Having facelift surgery in 10 days - support and advice needed

[MerryForever]

HI there,

I'm due to go for surgery on 15th March. Face and neck lift under local anaesthetic. I'm 53, medium weight, would like to be a bit lighter. I've had a horrendous few years personally and it's shown a lot on my face. I'm in a better place now and feel this will give me a boost to restart the 'new me.' I'd love to hear from anyone really as I haven't told many people I'm having it done as it seems so vain. My dd is very supportive though. I don't have a current partner.

Any tips from those who have had similar procedures? Or chats with anyone thinking of getting some work done. Or even haters who will tell me that looks don't matter and I should bin it off.

I have had a neck lift and blepharoplasty under local. PM me if you want.

I suppose, in most cases, they haven't personally experienced the pain!

Easy to play it down.

From what I remember you said your surgeon was Rajiv Grover - were you happy with how everything went? Does he do much in terms of aftercare?
Also, can I be cheeky and ask how much it was?

Can you both describe the type of pain @Facelift101 and @MerryForever is it extreme soreness? Throbbing ? Shooting pains? Just want an idea of what to expect 🙏🏻.

For me first night was extreme pressure on forehead - like my head was in a vice and my ears felt like they’d been over stuffed with pressure added. Over the last week I’ve had a variety of types of pain as the nerves reconnect: shooting around my neck; throbbing by my ears and generalised ache. For instance, just now I’ve had shooting pains in one ear lobe, earlier it was an ache at the back of my neck for a few hours. I’m day six and only took two paracetamol today - I was taking codeine as well but managed without Tramadol. The first night was by far the worst. Are you having deep plane plus brow@Traceysgoingtobelivid ? Also I could barely open my mouth for four days.

Thank you @Facelift101 it certainly doesn’t sound like a walk in the park as the many before and after YouTube videos seem to show. I’m only at the investigation stage at the moment but hoping to go ahead within the next couple of years, I want my face put back where it used to be before it started sliding off and I really want a neck lift as well as that particularly upsets me. It’s good that you have only had to take two paracetamol today, hopefully your pain is easing a bit and I really hope you are pleased with the final result!

The first night was excruciating. In the hospital I didn’t sleep for even a second. I had deep plane mid facelift, no neck lift or anything else but I think he must have done a lot of work on my jaw because that’s been a major source of pain. I had areas on my jaw and neck behind my ears that I couldn’t touch, they were so painful and sensitive. The pain is like a tooth abscess if you’ve ever had one? Gnawing throbbing relentless ache. There’s a feeling of pressure everywhere: tight aching pressure. My ears were also painful, too tender to touch and swollen up like balloons. I also couldn’t open my mouth hardly at all for about 5 days. I could only eat soup or yoghurt from a teaspoon which I had to slide in through the only gap I could make in my mouth. Any attempts to eat something more or to chew or to talk for too long led to awful jaw pain and pressure like areas of my face was going to burst open. In the second week I could take less pain relief but I had all the same kinds of pain only a bit less. I’m 4 weeks post op tomorrow and still wake up with aching jaw and ears and can only just this week open my mouth fully again. Also couldn’t turn my head or move my neck much at all for a couple of weeks.

@Traceysgoingtobelivid @MerryForever has put it far better than me - I had same level of pain although ears not so swollen. Awful nausea which is why I declined oramorph and Tramadol. I was in the Welbeck (not with Raj Grover) for first night and despite their reviews, I did not rate the care at all, so choose your hospital and well as surgeon wisely. It’s also worth looking up the operating clinic on the CQC website.

In terms of social media videos, think the SMAS lift can be much less painful plus it depends too of course on how much is going to be changed - if you’re younger and there isn’t much skin to lift then it would be a much faster healing process. I needed a lot of work in my mid face and on my jawline and the operation was 7 hours so that’s a lot of hours of moving my facial nerves and muscles around. A 3-hour more basic procedure would lead to lots less recovery time.

Thank you both @MerryForever and @Facelift101 for your detailed replies, it’s been very informative and forewarned is forearmed as they say! It does sound excruciating and deeply uncomfortable but it sounds as though you both think it has been worth it 🤞currently I have no idea what I would need as not had a consultation as yet but being late fifties probably will need something similar to you both so this thread has been incredibly helpful, thank you.

Wow,that is a lot of money, but there is no denying the results.

You look fantastic OP! Congratulations!

Op looks fantastic!

how much did u pay OP?

Thank you! It’s early days yet as I won’t know the final results for a few months. At the moment something seems to change every day.

