Several months ago I decided to investigate the idea of a lower face and neck lift -- something I never imagined myself doing. But as time has gone on, I'd begun to feel an increasing disconnect between the relatively youthful person I felt myself to be inside and the aging face I was seeing in the mirror. I interviewed two plastic surgeons and was impressed by both, and both had excellent ratings on Yelp. I took a couple of months to sit with the idea -- and finally decided to do it.
In part I came to that decision because Caroline Min is a very unassuming doctor, completely at ease with herself which put me at ease with the idea. The first thing she said when we met was, "Gee, you actually look good for your age." No exactly a hard sell. After interviewing with the second surgeon, I went back for a follow-up with Dr. Min and asked about two small procedures the other surgeon had suggested in addition to a basic face and neck lift. Caroline pushed and pulled my face and ended up saying she didn't really think I needed them. Dr. Min's fees, which were lower than the other surgeon's, included an overnight stay at an aftercare facility with round-the-clock nursing immediately following the procedure, something not provided by the other surgeon's office.
I booked the surgery, paid some upfront fees and the pre-op consultation with Dr. Min was again very low-key and reassuring. I was given paperwork outlining exactly what would happen almost hour-by-hour along with a list of things to expect during the month-long recovery period. The personnel at the Arcadia Outpatient Surgery Center were brisk, efficient and friendly. Caroline came by to write on my face (she'll explain that to you) and then before I knew it I was in recovery. I felt swelled and numb but in no pain.
The aftercare facility where Dr. Min's patients usually spend the night did not have an opening, so instead they arranged two shifts of private duty nursing at my own home, for about the same fee. I actually preferred that -- sleeping propped up in my own bed, with my wife and teenage daughter there with me. My daughter was afraid to come into my bedroom at first fearing she wouldn't recognize me. Finally she did -- and was relieved. "You look like a Conehead, but you're still my Dad." I was afraid myself to look in the mirror on my first (assisted) trip to the bathroom that night, but when I finally did look, I thought I resembled more a Teletubby. Nothing to do with Dr. Min's work -- it's this elaborate wrapping around the head to help with the initial recovery. When Dr. Min finally took that off and held a mirror up for me -- I thought, "Wow." Gone were all the heavy lines around my mouth, the developing turkey neck, even some cross-hatching below my eyes which I've had for years.
Two weeks out I'm still numb around the ears. But there's been very little pain (Dr. Min prescribed a pain killer just in case), just the kind of weird discomfort you'd expect from a healing face. I remained home until the stitches came out after a week, not wanting to scare little children on the street. But I was up and moving around the house comfortably by the second day. This past weekend -- 12 days out -- I had to take my daughter's cello to the violin shop for a minor fix. The 20-something clerk hesitated, then asked if I minded telling him what happened to me (the sutures are sill very noticeable. So I confessed to my first stranger than I'd had a face lift -- and that I would be 70 in a few days. He just stared and shook his head in wonder. "You could pass for your 40s" he said.
Thank you, Caroline -- for your excellent work and your kindness -- and for making me feel again that the guy in the mirror is the real me. read more