Does anyone want to come on my Upper and Lower Bleph and Necklift journey with me?

[CollagenQueen]

Having it done this Saturday. I booked it about 10 weeks ago, after dithering for a year or two. I'm almost 54 years old. Eek!

Thanks for posting all of this - I found it while scouring the internet for answers! I had a full neck lift with Signature back in June. I am 54 yo, had a severe double chin which was a genetic thing (I am not overweight or anything) - I saw it in my grandmother and knew it would only get worse. It became debilitating. I also hated looking in the mirror, going out, became obsessed with every human jawline everywhere! Decided to take the plunge after 6 years of dipping in and out of research - I had some consults with surgeons during that time but the more 'traditional' surgeons are another breed ... I came away thinking that cosmetic surgery needed it's own facelift... fast forward a few years and that has happened with clinics like Signature popping up all over the place. It's easier than the traditional route of old where you had to find a surgeon by word of mouth, then pay £200 just to find out what they do, then be subject to snooty emails from snooty secretaries, and it was MUCH more expensive. I also didn't like the thought of General Aneasthesia for a cosmetic procedure. Anyway... I found Signature at the start of this year, enquired about a Facelift, had the virtual consult, Dr told me I didn't need a FL, just a Neck Lift. Turns out that this advice was WRONG. Like OP I did not (and do not) have many facial wrinkles but like every other woman of 50+ I have laxity in the skin and this was not accounted for. 4 months later I am not 100% happy and was at the clinic seeing my surgeon this Saturday just past to work out what to do next. OP - were you in London? Anyway, they agreed that I was wrongly advised and agreed to do the FL for difference of what the original combined surgery cost (so around 3k rather than 5), and am still waiting to hear about dates etc., I think my surgeon was competent and he has done a good job - scars are almost invisible, healing was text book etc., but depending on how this pans out, I am not sure about the clinic or their MO. ATM I think they are ok till there's a problem. I understand why they said no FL but on reflection, I should have been more persistent in seeing the surgeon beforehand (was told I didn't need to). I think when you get to the state of being desperate to change the hideous thing that looks back at you in the mirror, and find someone who can fix it, then sometimes even a little bit of 'reason' goes out the window. I do feel better, I don't hate my reflection anymore, my confidence is back and I know I did the right thing. But I also feel that the difference is quite minimal (after 4 months I don't think it will get better) and I don't feel that I have had good value for money even though the more 'traditional' route would have been more expensive, the pre and post care would have been better. Anyway OP, I think your surgery looks amazing! Well done on getting that second consult. I think Signature have good surgeons and I do understand their whole business model, so I hope this all works out ok for me.

corretto13 I read your post with interest. I was only booked in for the neck lift (and eyes), but when watching videos about surgery, I came across a Dr in the US who said that lots of women address one issue like neck and don’t address the rest of the face, and it can be a mistake.

It was only then that I questioned whether I’d asked for the right procedure and realised that no surgeon had actually told me with his expertise what he thought I actually needed.

This led to a second consultation the week of the surgery and my Dr said he thought I should do NL and FL. At first I was shocked because like you, felt that my upper face was actually ok. But really the FL seems to be around the lower parts not really going above my ears anyway.

I did stress that I wanted to get everything over with at once, one recovery period etc.

Thats good news that they will now do your FL for the reduced price. When will you have that done?

Eyes day 3

Thanks for responding :)

I am still waiting for them to confirm - apparently it all needs to be ‘signed off’ with the surgeon. I agree its better to have it all done in one go and I’m peeved about having to go thru another 6 months. The good thing is that the most brutal surgery is the neck lift. 4 months on I'm still numb under the chin and behind ears and still have bruising!! FL not so brutal but the Doc said he would give the neck another little tuck 😳. I just hope they follow through. If they do, then the only thing i would fault them with is the consultation procedure and their apparent lack of knowledge on 50 yo skin! However it is super interesting that you were also told no FL to start with. I don’t get it - you’d have thought they would want to book the more expensive procedure and be absolutely guaranteed to have happy customers rather than have to do lots of corrections due to bad consultations. 🤔

I wonder whether they don’t want to be seen as pushing surgeries on to people?

