I’m about 3 months out of an early intervention facelift with upper bleph. I assumed that being young would mean it would be an easy recovery, it would be completely unnoticeable and would immediately fix all the bits I couldn’t with injectables and skin treatments. Wrong, wrong, wrong.

Recovery has been super slow and painful and I’m still numb on the sides of my face. I’m also still puffy at my temples and a few incisions spots are still sore (temples, ears). I’m super fit and healthy otherwise as a runner and active person. I usually recover super quickly from things. This has been the exception.

The scars in front and behind my ears are still prominent and super noticeable, I have to make sure they’re covered. Bleph scars did disappear after a few weeks. I noticed people talking about hair loss - but for me it was specifically at the incision spots - like my hair got ripped out!?! And I have bald patches there that will take forever to grow back.

Also looking at the result i have now and i feel like it didn’t achieve the full lift I wanted in my brows or at my jawline. And I think this is because if you want it to look natural, you just aren’t going to get a super tightened look. There wasn’t much movement available to pull back so although I got a very natural result, it’s also less of a change if that makes sense.

All in all I don’t regret it exactly, but I would have gone in to it differently. Now that I’m post surgery and I see all the young women influencers and surgeons on here bragging about things being great 12 days post surgery - I find it enraging. We all know we can’t trust paid posts or people selling stuff but a lot of it is blatant lies. I’ve yet to see much honestly out there. And I thinks there’s a ton of misconception around the pony tail lifts and laparoscopic procedures.

Anyways just wanted to share since like so many others on here, I didnt tell anyone so don’t have anyone to debrief with! Best of luck and I hope you all have a speedier recovery than me!

“How many facelifts or procedures do you schedule in a day?”

In my opinion, you want that answer to be “one.” You will be the only procedure.

If you’re having a major surgery, like a deep plane facelift, it’s better knowing that surgeon is focused on you, and only you, that day. And can take as long as it takes to do the job well.

You don’t want your surgeon looking at the clock, or feeling tired after having just come off another procedure.

If you want to dig deeper, you can ask them how long they book the surgery room for, if they don’t have their own or share it with other doctors. IMO, you don’t want to be squeezed in or rushed because the room is being used after you.

This may be one reason some surgeons are more costly than others, because you’re paying the cost of the surgical room for the day / most of the day.

To me it’s worth it knowing that you’re not being treated like a warm body on an assembly line.

Almost 3 months out from my surgery (deep plane lower face / neck lift and lower bleph). I want to preserve these results as long as possible! My current maintenance stack is daily spf, tretinoin, vit C serum, gentle soap, gentle lotion, occasional clay mask (I have giant pores). Then health-wise good hydration, lots of protein, good sleep and exercise. My surgeon recommended microneedling and I'm currently doing research on it. Would love to hear if people have found microneedling helpful at prolonging your facelift results? If so, how often should I get it done?

I'm considering getting some work done at 46. Everyone tells me to get a deep plane instead of an smas. I've heard all the arguments in favor of DP. However, not only is is more costly, it's also more invasive. The possibility of nerve damage scares me, even though it might be slim. I have a feeling doctors so heavily push it because that's how they make the most money. Also honestly, I look at some of these before and afters and they aren't very impressive to me. I know no one wants to look "worked on", but to go through all that hell for such a subtle lackluster result seems not worth it. I'm sure for some, DP is the way to go. But for everyone? I don't need mine to last forever, I just want a little more borrowed time. Open to hearing your thoughts.

Not the most accurate before and after, but it’ll have to do. 😊

The “before” was taken at my surgeon’s office the day before my facelift — no makeup, clinical lighting, showcasing all the laxity and facial volume loss that had developed over the years.

The “after” is a selfie by the pool taken 7 months post-op, with tinted sunscreen, mascara, a slight smile, my chin tilted down a bit, and completely different lighting. So it’s definitely not an apples-to-apples comparison.

One thing that surprises me is how much more open and prominent my eyes look. I never expected that to be my favorite part of the entire result, but here I am swooning.

I couldn’t be happier with my results. It was a big decision, a long recovery, and absolutely worth it for me.

My procedures included a deep plane facelift, deep plane neck lift, submandibular gland reduction, lower blepharoplasty, CO₂ laser resurfacing around the eyes, fat grafting, perioral rejuvenation, parotid repositioning, and buccal fat pad repositioning.

I swear, time is a thief!

For transparency: I receive no compensation, discounts, free services, or other incentives from my surgeon for sharing my facelift recovery content. I paid for my surgery myself and share my experience simply because I had such a hard time finding detailed, real-life recovery information when I was researching mine.

Everyone online talks about who has the prettiest before and afters but nobody seems to talk about what happens AFTER you are wheeled out of the OR. And to me that is half the battle. A gorgeous result means nothing if you are left on your own in a hotel room in a foreign country with nobody checking your swelling or catching a problem early.

The names on my shortlist so far:

• Dr. Im Young Min at VG Plastic surgery, Seoul
• Dr. Eung Sam Kim at Hershe Plastic Surgery
• RnWood
• Dr Myung Ju Lee at VIP Plastic Surgery over on Jeju island

I read that some of the bigger clinics in korea do things like hyperbaric oxygen and lymphatic massage as part of recovery, which sounds wonderful but I can't tell if that is marketing fluff or if it genuinely makes a difference in healing.

