Face Lift - 8 Weeks Post op

Just a quick post to share how I'm doing 8 weeks after surgery. The first picture shows me a year ago (11/29/2019) and then on Thanksgiving day this year. The 2nd picture shows me at age 16 ... my nice chin line is back and I still have the same cheeks!

I am feeling really good and back to all normal activities. I am still experiencing some swelling off and on under my chin so will go ahead with Botox injections to my salivary glands this month. 

I really enjoyed putting on my first turtleneck of the year 

and not having to worry about my double chin!

Update on 6-week follow-up visit

I am soooo happy with the surgeon that I chose for my facelift!! Went to see Dr. Hall for my 6-week po f/u yesterday. He said that I am looking great and healing well.

I wrote earlier on Monday about the lumps and redness in my neck. I also now have lumps that are now visible from the front.

The lumps are my salivary glands. Dr. Hall is going to inject Botox into them which will shrink them. Main side effect is a bit of dry mouth, but he said that is the only way to get rid of the lumps. I'm all in for that as I am not happy with the way it looks now.

Dr. Hall took his time looking at the lumps on my neck and said that he will give me steroid injections, just not yet. He wants to give the lumps a bit more time to possibly decrease in size or go away on their own, but will consider it between 4-6 months post op. I am happy with a conservative approach to this as I do think some of these lumps could possibly dissipate on their own given enough time.

As for the redness on my neck, he's going to use the Sciton BBL laser. I had bought two BBL treatments last week as part of my facial care for 2021, but he said he'd give me more treatments if that didn't do it. He also is going to zap the incisions behind my ears with the BBL laser as he said they are redder than he would like them to be at this stage.

I feel soooo much better after seeing him today. It is so reassuring to have a doctor who sees the issues I am dealing with and wants to fix them so that I am super happy with my results. I would highly recommend Dr. Hall and his staff - they have been there when I called with questions and very responsive to my concerns. I couldn't have asked for better care during this process!

Face lift - 6 weeks Post Op

I see Dr. Hall in a few days for my 6-week follow-up, but thought I'd post my pictures today and then a quick post after my visit. I'm feeling really good. I still have tightness and swelling under my chin and in my neck. I also still have lumps in my neck, mostly on the left side. I'm honestly not sure if they are going to go away at this point, although I've read from others' experiences that I just need to be patient. However, it is hard to be patient when one side of my neck looks really good and the other is still a bit jacked up. I'll see what Dr. Hall says in a few days, but I'm honestly not convinced that the lumps are going to go away with time. I did have a lymphatic drainage massage about 10 days ago and it helped with the swelling a bit. 

I also got my haircut last week to celebrate the new me! I kept my hair long on purpose in case I needed it to cover my neck or other incisions, but I feel very comfortable going out in public and no longer need the longer hair. 

So, here are my pictures taken this morning. I've pulled my hair back for ease of picture taking. I've also inserted some pictures from a few weeks ago so you can see the before pictures.

There is less swelling under my chin when comparing the above pic and the right one below

Not much change in 2 weeks, but I can see less swelling 

where the back of my chin meets the top of my neck.

Here is the current situation with my neck ... still really concerned about the lumps. I will have some laser treatment to break up the bruising/blood that is still in the tissues. The chin scar is bigger and more noticeable than I would like, but I am hoping it will improve with a bit of massage and time. I have to remember that it's only been six weeks!

right side above, left side below

The incisions around my ears have healed up very well. 

The ones behind my ears are still pink and will be for a while. 

So, there you have it! All is pretty good at six weeks! I will be going to Dr. Hall's office fairly regularly for the next year as I have purchased a package of laser treatments for my skin. The treatment is mostly for sun damage, but will also treat wrinkles, uneven skin tone and possibly my scars. My first treatment is next month and I'll be posting my experience once I have it done. I am glad that I will be at my doctor's office regularly so we can possibly have a quick look at the neck lumps and bruising to be sure it is improving.

Face lift - 1 month Post Op

I am feeling so good four weeks after my face & neck lift! All of my incisions are healed over with no scabbing. Most of the swelling has gone with some lingering under my chin and in my neck. The lumps and bumps in both sides of my neck are going away. I only have bruising in my neck with it being worse on the left side. There is still tightness in my neck and I can't turn from side to side very much.

I am very, very happy with my results and so is my husband. Although he didn't really care if I got it done, he can see the difference physically and also the difference in how I feel about myself now. The recovery was so much easier than my tummy tuck with the first few weeks being the roughest. The healing of the nerves is the biggest thing I am dealing with now ... my neck and under my chin tingle and zap all day. It also is the part that is the most uncomfortable at night when I'm sleeping. This area just aches some times, but it's all a part of the healing process so I take some ibuprofen to help. I still do not have feeling in a large area of the skin in my neck and under my chin.

Time for the update photos this week and there are lots of them since it's been a month. First, the photos from today and then comparison photos to a month ago. 

I really think I look "refreshed" now. The temporal incision pulled that part of my face a bit more to the outside and so the forehead area between my eyebrows is smoother and I don't look as angry.  My chin line also has more definition and my neck is not so saggy or wide. You can also see that the long line on the right side of my mouth doesn't reach my chin anymore!

Both of these photos show "befores" a month before my surgery. I know you can't see much of a difference, but TRUST ME I had learned how to angle my chin so that the fullness disappeared a lot.

In this photo, you can see that my neck was wider "before" and the jowls are now smaller.

You can see my chin scar (which I didn't cover with makeup) and the lumpy, bumpy neck still healing.

The incision in front of my ear has healed well. Still red, but I'm happy with it and even pulled my hair back this past weekend when I was out and about!

Other ear incision and you can see the incision in my hair line at the temple is looking good, too.

Left side of neck is still lumpy and bruised, but it is SOOOO much better than a few weeks ago!

Right side still has some bruising. If the bruising on my neck remains at the 6 week mark, the doctor is going to do some laser treatment to break up the lingering blood.

This is all of the chin I have left when I try to make it look the worst I can make it!

Loving this profile view so much!

I will update again in two weeks after my 6-week follow up visit.

Face Lift - Post Op Week 3

I'm feeling really good today, three weeks after my surgery. I'm still dealing with the ups and downs of swelling. Yesterday was an up, today is a down and I woke up swollen. However, that is all a part of the process and I took update photos anyway! I'm definitely still wearing the chin strap while sleeping and then again during the day if my chin is feeling "tired" and in need of some support. I've put on makeup several times and headed out to run errands or do some shopping. I can't turn my head very well, so I'm very careful when driving and using my mirrors a LOT, but I still feel very comfortable driving now. This was me on Saturday at Christopher & Banks ... the saleslady wanted a "twinning" picture for their Facebook page. I loved that I HAVE NO DOUBLE CHIN in this photo - woo-hoo!!!

Here are today's update photos:

I love that I have a neck in this photo!! I'm trying to decide what to do with my hair though - lol! I grew out my hair so that I could cover areas after surgery, but it doesn't have much style. I do love being able to put in in a ponytail to get it out of my face. I won't be able to do that if I cut it shorter. I'll figure it out eventually.

Left side still swollen and bruised, but getting better!

Right side, looking good but still some bruising

You can see the neck swelling in this photo. My scar is healing nicely.

Swelling under my chin has improved from last week!

Comparison photo: Pre-op vs 3 weeks po.

I'm looking so much better, refreshed and no saggy neck.

You can see the puffiness in my cheeks still.

Today vs last week. 

I can see that the left side puffiness has gone down under my chin.

Back next week for my 1 month update!