FACELIFT DIARY

Deciding to have a facelift was a gradual consideration. It began with recognising the differences age was bringing to my face. After that I started looking at famous people and guessing, probably incorrectly, what “work” they had done. I did not realise at the time but this was my first step in accepting the thought of having a facelift myself. Apart from having my tonsils out when I was 3, I have not had any operations so the idea of having a facelift should have been scary, but for some strange reason it wasn’t. Admittedly I am impulsive, but this was my face! It would or could alter the way some people perceived me and I might look stretched, like that cat woman! When I looked in the mirror, I looked tired! A guy at work had started calling me “the old one” when I walked through the warehouse. I tried to laugh this off or give comment back but his name calling stuck in my head. I was starting to feel bad about myself and this sapped some of my energy. I have always had bags under my eyes and they drained my face. This was my worst facial problem and I believed if the bags were removed I would feel better. In April I got up enough nerve to book an appointment to see a plastic surgeon in Australia, after being left in the waiting room for roughly an hour I almost walked out. When I did get in for my appointment it was only with a nurse who charged me $100, looked at my eyes and told me it would cost around $14,000 for upper and lower blepharoplasty (the removal of excess skin and fat around the eyes). I was a little taken back on how expensive it was and told her there was no way I could afford that. It seemed excessive to me, so I tried to put the thought of blepharoplasty out of my mind. I turned fifty a month after seeing the nurse and this milestone did not make me feel any better about myself. Shortly after my fiftieth, I heard about a friend and her niece who were going to Thailand to have breast augmentation. The niece knew somebody who had “a boob job” in Thailand through Destination Beauty, and it worked out really well. Hummm this was interesting! Could they do my face? With the seed planted in my brain and the unfortunate positioning of my toilet and bathroom mirror (shoulder height luckily, otherwise I probably would have gotten more work done) I started to critically look at my face and profile. I was looking tired and getting jowly; I would push the skin up from my temple and look at the difference. Yes, I needed work done! I could not find many articles or much information on the internet regarding the facelift recovery and so I was limited in researching a person’s recuperation. I understand people would heal in different ways and time frames, but it would have been good to have had a guide. I am extremely lucky in having a supportive partner, where the decision was mine and I knew whatever decision I made was ok, both financially and emotionally. I took photos of my face from the front and side profiles and I emailed them to Destination Beauty for a quote. Fon, an agent for Destination Beauty emailed back, stating she was my personal contact and a doctor of Yanhee International Hospital had studied the photographs and thought I needed a mid facelift, forehead lift, neck lift, upper eyelid and lower eyelid surgery and quoted as below. > Mid-Face Lift 95,000 THB approx. $3,100 AUD / US (2 nights in hospital) *Conversions are approximate but the Australian and US dollar where virtually even at this time > Forehead Lift 60,000 THB approx. $2,000 AUD / US (1 night in hospital) I was interested to know the forehead lift incisions would not be around the hairline but further back, so your hair hides this scar. > Neck Lift 60,000 THB approx. $2,000 AUD / US (1 night in hospital) > Upper eyelid surgery 18,000 THB approx. $570 AUD / US > Lower eyelid surgery 18,000 THB approx. $570 AUD / US Phew that was a lot of work I needed! It took me about a week to decide I was worth it; I was amazed I could have my “whole face” done, plus accommodation and airfare for around $10,000 US/AUD. The blepharoplasty, quoted above as upper and lower eyelid surgery only came to $1,140 in Thailand, I could not believe the difference in price for having the surgery in Bangkok. I would save approximately $4,000 dollars, get a full face, eye and neck lift as well as flights and accommodation in Bangkok, from what I was quoted for just blepharoplasty in Australia, In my opinion, it was a great deal! So here is my diary, it is written from my experiences in having a facelift in Bangkok and my recovery, and while I do not pretend to be an expert and cannot speak for everybody, this is my journey, recovery and how I felt.