Harri Facelift Diary

2005-05-04T11:23:00.000-07:00

You can find me here www.lookyourbestuk.com

Once upon a time in a faraway forum I posted a daily diary about my facelift with Basim Matti at the Harley Street Clinic. If you missed it there do not worry because here it is again!

On 26 Jan 2005 I had facelift, neck lift, upper/lower blephs. This was 14 weeks after a complicated rhinoplasty revision with ear and rib grafts, also with Basim Matti. I’ve been rebuilt!

Wed (Day 1) - The Operation

I got to the clinic at 10am, reception was chaos. Paid the clinic fees - that really hurt. Was taken to room and my husband asked what time my op was. The nurse went to ask and came back with 1pm. Relaxing fully dressed at 12.30 when the door burst open and nurse said they want you now. Mad scramble to get into gown and stockings and walked down to theatre.

Met Mr Corall and Mr Matti who started nipping my face. I think they were so casual because they felt I knew the ropes because of my rhino 14 weeks ago.

I came to in the room at 6pm. My blood pressure was high and I needed oxygen. No catheter. On saline drip which I had to wheel to the bathroom (a lot because of the extra fluids). Was sick twice but given anti-nausea drug. I didn't eat from the night before till breakfast next day. Hope I am thinner!

In the morning the drip was removed and my big head bandage changed for a smaller one. They give you optrex eye pads which were good and I bought some from Boots at Euston Station. However, have stopped using them now because they were making my skin sore.

I felt really weak but was surprised the next day that I was OK to go home on the train. It was difficult to wear sun glasses when your ears are covered in bandages. Wore a long coat with hood and a big scarf. Should have hired Arab fancy dress.

Needed to take pain meds mainly back of head hurt. Poked myself in eye with glasses, missed step down to our bathroom and banged head on taxi door so am trying to be more careful now. You can't see very well because they put ointment in your eyes.

Hard to tell whether op has been a success yet but I certainly look different.

I thought the optrex eyepads were a nice extra touch considering it costs double the money to have a facelift in London as it does in Leeds.

The oxygen was delivered by 2 little tubes which fed into my nose. They kept slipping out so I dutifully kept putting them back in. Then in the middle of the night the nurse said for goodness sake I didn't need the oxygen now and yanked the tubes out of my nose. I only hope they haven't charged me for an extra tank of the stuff because believe me they would charge for the air we breathe in there if they could.

Fri (Day 3) – Eye Sutures Out

Went back today to have eye sutures removed (didn't hurt) and hair washed. Not icing or anything. No bandages but given make-shift chin strap to wear at night.

The receptionist told me Wed was the best day to have the op because then you can have the eye sutures out on Fri and the rest out on Tues. Sometimes you have to wait just because that is not the day they do that sort of work or it falls over the weekend. Perhaps they hurt less the sooner they take them out. All I felt was a pulling sensation when Melanie the nurse took the long one out but I can't remember whether it was u/l lid. She lost one as she pulled and said 'oops' and had to go for it again. I hate it when that happens, don't you? She also thinks one hair style suits all but it was very nice to have clean hair.

Some fact sheets say they take the sutures out on the 3rd or 4th post-operative day but is the op day itself the 1st post-operative day? I have got steri strips round the eyes so perhaps these take over from the stitches.

We once paid a lot of money to have our cat's leg stitched up after a fight. They bandaged it all the way up but the next time I saw him he had got the bandage of and the stitches out. I rushed him back to the vet's who said it didn't matter as long as the stitches had been in 24 hours. Perhaps it's the same for us? I know leaving stitches in too long can leave you with track marks.

Anyway Mr Matti has done over a 1000 facelifts so I can only assume he knows what he is doing! I don't know how long the op actually took but he did say he had had to do a lot more work on my chin than he thought he would.

Sun (Day 5)

It is Day 5 today and I have not needed pain killers since yesterday morning. The swelling is going down and the bruising is becoming yellow. It looks as if someone has tried to strangle me.
My neck is less stretched and swollen but my cheeks are still numb. My eyes have a way to go.

Mon (Day 6)

The trouble is I think I am going to look completely different. My daughter says it's my jawline and it's a good job I didn't go for a brow lift as well as I would have looked much too young.

It’s now day 6, counting the op as day 1. The bruising round my eyes is much better this morning. One eye was really bad with a deep bruise into the corner of my nose. This is where I was bruised from my recent rhino so it might have something to do with that. My eyes are still quite swollen though.