I think they should have face to face consultations and say “ok, you’ve asked for XX but in my experience as a surgeon who has done hundreds of these, I think you need YY”

But maybe that just wouldn’t be ethical. I’m not sure. I did originally ask for HIFU fior my neck and was told it would be a waste of money. So I do appreciate the honesty there.

The swelling is looking so much better!

Looking forward to seeing the results.

I agree. I think there’s an element of that. You have to be super specific. But when it comes to ladies of a certain age, they definitely need to meet you in person.

I think Signature’s biz model is to do as much surgery as humanly possible, which i dont see as a bad thing as it means the procedures are well practiced. Unlike NHS surgeons who are doing cosmetic surgery on the side.

i was attracted by that and the local anaesthetic situ. The surgery itself was surprisingly painless - almost pleasant 😆

I found the surgery traumatic. The fact you can feel them cutting your skin and then cauterising it. No pain but you feel the sensation. I really didn’t like it at all!!

You had a ton done so i imagine it was much more traumatic. I was only 2 hours - maybe 2.5. The worst part was the pre-lipo anaesthetic- if i never have to do that again it would be too soon! I imagine 4+ hours is very hard tho. Hope your tecovery is going well though. I slept quite alot the first week.

Yes it felt too long! I’m not sleeping great at night because of the fact you have to sleep sitting up and the head brace is uncomfortable, tight and scratchy! Quite claustrophobic actually! I hope you get your FL sorted soon 🙏🏻

That head thing is THE WORST. I stopped using the black thing after 2 weeks. It was horrendous. But i didnt mind the head ’balaclava’ thing. Its revolting after 2 weeks tho 😆

Hi, I work with a few cosmetic surgeons and all are very much " old school ". We charge for the initial consultation ( and insist on a second cons too which is included in the initial cons cost ) The surgical cost includes all pre op tests and post op care, patients have a 24hr number they can call post op should any issues arise we do not just leave them to the NHS. We provide appropriate painkillers and antibiotics. Follow up appointments are booked for 24hrs 7days 3 months and a year post op to ensure both the patient and surgeon are happy with the results. We do free of charge revision surgery if the outcome is not as expected ( very rare this is needed )
The surgeons do a full examination at the initial consultation stage and advise the patient what procedure will give the best results, we would not expect a patient to tell us what they think needs doing. We would not perform a procedure knowing results would not be satisfactory for the patient. A detailed letter explaining the procedure, risks and anything else that was discussed in the consultation will be sent prior to the second consultation so each patient is fully aware of the plan and expected results and can discuss any concerns with their surgeon weeks/months before the day of surgery. Unfortunately there are a lot of clinics now where you do not meet your surgeon face to face until day of surgery, patients suffer unnecessarily during and after the surgery, results are often unsatisfactory and patients are then out of pocket by either having to pay more, plus endure further surgery and then further downtime for recovery. Negative reviews are always " disputed" or taken down, some threaten patients with legal action to force them to do this ! Once these places get a bad name they shut up shop and reopen under a different name and repeat the cycle. I'm sorry you have not got the results you where hoping for and I hope your next surgery gives you the results you wanted. For anyone thinking about booking a cosmetic procedure you should 100% meet your surgeon in person before you book any procedure, check reviews on various pages and check that they are members British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons (BAAPS) and British Association of Plastic Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgeons (BAPRAS).

I've been following out of curiosity. My own position is that I'd never have elective surgery, but that's not because I'm anti, I think your body, your choice, within reason. However two points occurred to me in general as opposed to specific to you @CollagenQueen or anyone else who's had cosmetic surgery. I'm wishing you good speed with your recovery.

“ok, you’ve asked for XX but in my experience as a surgeon who has done hundreds of these, I think you need YY”

But maybe that just wouldn’t be ethical.

