Thinking seriously about a neck lift...

Mine was 2/11 and I still have discoloration everywhere the skin was lifted.  Even the good side.  I wore the head/neck wrap 24/7 too as it felt better, even after he said I didn't need to.  So for almost a months.  That is about how long the bruising could be seen by others.

I had my fl on 2/10.  I went back into the office 3 weeks later although from a cosmetic perspective, I could have gone in after 2.  I didn't really have much bruising.  I had some on my neck and the incisions around my eyes were visible if you looked really close. My hair hides the incisions around my ears.  I was out and about at 2 weeks and wasn't getting any stares from anyone. I wore the head brace for 2 weeks all day when home and then 2 weeks only at night.

I had a laser treatment on my face as well.  That was something I didn't want to have anyone see as I had lots of little dots on my face from the laser.  That all pretty much disappeared by the end of the first week.  I had a light pink tone to my skin for a few more days and then that returned to normal.

There is no question that a face/neck lift will help remove a lot of the excess skin. It is probably the only way. Other non-surgical means like Thermage/Eclipse can only do so much. Dermal fillers and I use that quite often as well as using my patients own fat also is helpful but in most cases temporary. I have perfected my MiniMax lift which I do under a total local anesthetic whose costs are about $5000 or about $180 per month with care credit. It is not as extensive as a traditional facelift and therefore not as costly. The added benefits are that recovery is usually quicker and the chances of looking weird or having complications very low. You can usually go out in public within a week and resume all activities within two.

Dr., Thanks for your input- by the way, I ordered some of your tape.  It arrived very quickly, and appears to be working just fine.  I am using it in addition to the compression garment (this is for my arm lift), and hope for good things.  Am I correct in thinking that the longer I can keep in the compression & tape, the better off I am with the scars?  About when does this become unnessary?  Thanks again for your comments.  Bonnie

You should wear it continuously for at least 2-3 months. If the scars are still red, then longer. You can keep it on for about a week at a time even with showering. Even better under compression garment.