The chin strap is just a joke. I'm sure Transform would give you a better one. You are provided with a wedge of cotton wool, a roll of bandage and some sticky tape. From this you are supposed to construct a chin strap to wear at night. I look like an Eskimo and ended up tying the bandage in a bow on the top of my head. The cat and my husband took one look at me and fled from my bed in horror. My husband came back for the first time last night as he found the spare bed very uncomfortable but there is no sign of the cat doing so. I really miss the cat.

I'm beginning to realise what a brow lift might have achieved. When Matti said he could do one but that I didn't really need it I just thought Thank God I'm not that bad and I've saved all that money. When I got home I looked in the mirror and vaguely pulled my forehead up. I have a few fine lines there but not a lot of spare skin. I now realise it would have pulled up the spare skin below my eyebrows. I suppose I thought he would pull this down into the upper lid incision. Stupid I know. Anyway it's still swollen and I don't recall it was that bad before.

I actually didn't ask Matti many questions. I never had a pre-op appointment. After my rhino I just trusted him. He found my chin much more difficult than he thought he would. I know we think the surgeon should have the op planned to the finest detail but I suspect a lot of work is done 'on the fly' depending on what he finds. This is the value of choosing an experienced surgeon who can deal with what he finds.

Tues (Day 7) - Oh no I’ve got to exercise

I've managed to avoid doing exercise for most of my life. I once joined a gym but whiled away my time in the Jacuzzi. However, I've now got to do eye exercises. For 10 seconds, 3 times a day I've got to push up my bottom lids with my fingers. As if I didn't have enough to do. I wish he'd just stitched them up a bit tighter.

To recap I had face/neck u/l eye lifts on Wed, eye sutures out Fri. Today Tues, I had ear and chin sutures out and steri tapes off eyes. I also expected to get the back of head staples out today but apparently not. I've got to go back on Fri for these.

I don't think the timetable is set in stone because it depends on what day you have your op and what days the team does what. But if traveling is an issue you need to make very sure what follow-up appointments you need. Don't trust what you read in the facts sheets because nothing from DD or BM lead me to understand it would take 3 go's to get everything out.

The good news is that I saw a handbag in House of Fraser and I'm going to get it on Fri.

Wed (Day 8)

I have nothing to do but post at the moment. It is hard to get on with things when your face feels like a mask and you are not allowed to bend forward eg to pick things up off the floor. I'm stepping over the mess instead but I am going to have to tackle the housework soon.

I took JW's advice last night and threw the neck bandage out of bed. It looked like a dead thing on the floor this morning and I'm wondering if I did the right thing. I'll pick it up later.

I washed my hair in the shower this morning. Matti's nurse washed it for me last Fri but I haven't washed it since as I would have needed my husband's help to do it in the bath. To be fair he would have helped but I think he has enough to do at the moment what with working, golfing and taking me to London for follow-up appointments. Having my face done wasn't his idea and he is still recovering from the shock of having to use the dishwasher in the first couple of days. I had to give him a map so he could find it in the kitchen.

My yellow face is fading to a nice peachy colour but I have had a few problems with my eyes. The upper lids are becoming more symmetrical although I wanted the smaller one to become bigger whereas the bigger one is now smaller. The smaller eye (I sound like a freak) became quite sore and I have a bit of oedema (fluid swelling on the eyeball) which happens sometimes but will go. The eye is a bit puffy underneath which is making the scar look worse (I think).

I get my staples out on Fri. It is actually very reassuring to see the doctor so many times in the first week (this will be my 3rd trip) although the train tickets are £40 a go plus taxi fares. The hospital bills for take-home meds came this morning - £39. Still I'm not spending much money enjoying myself at the moment.

Thurs (Day 9)

I have a cleaner come every Thursday. Last week I came out of the clinic and had to spend an hour drinking coffee in a Starbucks car park until the coast was clear.

This week I set the alarm for 7 to tidy up before she came. She is one of those cleaners who likes the house to have an 'unlived' in look. She once left me a list of complaints when my grown-up daughters were home alone for a week. They hate her and want me to sack her. I don't know why I put up with either them or her. I'm a victim!

2 hours later I was still tidying up when she rang the bell and I had to let her in. I still can't believe she didn't do a double take. I'm still slightly bruised and yellow. My eyes have visible scars and I look completely different. It's not just a fresher 10 years younger look. It's a completely different look. I think this is because my face was very fat and broad before and it now looks more sculptured. I have cheekbones. I can't even recognise myself.

I get the scalp staples out tomorrow.

BTW when I got finally got round to picking the neck thing of the floor the dog had ravaged it.

