Made a booking for cosmetic surgery and very nervous !!

[LovelyJubbly12345]

I've made a booking this morning, for an upper and lower blepheraplasty and a neck lift, and I'm so nervous!

Can anyone share positive experiences?

I'm 53 (almost 54) and my looks have seriously gone down hill in the past 3 years. Have a very important event at the end of the year, and can't face going looking like this. In fact, I'm finding recently that I'm declining invitations to go to things, because I feel so self conscious about how I look.

I'm not adverse to surgery - I've had breast implants and laser eye surgery (both a long time ago), but for some reason I feel so nervous about this. My on-line consultation ended half an hour ago, and my tummy is still flipping.

Can anyone share anything to make me feel less apprehensive? 😑

I'm your age and I had a neck and lower face lift 3 months ago.
Like you I was feeling extremely self-conscious about the way my neck looked. I also looked miserable because my mouth was starting to turn downwards. My neck now has no excess skin and my lower face is tighter. Still looks natural though (I think).
It was quite a major operation and I needed 2 weeks off work basically doing nothing, even though I work from home. Eating and drinking was very uncomfortable for a few days at least. I didn't feel I could drive for a few weeks afterwards either, because of head turning required etc.
I did loads of research and picked my surgeon carefully and that gave me confidence, but I was still very nervous. I had a general anaesthetic.
Saying all that I'm so pleased with the results and it was definitely the right decision for me, despite the expense. Good luck!

Definitely something I’ll be considering as I’m only 46 and my neck is quite loose / wrinkly

Thank you both!

dropinsession How long did you feel you had to hide away from people? Or when I would feel okay enough to walk the dogs? Or see a neighbour at the gate without frightening people! I guess I could wear a scarf? Did you have to sleep sitting up or anything? Thanks in advance! I'm glad you are happy with it!

I was given a head wrap supportive thingy to wear 24/7 for a week then at night for 6 weeks. For the first week I was advised not to walk the dog for in case he pulled, not to drive, no make up, no alcohol.
Because of facial swelling and the head wrap I stayed pretty much hidden in my room for the first week or sat in the garden. I didn't go out but that was personal choice because I didn't feel up to it (and the head wrap is conspicuous although you could cover it with a scarf). After 2 weeks I started to feel normal again quite quickly and went abroad on hols after 5 weeks.
As I mentioned earlier it's a major op and I wasn't really prepared for the proper downtime. It will help if you have someone who can bring you smoothies, soup, sloppy ready meals etc. Or stock up your freezer beforehand. I would definitely allow a post-op 2 week window for you-time. Still absolutely worth it for me though.

Oh and yes had to sleep propped up on pillows for a few weeks

dropinsession Sorry, I only just saw your reply! Wow, that's a lot of recovery time. I think I am going to take the whole week off work then, even though I WFH. Because when I'm working I have to see people briefly, and it doesn't sound like that's a good idea! Thanks for your advice! Do you feel so much better now?

I had upper and lower blepharoplasty, lower face and neck lift six years ago. I decided to stay in hospital for 4 days afterwards as I bruise very easily and I was quite swollen, even with the compression bandage. I felt a bit sorry for myself immediately after the op but the surgeon had warned me that this might happen. I didn't feel comfortable going outside for the first week ,but after that I just wrapped a scarf around my head and neck and went out for a walk every day. I wasn't allowed to wear make up for the first couple of weeks either.

After two weeks I felt much better but I was still a bit bruised and swollen. Make up covered the bruising on my neck and my face just looked a little rounder to me, but probably not to others.

I took two weeks annual leave and then worked from home for two weeks. After four weeks I was feeling much more normal and could really see the effects of the surgery (in a good way). I am so glad that I decided to have the op. I found the recovery quite brutal for the first 10 days but I do not have any regrets. Nobody believes my age and it has done wonders for my confidence. I think my surgeon also did a tiny bit of liposuction under my chin, to remove the slight double chin that I had. I did a lot of research before choosing my surgeon and am very happy with his work.

Thank you lilyrose for your input. I think the recovery is going to take longer than I thought. It's outpatient only, so I go home the same day!

Agree with @LilyRose88 about feeling surprisingly rough after the op. I don't cope very well with general anaesthetic and felt sick for the first few days. I had booked a week's leave but I ended up extending to two weeks, although I probably could have worked (from home) if I had had to.

The bruising went down really quickly. My surgeon also did a little bit of lipo. Although I have a relatively thin face I had small jowels starting and he took the fat out of there and put it into my temples. This meant that my eyes looked a bit weird and swollen for the first couple of weeks, but now my temples are less sunken.
I've had loads of compliments about looking fresh and glowing since I had it done. Definitely no regrets.

@LilyRose88 and @dropinsession can I ask where you had your lower face lifts done? I’m hoping to find someone in the SE. I’ve seen very positive reviews for someone in York but I think I’d like someone a little closer - happy to travel a bit (I had an upper blepharoplasty in Brighton, about an hours train away from me, which worked well).
@LovelyJubbly12345 as mentioned above I had an upper blepharoplasty done recently. I am SO glad I did. I’m coming up to 50 and in the last year the amount of movement I’ve seen around my eyes and my jawline has been so disheartening. It’s only been a few weeks but my eyes look so much better. I feel a hell of a lot more confident than I did.

A poster on here @wagsandclaws had a lower face and neck lift. The results were amazing:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/style_and_beauty/4357433-i-had-a-neck-and-lower-facelift-48-hours-ago

I had my facelift done by Alex Karidis at the Hospital of St John and St Elizabeth in St John's Wood. I was very happy with my results. I found him to be very honest about how I would feel after the op and what my recovery would be like. He prefers a natural look for his end results. I had my procedure in 2017 and I am still very happy with the results.