I paid £11,500 and have had regularly weekly consultations since surgery, mostly face to face. I’m v happy with the surgeon and price.

Sorry to keep bothering you OP, but I was just curious how you are doing now?
It’s nearly 6 weeks since the operation.

Also, how are you doing Facelift101?

This will go against the grain here. I’ve never spent a night in hospital but DH has spent quite a lot, fine now. Neither of us would ever, ever have an operation that wasn’t clinically necessary unless very minor, after seeing how tough recovery is. Worth it to get better but to look better no thanks.

I had a lower face and neck lift about 3 yrars ago, I did have a general though. It will feel like you have had your ears removed and out back on, apart from that, it's painless. Get a bottle of arnica tablets and start taking them as soon as you can drink water, it will help with the bruising. Drink lots of water and make sure you follow the instructions. I am so glad I had the procedure, good luck, you won't regret it.

I need ALL the details. I desperately need a neck lift after losing a lot of weight. Local anesthesia sounds perfect.

OP had the facelift some time ago, and certainly didn't describe it as painless.

Firstly ive never heard of local anaesthetic face lift has the clinic shown pictures of previous patients
Is the clinic bona fide surgeons have qualifications that can be checked and with good reviews
Secondly very important to be in hospital in case of complications so it can be dealt with
Mine was neck and face full anaesthetic I wont lie swelling and bruising is huge and stitches and it is not for the faint hearted but the results 2/3 months later is fabulous
Be cautious and careful what surgeon you use

Hi OP, I didn't read the full thread but did see your (assuming they're your) pictures in the gallery. You look amazing and you can really see a difference. I wish you all the best with the rest of your recovery.

HI, I had the same with local anaesthetic. Got an amazing surgeon in UK. It went really well, Took just over 2 hours. I was fine all the way through it, Nurses kept checking on me and talking to me. I had never had any sort of operation before in my life so was abit scared. I booked 3 weeks off work so I did not have the worry of going back with a swollen face etc as I did not tell anyone. My face did swell big the first week, but I did not have heavy bruising, Took painkillers for 3 days but it was not unbearable. Swelling started to go down after a week and you will feel numbness for quite a while. This gradually goes as your face starts tingling and that is your nerve ending reactivating. It can take many months for all the swelling to go down, but only you will notice where it is. My hair covered alot. After I went to work no one even noticed I had surgery, People did keep saying my skin was looking good and had I been on holiday and that I was looking well. Just trust the process. My surgeon says the best facelifts are the ones that no one notices and it just looks like you have been on a really good holiday. Everything looks really natural. Dont do anything strenuous the first week. Just take it easy. Stiches were removed after 10 days. Scars are really neat and you can hardly see them after a few months and should completely disappear by about 6 months. I had to wear a sort of bandage thing for the first week. It is important to wear it all the time day and night but you can take it off to shower etc. Hope this helps. Good luck with your operation. You will be glad you did it. x

It's what u want to feel better so good for you! Just please make sure u read the reviews, sure u will have. Any surgery can have implications and if it's not necessary be careful.

I'm the same age but just don't have the time or finances or I may consider it. I know I'm not as young and pretty as I was and have accepted it. My family and friends see me for me, so any modifications wouldn't make any difference to how much they love me.

Personally, relationships are more important than how I look. Xxx

Hello! You’re not bothering me at all; thanks for checking in.

I’m doing okay - still quite swollen and v numb on a lot of my face. My wounds have all healed up now but I’ve had a complication on both cheeks in which some scar tissue / haematomas keep recurring which pinches the skin. The surgeon has separated them twice now - not a pleasant process and so I’m still bruised on my cheeks and it’s painful.

I can open my mouth fully now and eat most things but I still can’t suck on a straw! I think the facial nerves haven’t properly connected yet.

Aside from being bruised on my cheeks, I’m really pleased with how it’s looking. It’s a really big thing, the process of recovery is so much more than I’d thought it would be (I know some seem to skip through it, but not me!) and the psychological side of changing your face is really huge.

but absolutely no regrets and I still feel horror when I look at my pre-surgery face.

Thank you - I had the surgery 6 weeks ago now. Agree with most of what you say except I think my recovery has been a bit more complicated. I’ve got quite a lot of tingling areas - one on the left which feels weirdly itchy, tickly. Nobody has noticed I’ve had surgery except people I’ve told but I’ve had v similar comments to you that I’m looking well etc.

Facelift under local anaesthetic and IV sedation is really common and worked for me.

Totally agree about the intensity of the recovery. Not a walk in the park :)