Fri (Day 10)

I had my staples out today and expected to feel totally different but I feel exactly the same. Apparently the lumps and bumps at the back of my head are actually part of me now and they will take a while to smooth out.

The eye exercises are to prevent the lower lid turning out (etropian) so I will not shirk off doing them although I forgot to ask how long I had to do them for. So 2 years later......

I still have oedema but it seems I mixed up the use of the eye gel and the eye drops. And once you can't see you can't read the instructions. I came home and put the drops in my eyes immediately. I then read the instructions which began 'it is very important how you administer these drops'. I really must try harder.

My next appointment is in 6 weeks and so I will not bore you any more with my daily diary. But so far so good.

1 Week Post Op – A Shopping Trip

I first went shopping at just over 1 week post op looking like a car crash victim with staples still in the back of my head. I had wanted to go out before that but my daughter had refused to take me saying I was much too yellow.

We went to the local shopping mall where I rarely see people I know well. All my friends like a bargain whereas I like to pay full price and buy food in M&S.

Unfortunately my daughter spotted a neighbour in M&S. That makes twice in 15 years I have seen her there. I made a mad dash for the baby changing room (I panicked) and an assistant was suspicious I had gone in there to steal a baby. The last thing I want in my life right now.

2 Weeks Post Op - What Have You Done To Your Face?

I think 2 weeks post op was too soon to unveil my new look to the world but it is actually very difficult to drop out of circulation for longer when your family and dog are carrying on their lives as normal and your car is parked on the drive.

One friend was so concerned when my son told her I had gone away for 2 weeks on my own that she left a What's wrong? message on my answer phone. I rang her back and she even mentioned the body under the patio scenario.

My children looked shocked when I said I was going out to dinner. It seems they were expecting pancakes for tea. Did everybody else remember it was Shrove Tuesday? They were even more shocked when they realised they were getting no tea at all.

Anyway my face has lost the 'I've just been made by Matti look' although it is still numb and swollen. I wear my hair longish with a fringe and covering my cheeks so this helped. My make-up didn't exactly glide on and even my husband noticed it was coming off in lumps. Does anybody know why this is? My eyes were beyond the help of YSL Touche Eclat but all in all I think I looked pretty good.

It took them a while but then Friend#1 said What's wrong with your eyes? Eye infection.

Later on friend#2 said I can't get over how different you look. Has the dentist done something to your jaw? No. I was really relieved when the lens fell out of her glasses (loose screw) and she said she couldn't see any more. Selfish I know. Honestly I am not joking.

Friend#3 said There is something different. I noticed straight away. Have you lost weight? Yes I've lost 4 pounds because I didn't feel like eating with eye infection.

Friend#4 said You do look younger. What face cream do you use? Estee Lauder.

I think the friend who said absolutely nothing at all had actually guessed.

I suppose I would have wanted my money back if no-one had noticed anything.

My eyes are worse than ever as they've now got bits of mascara floating in them.

3 Weeks Post Op – My Face

I am 3 weeks post op from my facelift now and the fact sheets say to allow 3 or 4 weeks before being seen and up to several months to get the full effect.

I've been to my son's parents evening and am no longer fleeing from people I meet in the street. I've been out to dinner twice without feeling I was being stared at. But I have only worn make-up once on the night I went out with my girlfriends. Fortunately my closest friend (the one who imagined me buried under the patio) has been too busy at work to come round.

My hair covers a lot of the swelling around my ears. Under my chin is quite hard but improving every day. I now feel it is me looking back in the mirror even though my family says I look much better. This is giving me the confidence to bluff it out because I don't feel a different person now. Just refreshed and a bit younger looking.

I think 4 weeks would be right to go back to work. I don't work but would never have been allowed to take 4 weeks off when I did. I suppose this is why they are introducing 'lifestyle lifts' with less recovery time. But I just wanted one facelift to last me at least 10 years and I don't think these lesser lifts have stood the test of time.

3 Weeks Post Op - My Eyes

I had u/l blephs along with my facelift so while I am spending 3 or 4 weeks recovering from the facelift it doesn't matter to me that I am spending the same amount of time recovering from the blephs.

But this is not what the fact sheets say. They say 10-14 days. I have found a forum on www.makemeheal.com which has hundreds of posts about long recovery times and multiple problems. It seems I am not on my own. But a lot of people will recover more quickly. I saw one post where a woman waited 10 days to put her contact lens in but felt she could have done so before that.

My eyes are much better although I'm sure people do notice I have a problem but eye infection is a plausible explanation. My problem is unique in that my glasses don't fit my new nose. My husband says go to Specsavers, explain the problem and get them adjusted. I can't believe this man has been married to me for so long and understands me so little.