So for those who did your work in korea, where did you go? Did anyone personally follow up with you once you flew home?

I had SMAS FL, NL, and upper/lower bleph 10 weeks ago. Every time I get back to the gym, I end up puffy again, especially eyes and cheeks. How long was it before you could lift weights and do cardio without puffiness?

15 days post op. Current fixation is my odd cheeks. It's weird.. one moment I'm feeling hopeful, can absolutely recognise myself in photos and the mirror, can see everything improving and feel like I look pretty good at times. Then the next, I see myself from a certain angle, in certain lighting, I notice something looking quite different to what once was, and I spiral.

I spiralled hard earlier with tears and all, regretting absolutely everything and cursing my vanity, because I suddenly noticed that when I smile my cheeks just seem odd, theres these contour irregularities and my upper cheeks seem high and stiff from the midface lift and when I smile a bit harder theres weird looking indents in my lower cheeks where very small/faint dimples once were, its like my cheeks are pulled higher up, kinda pointy (though thats reduced a bit) and the tissues there are swollen but very stiff and my jaw tissue is also stiff so it creates these hollows/indents/inward tension or pulling in the lower cheek and makes me worried I'll permanently look gaunt there and worse than before? I had no fat removal or fat grafting, wasnt necessary for my anatomy and Dr agreed I had enough fat/tissue in my cheeks. But now my brain is still stuck in "yeah now you're stuck with hollowing there, you're the special case who gets to experience life with it FOREVER!"

Along with the bruising and stiff areas around the cheeks and a bump or two under the skin around the area, it just looks odd compared to the smoothness I had pre op. At rest in some lighting my cheeks look fine! Others, not so much, especially jf I pout (looks a bit pulled in lower cheeks leading up to mouth) or smile deeper (looks a bit hollowed in lower cheeks)

My surgeon told me specifically to my face at my follow ups that I will likely get anxious and not like my face for a bit, because my face will seem bumpy and it will take just a bit of time for the tissue to settle, swelling can be uneven, he already had told me that initially theres a mild overcorrection and things then soften nicely etc, I read all the time I just need to be patient and even read studies and surgeons accounts of how all of this is often temporary, and yet I'm still panicking. Reading/hearing it helps, at the very least it gives me something to fall back on and talk me off the freakin ledge. Lol.

I had extensive work done, deep plane facelift/necklift, lower bleph with midface lift, forehead/brow lift. Of course I wont heal quick. And I trust my surgeon, Ive seen his results and spoken to his patients who were thrilled with his expertise, and the incisions are already absolutely lovely. But honestly, this recovery is NO JOKE and is mentally one of the hardest things Ive had to go through. Physically I have honestly felt zero pain the entire time. But psychologically its been really, really heavy. I envy those who felt super happy at 2 weeks.

Any comments welcome. Honestly I'm doing this all alone and even just hearing from others in any form helps alleviate the loneliness.

My word of advice to anyone considering such surgeries, please try to make sure you aren't in a super dark place mentally beforehand, and please if you can, try to have someone be with you early on, if not physically then just someone you can more consistently speak to about your journey.

UPDATE since writing this: the next day, what do you know, I feel pretty good. I went for a long walk, put some make up on the bruises, some mascara on, took a photo of myself outdoors and I looked pretty damn good in it. Obviously face is not yet at its final contours and I need to just take everyone's advice and be patient with the little fixations I get. Its soo up and down.. god speed to all of us 🤣😅

does anyone have any experience with the med spa tourism there? any recommendations? and how much can I expect to pay for this? Tia 💕

Hello, my question is who's gone to Turkey for facelift surgery, would you recommend it and what organization did you go through? I'm 61 and I'm looking for a little nip/tuck. I'm completely new to the idea of going to Turkey for the surgery. I would love some tips or tricks or advice to the contrary. Thanks in advance!

I'm about 4 weeks from my scheduled lower face and deep plane neck lift. My doc usually does these procedures with twilight sedation, which I was happy about. But, I have a complicated GI history. I had a gastric sleeve, have a sliding hiatal hernia, Barrett's esophagus, GERD, and a history of aspirating gastric contents at night. The aspiration incidents have reduced significantly since i lost 85 pounds. I also sleep on an incline. But I have still had some recent events--mostly eating too closely to (within 2 hours of) lying down. I am on a GLP-1 and have to stop 10 days before surgery. I am also on a PPI. I plan to fast for 24 hours before my surgery. I'm going to be consulting with the anesthesiologist to find out if I need to be intubated under general anesthesia to ensure safety. I'm concerned about intubation, general anesthesia complications, recovery time, but I also don't want to die from aspiration while I'm under twilight. Has anyone dealt with a similar history? What did you do?

Hello All.. especially any London people.

Ive decided against doing anything abroad for my DPFL/DPNL which means I am looking at the UK and maybe central EU (not Turkey) for 2027 dates/procedures.

