bruising, etc; Quite a bit of repair is done, as my cheek, neck & jowls were tightened/lifted.
Hope this is helpful.
Hope this is helpful.
stprdi
04-10-2003, 02:25 PM
Thanks for your help. My skin is in great shape also as there are virtually no wrinkles or fine lines. Obvious problem is sun damage, those ugly big brown spots and discoloration. In the past couple years it just seems like all the skin has dropped. Now have that awful looking frown and some sag under my chin. If I was to stand on my head I'm sure I'd be blinded by the overhang!!! Just not sure what to do. I know I spend far too much time dreaming in front of the mirror
ruthmaree
04-10-2003, 10:37 PM
Have you ever tried Lustra (prescription item)? It did wonders for my skin with consistent use. It takes several months, but it evened out most of the brown blotchiness, which will start to return if I am in the sun too much. I also use a very heavy duty sunblock (since I was 29) which I believe helped me to keep good skin.
stprdi
04-11-2003, 12:51 AM
The dermatologist gave me Retisol-A and I don't think I see much difference. My whole complexion has taken on a permanently tanned blotchy look. I look at photos of me from say 5 years ago and what a change. I'm considering making a consult appt tomorrow. It's only $35.00 and they take it off of the bill if you do surgery or skin treatments. There needs to be an easier way. How much bruising and discomfort did you have post surgery. I have a pretty high pain tolerance.
ruthmaree
04-12-2003, 10:16 PM
Retisol-A is just another form of retin A, quite different from Lustra, which has 4% hydroquinone plus some other ingredients that have worked very well for me for blotchiness. I also use Retin A micro Gel and that works well too, plus lots of sun block. it all seems to work for me. Regarding the mini-facelift, I had alot of bruising, but most of it was Just at my lower neckline and then 2 small ones under my eyes by my cheekbones which I covered with makeup and some slight bruising at my jaw. The lower bleph was hardly painful at all after the first day. I just used moisture drops alot & each day they seemed better, although one eye looked bloodshot....it is fine and I love the results. The facelift is not that painful, except you can develop complications which can be painful.....my jaw muscle was quite painful for a few days and because I stopped the antibiotics too soon (I had diarrhea so had to stop) I developed an infection in my parotid gland and ear. It was treated with another antibiotic and steroids and I am looking fine now......you'd never know I had all this done 2 1/2 weeks ago. You do have to be patient for the first 2 weeks because you will look worse before you look better and make sure you are comfortable with your doctor & that he is very available if you have problems. my doctor was great and I emailed him photos of any problems I had with my face and he would always contact me the same day with advice or an appointment. I saw 4 doctors before I went with this one & so far it was the right choice for me. Good luck.
stprdi
04-13-2003, 12:08 AM
I guess that is the key...finding the right doctor. Where I live there aren't many. I am in a smallish town in Canada. There is one here and I do not want this type of surgery done in a hospital where alot of people know me. If you know what I mean. I appreciate all of your info. Hope you don't mind if I ask other questions.
ruthmaree
04-13-2003, 09:15 PM
I am happy to share any information that can be helpful. I learned alot from asking questions of others who had procedures done. I had my surgery in a free standing surgi-center where they do ony out-patient surgeries of all types. I was very pleased with this choice. Just make sure that who ever you go to answers all your questions to your satisfaction and that you fully understand any procedures before you agree to have them done.
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okitty
04-15-2003, 05:51 PM
ruthmaree,
You sound very happy with your results--congratulations!! I've just started researching options to try to hold the aging process at bay as long as I can. I don't know that I'm quite ready or brave enough yet to go under the knife, so I've been exploring other things. You sound very well informed and like you put a lot of time and research into your decision. Have you run across any information about Thermage? (Thermage is the company, Thermacool is the procedure) Perhaps you've seen the other message boards on it....I'm still not finding a lot of information in my search, and wondered if you might have any information to share.
Thanks
You sound very happy with your results--congratulations!! I've just started researching options to try to hold the aging process at bay as long as I can. I don't know that I'm quite ready or brave enough yet to go under the knife, so I've been exploring other things. You sound very well informed and like you put a lot of time and research into your decision. Have you run across any information about Thermage? (Thermage is the company, Thermacool is the procedure) Perhaps you've seen the other message boards on it....I'm still not finding a lot of information in my search, and wondered if you might have any information to share.
Thanks
ruthmaree
04-16-2003, 09:34 PM
No, I have not found much helpful information about thermage or thermacool. I am much more interested in Artecoll or Radiance. I am happy with my choice of minimal surgery and really did alot of research before deciding. I was actually very aprehensive about undergoing elective surgery (all surgery has risks) and also taking the chance that I would not like the results. So I opted for the mini lift which gets rid of the jowls & my surgeon also tightened my neck which I did not realize was so bad (it looks good now) and lifted the cheeks very minimally so that I would not look hollow after the lower bleph. I did not even do the upper bleph, although I thought about it. My goal was to look better, not different. The hardest part after the surgery was not looking critically in the mirror every day...it would be better if you did not look at all for a few weeks. I am 3 weeks post, and still have minor bruises, but overall am happy I did it.
stprdi
04-20-2003, 03:37 AM
How is the healing going Ruthmaree? I'm still recovering from the "allergy" attack of 3 days ago. Haven't yet figured out why the face went red suddenly. I think I may try going without my estrogen and seeing if there is a difference. Hope all is well with you. Glad to hear your expectations from the surgery were met.
AusiJulie
04-22-2003, 04:30 AM
What is the price range for a mini-lift?
ruthmaree
04-22-2003, 11:58 PM
stprdi: My recovery is going well now that I am 4 weeks post op. I almost forget I had it done. Did you take a Medrol dose pack of prednisone? I had to take two & also needed a 10 day course of Clindamycin because I discontinued the first antibiotic too soon because of side effects. Hope your redness has gone. I made no changes in my estrogen use.
votepeace
04-29-2003, 06:37 PM
Ruthmaree, can you tell me whether your midface lift was the same thing that's sometimes called cheeklift?
I really appreciate your information on recovery time, because all the websites I've looked at make it sound quicker than that. I'd love to have one - I think! I'm proceeding carefully!
I really appreciate your information on recovery time, because all the websites I've looked at make it sound quicker than that. I'd love to have one - I think! I'm proceeding carefully!
ruthmaree
04-29-2003, 09:14 PM
votepeace: I really don't know if a cheek lift is the same as a mini facelift. The mini I had involved the neck, jowls, & some of the cheek area. I also had a lower bleph.done. That recovery was very easy. I used moisture drops alot for the first week and after that nothing. I did have two small bruises which are now gone. Even the "mini" takes some time to recover ....
You are still undergoing surgery and it takes about 3 hours. I was very cautious and conservative about what I wanted done, as I did not want to look very different & I dont. I am one month post op and see my surgeon tomorrow.
You are still undergoing surgery and it takes about 3 hours. I was very cautious and conservative about what I wanted done, as I did not want to look very different & I dont. I am one month post op and see my surgeon tomorrow.
votepeace
05-07-2003, 03:21 PM
Thanks for responding. How was the one-month post-op visit, and how are you doing now? V.
ruthmaree
05-07-2003, 09:42 PM
Votepeace: The one month post op visit went well. I still have some pinkness & swelling on one ear & my p/s gave me a small injection of cortisone in that area. He wants me to massage the incision/scar line with steroid cream twice daily. Actually everything looks really nice. I am very happy I had this done. I go back for a 2 month check up the end of May. My p/s does alot of follow up after procedures. I was seen after one day, 2 weeks and one month & now will be seen at 2 months.