The plastic studs on my glasses broke when we were in the US driving from Los Angeles to Seattle. An optician expertly fitted new ones to fit my bridge perfectly. It took him ages and he charged $3. The trouble is I now have a new bridge. If I could remember where he was I would go back because Specsavers have never done such a good job.

My eyes were done 3 weeks ago. If you look on www.faceforum.com and www.makemeheal.com there is lots of information about healing times from blephs. The consensus seems to be that plastic surgeons don't tell you the facts because people would never have them done. However, I'm sure lots of people do heal within 10-14 days.

I went out at 2 weeks post op and had to say I had an eye infection. That is the only time I have worn make-up. I still haven't worn my contact lens.

My eyes are much better now but I am not taking the chance of irritating them with make-up. I think the scars would cover and the ones on the bottom lid almost look like eyeliner. Much straighter than I've ever been able to apply it. The top ones are hidden in the creases but there are some scars that come out into the crow's feet so I suppose it depends how many of those you have. I haven't got many but I'm not complaining about that!

I can only tell you about my experience. I have never smoked or sun bathed and only drink 1 glass of white wine a day. In short I've never lived! I don't know if any of this is relevant or if there are any factors which make one person heal faster than another. I'm only saying that perhaps you cannot rely on going back to work after 2 weeks and no-one realising you've had anything done. I've seen loads of posts from people who say the same thing.

However, I'm sure my eyes are going to look much better than they did so I hope I haven't put you off.

I'm not bothered because I'm avoiding as many people as I can because I've just had a facelift. I knew I had to allow 4 weeks for that anyway.

I Want a New Best Friend

My so-called best friend has just been round for the first time since my facelift. She caused me a lot of stress in the first couple of weeks because she thought I had been buried under the patio but then hit a busy period at work etc.

I wasn't expecting her and admittedly I don't look my best cleaning bathrooms but I did think she might have noticed something (besides clean bathrooms). I was quite relieved at first but by the end of 3 hours I was wanting to say 'Notice anything different'? Apparently not. I gave her every opportunity to see my new improved profile. My neck aches from swiveling it round so much.

So you can fool some of the people all of the time. Either that or my new face has dropped again already. Excuse me while I check the mirror.

I Want New Neighbours

The trouble is I want new neighbours too. My neighbour across the road is from the north and she is like a dog with a bone. She hasn't even seen me yet but has told my son the whole street is talking about it. I haven't even spoken to the whole street in 15 years of living there so I don't believe her.

I think she should leave my poor son alone. However, I once lied for him to his teacher because he had deleted her message of our answer phone and then pretended he was sick for a week. He certainly fooled me but not her. It's now pay back time.

The dog is puzzled by the fact that he is pulled past her house at high speed. He used to find her grass really interesting.

A Visit to the Hairdresser At 8 weeks Post op

I had my hair coloured 1 week before my facelift so at 8 weeks post op I had to brave the hairdresser. My daughter 'stole' my appointment last week so I had an extra week to heal.

The sensible thing to do would be to warn the hairdresser to be careful of your scars but middle aged women who wear gypsy skirts tend not to be very sensible. I never said anything and neither did she.

I think it would have been fine if I had just had easi-meche but I was talked in to having a block colour as well. She painted this on very carefully with a brush in between the foils which gave her every opportunity to see my scars. She never commented so I was quite relaxed when it was time to wash my hair.

I then wished I'd thought to take a painkiller. She shampooed my hair 3 times and rubbed along all my scars and my ears really hard. I think the dye must have run into the incision lines. She then rubbed my face with a damp towel to get the dye of my skin. I never once screamed or said be careful. I bet Matti wishes all his patients were so brave.

As I stood up to go she asked if I had lost weight. Do you think that was her idea of a joke?

10 weeks Post Op

I have previously described how I revealed my new face to 7 women friends at a dinner party when I was 2 weeks post op from a facelift. At the time I felt pretty good but now realise I looked like something that had just landed from Mars. No wonder it started the rumours that I had had a facelift.

At 10 weeks post op it was my turn to host the event. I was more worried about the state of my chicken casserole than the state of my face. There is a fine dividing line between providing something nice to eat and something so good everyone asks you for the recipe (which is in the bin on a packet clearly labeled M&S).

Anyway it all went well. The evening was only marred by my family and the dog hanging round the table desperate for leftovers. I wish I'd thought to feed them first.

No-one mentioned my face at all. No-one even said they liked my new gypsy skirt. I was really disappointed. But that is what I wanted, isn't it?