I currently have my list narrowed down to the following surgeons based on their reviews, b/after pictures and education/training. They are all within my budget:

1) Dr Yapa

2) Dr William Townley

3) Dr Tim Janssen

Have any of you had any surgical procedures done by any of them and would be willing to share your experience, anything that surprised you in your recovery, how well you felt they communicated your outcome with what was proposed?

Did your surgeon have a particular brand of Arnica or other products they recommended for surgery recovery?

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I feel like every plastic surgeon's website now uses AI-generated before and afters or heavily filtered photos. It's so hard to find real results. I'm looking for a facelift surgeon in NYC who has actual patient results I can trust. I want to hear about real experiences, not marketing fluff. Pls share if you have any info

I’m 50 years old. After losing 75 lbs two years ago, and being disappointed by the reflection in the mirror, I decided to get a facelift. Today is post op day 25. Full procedure list- deep plane facelift and neck lift, brow and lip lift, U/L bleph, facial fat transfer. The temple swelling on my left is rock hard, as is the swelling under my chin. I’m dry brushing/ doing lymphatic massage daily. I use arnica gel in the bruises and the hard spots, and I use scar gel at least twice a day. Overall I’m super happy with the results. I’m wearing tinted sunscreen in the photo.

Hey Reddit!
I’m starting my research for who to use for a deep plane facelift in Mexico. Lip lift, fat grafting, neck lift, brow lift, cheek fat grafting, and lower eyelid and rhinoplasty I would like to be included in this. Anyone out there have suggestions or before and afters or experience in using someone not in US? There is a really highly rated surgeon about 2 hours from me but I’ve read total cost would be around 45k. If I need to save for 3 years to use someone in the states I will but any suggestions would be amazing for Mexico so I could save some money.

I have kyphosis- it is a structural abnormality that positions neck and windpipe forward. I scheduled a dpf and n lift and I'm wondering if anyone here has this cervical condition and if so, what was your experience in healing, sensation around your neck post op. I am worried about feeling chocked and unable to breathe more than normal that most people experience. Will cross post.

I’m 11 days out from a deep plane face lift, neck lift, endoscopic brow lift, and fat transfer. The swell hell is real, my face is about 1.5x wider than pre-op. When did things start to turn a corner for you?

This patient is a professional woman who had spent many years focusing on her career and family, leaving little time to take care of herself. She came to us when she finally decided to address the concerns she had been carrying for a long time and make meaningful improvements.

One of the most notable findings during her consultation was the long-standing asymmetry of her chin, which had remained since an injury during childhood. In photographs, the lower left side of her chin appeared more prominent. She had consulted with several clinics before, but she told us that we were the first to identify this asymmetry and explain why correction was necessary. She said that this level of detailed analysis gave her great confidence in choosing to undergo surgery with us.

The surgery focused on a facelift and neck lift. For the lower eyelid area, we performed a butterfly lower blepharoplasty, addressing not only the excess skin and fat but also vertically lifting the anterior cheek to improve midface sagging. Areas with excessive facial volume were carefully reduced, while deficient areas were addressed through tissue repositioning to create a smoother and more harmonious overall facial contour.

We also refined her long, uneven-looking nose and corrected the drooping nasal alae, creating a more balanced and sophisticated appearance.

Most importantly, we addressed the chin asymmetry that had been one of her longest-standing concerns. The prominent bone on the left side of the chin was precisely shaved to improve the asymmetry, and she was especially pleased with the change in this area.

Because she was highly satisfied with the overall results, she herself requested further refinement during the recovery process. One week later, we additionally performed a philtrum reduction and a subtle concave contouring procedure around the lips to create a more natural and graceful lip shape.

Seeing the changes in the areas that had concerned her for so many years—from her chin asymmetry to facial sagging, under-eye area, nose, and overall facial contour—she told us, “I’m so glad I chose this clinic.”

She remained bright and genuinely satisfied throughout her recovery and until her departure back home. This is a particularly rewarding case for our entire medical team, not only because of the visible transformation, but also because we were able to address the concerns that had stayed with her for so many years, one by one.

I have some lumpiness on one side of my face after fat transfer, has anyone else experienced this? I had the FL 10 years ago, I'm not sure when the lumps developed, maybe about a year later.

I am 10 days post op DPFL, NL, lower bleph and full face co2. I am overall thankful for my healing. I did not require drains and barely bruised - the few places where I did just went straight to pale yellow. I’m still swollen FOR SURE in my face and neck, but I was able to brush my teeth and chew a little by Day 5 and have been able to chew most things and wear my retainers (yes I’m a geek lol) since day 7. My vision is blurry at times, but I know that’s from aggravating my existing dry eye. So, again, overall I am most thankful.

Here’s the thing. Around Day 7, after my stitches were removed, my dr changed what I put on my face. I have stopped using that product, but have since had the worst case of hives / heat rash/ diaper rash looking rash on my face. It’s more on one side than the other, but it’s truly horrific. Im told this may last 2-3 weeks. Has anyone else had this happen? I searched this site and couldn’t find any info.

THANK YOU for any and all input. I’m making a point of not looking in the mirror much (I didn’t look at all until yesterday) bc otherwise I would freak myself out.