To me, that would be much more ethical than surgeons accepting patients they haven't advised pre-operation. I would fully expect a face to face examination and consultation and then to go away and mull over the expert's recommendations in my own time. Even cutting a hairstyle depends not only on the stylist's skills, but the individual's face shape and the hair's specific textures and behaviour, so I wouldn't be able to put myself in the hands of someone happy to operate without seeing me in person.

I know someone who works for what I believe to be a high profile clinic in a major city. I don't know the name of it and if I did, for obvious reasons I wouldn't say. But the fact they're employed on a salary plus a commission on their 'sales' plus bonuses for meeting targets, is a huge red flag to me. Of course it's understandable if a surgeon explains that X person won't see the results they're looking for unless they have a certain procedure or an additional procedure, but for someone without any medical qualifications to be pushed into meeting targets is something that strikes me as really unethical.

I'm genuinely pleased for people who take steps to rectify features they have a problem with and who are delighted with results, but at the same time am very concerned about the wider culture of striving for a certain aesthetic and the Instagram ideal of everything and everyone being 'perfect'

Tiredmummy. This is very interesting and sounds like a very different business model to the clinic I used. My clinic has several branches nationwide so was by no means a small outfit. I like the way your clinic sounds! I’m guessing it’s probably a lot more expensive.

4 hours on local

@Tiredmummy201 I know. Ive seen 2 of the old school surgeons and i agree that everything is better. Not only that, i used to work in a hospital and know about all the societies etc. I saw them a while ago - 5-6 years and i dont know why but I just felt more comfortable with the more ‘transactional’ approach. Which sounds silly. I saved enough for the other type but here I am. If I was back at the beginning i would probably not go down this particular path again. But I am in it now and I don’t think my surgeon is at fault. Its the business model. The staff are all super young, the surgeons only do surgery, new ones coming in and waiting for GMC do the consults, aftercare is an admin job. I’m self employed so I get it. But yeah. Here i am with not 100% result. Sigh.

The expense is because the ‘old school’ use private hospitals and include general anaesthetic (expensive) and overnight stay. Some private hospitals charge up to £5k for just one night 😳. So thats where the costs build up. Also those surgeons are much older and more experienced.

And experience is invaluable. The best surgeons typically won't do a face lift without a neck lift and they do a deep lift that repositions muscles, rather than just a superficial 'hoick up'.
My friend had a neck lift. Reputable surgeon but not a facial specialist. He did a sort of ok ish job but he managed to inadvertently cut the saliva gland and she was then in and out of hospital with the most appalling issues. Never ever skimp on surgeons and always do your due diligence.

Has anyone tagged @damedoom into this thread. She had the most incredible results from her lower face lift. Just amazing!

I’ve just tried to find Damedoom with no luck

Was it this one by @wagsandclaws

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/style_and_beauty/4357433-i-had-a-neck-and-lower-facelift-48-hours-ago?page=1

On the plus side the surgeon is probably good, the costs are cut in consultation process, theatre staff, meds and aftercare so I'm sure there's lots of patients that have had good results and not needed any aftercare or revision surgery. I hope your next op gets you the results you want. Just hope other ladies considering surgery on here don't take the risk with these type of companies, there's so many about now, I think they trying to compete with the Turkey market ... but I m not even starting on the awful things I've seen done there. Good luck with the next surgery x

I’ve seen wagsandclaws - amazing results!

@Tiredmummy201 Yea, I think that's it - it's a way to a) democratise surgery and also b) tap into the market who go to Turkey etc., I did ALOT of checking on the surgeon I picked and was happy ... I'm going to see how the clinic deal with my issue and take it from there. I haven't been butchered and the clinic do get good reviews.

@HazardLights Oh lordy .. just read that excellent thread. That clinic was on my list but I had the consult with Signature first and was very happy with them so booked up as I was getting goggle eyed with all the research I was doing!