Laser resurfacing

[LauraMax]

I remember those stupid tattoos. They still have them in tanning salons. What woman wants a tan line of a playboy bunny on her butt? Actually, if I put one on my butt it'd look like the playboy raisin.

 

[Carolyn B]

FYI _ I think there may be some confusion about Lifestyle Lift with some other treatments. This is from their website stating that their surgeons are board certified:


Lifestyle Lift® offices recognize only three Boards as qualified to certify plastic surgeons specializing in the facial area: The American Board of Plastic Surgery, the American Board of Facial Plastic Surgery, and the American Board of Otolaryngology Facial Plastic Surgery. These boards have the most stringent requirements for certification in plastic surgery of any organization that certifies these surgeons. A plastic surgeon or facial plastic surgeon certified by one of these Boards has graduated from an accredited medical school and has completed at least five years of additional training as a resident surgeon. Additionally, the doctor has successfully completed comprehensive written and oral examinations to become Board certified or Board eligible. Only these physicians can call themselves plastic or facial plastic surgeons. Be aware of surgeons calling themselves "cosmetic surgeons".

 

[susandean]

I guess there is bad luck with everything. Some people got good lifts and a few didn't turn out so well. The ones I was reading about were Lifestyle lift and some of these women had their earlobes messed up really bad where the stitches are. Sure scared me.

Susandean

 

[LauraMax]

That's why it's all so confusing. I actually wanted to do Thermage, but I found a lot of bad reviews for it. And as good as your doc may be, it's still a business & not a single one will say "I'll give you this treatment, but it probably won't work."

I have my consult tomorrow so I'll let you guys know what I learn. I know from the fraxel that my skin does generate collagen very well, but I'm a-skeered of the fraxel after my last experience. However the recovery time is only 2-3 days instead of a week.

UGH! One of the more difficult decisions I've made re. my bank account.

 

[Pearlstrand]

I'm trying Olay Microsculpting Cream, but so far I haven't noticed much difference.

I really like Olay Regenerist for my face, and I recently bought the Regenerist body lotion for my arms and legs. Too soon to comment on results there, but at least I'm happier with the skin on my face and neck.

I also use Retin-A, which I used as a teenager for acne, and now I use it for acne and sun damage. But sun protection is the #1 age-reducing strategy, and the earlier you start, the better off you are.

Or so I tell my kids.

 

[fit44]

FYI _ I think there may be some confusion about Lifestyle Lift with some other treatments. This is from their website stating that their surgeons are board certified:


Lifestyle Lift® offices recognize only three Boards as qualified to certify plastic surgeons specializing in the facial area: The American Board of Plastic Surgery, the American Board of Facial Plastic Surgery, and the American Board of Otolaryngology Facial Plastic Surgery. These boards have the most stringent requirements for certification in plastic surgery of any organization that certifies these surgeons. A plastic surgeon or facial plastic surgeon certified by one of these Boards has graduated from an accredited medical school and has completed at least five years of additional training as a resident surgeon. Additionally, the doctor has successfully completed comprehensive written and oral examinations to become Board certified or Board eligible. Only these physicians can call themselves plastic or facial plastic surgeons. Be aware of surgeons calling themselves "cosmetic surgeons".

No, I am not mistaken. The complaints are all over the internet about The Life Style Lift. You need to google reviews and law suits related to the procedure. There are a lot of complaints. It's pretty scary actually.

 

[fit44]

I guess there is bad luck with everything. Some people got good lifts and a few didn't turn out so well. The ones I was reading about were Lifestyle lift and some of these women had their earlobes messed up really bad where the stitches are. Sure scared me.

Susandean

Here is just one complaint from the Life Style Lift in my area. There are so many.


"I did have this same procedure and I'm so very sorry. I was told I would have a small incision by my ear and I ended up with stitches to the top front of my ear and same on the back and now I have scars and can not wear my hair behind my ears unless I use concealer and a lot of it. I had my procedure March 06 and the scars are stretching, I hate it. The doctor just didn't care, didn't say word when he left the room. I had to have one side of my face drained. The shots were very painful and the doctor was singing like he didn't have a care in the world!!"


Here is a link to more complaints:

http://www.infomercialscams.com/scams/lifestyle_lift_complaints/start/100


Edited to add a video of the results and the opinion of Chief of Plastic Surgery.
http://www.cbsatlanta.com/video/18013688/index.html

 

[Carolyn B]

Good grief!!! Thanks for sharing this Cynthia! I was hoping it was the "miracle cure" for my sagging jawline.

Guess I will spend the money I have saved on a new sofa instead!

 

[fit44]

Good grief!!! Thanks for sharing this Cynthia! I was hoping it was the "miracle cure" for my sagging jawline.

Guess I will spend the money I have saved on a new sofa instead!

Carolyn,

I've had botched surgery. It cost me $20,000 to repair because I had to travel to a specialist to undo the damage. Put the money aside(nearly killed me, didn't bother my DH), it was emotionally draining to live with the fact I chose the damn butcher. I had to wait 10 months before I could have my botched surgery repaired. I've learned the hard way there is no such thing as a quick, cheap, and easy procedure.
The surgeon who repaired my botched job, would not consider a face lift on me until I was at least 50 years old. He told me to go home and call him when I'm 50.... and then maybe he said.
A reputable surgeon will not give a hard sell. The truly gifted surgeons are by word of mouth. They do not advertise. Believe me, if I choose to have any face work. I will travel to the best surgeon. I don't know of any locally I would trust with my face!

 

[Carolyn B]

Cynthia,

I am so sorry to hear about your experience - that must have been devastating!!!!

I really appreciate your willingness to share your knowledge about this issue.

Turning 48 - and seeing 50 just down the road - has really made me see the changes in my appearance. Looking in the mirror makes me so unhappy, so I keep looking for a way to reverse some of what I'm seeing.

After spending a fortune on creams/lotions/serums I don't think there is anything that I can smear on my face that will do more than moisturize and maybe plump it up temporarily.

So I was hoping the Lifestyle Lift would provide a real solution.

My sister has been saving her money for one too. I just sent her this and she was so glad to see it - she said she won't be getting it either.

Thanks again!

Carolyn

 

[SirenSongWoman]

Laura,

Lifestyle Lift is different from threading. I had read about threading too and wasn't interested after I found out there were problems with the threads slipping - with my luck they would slip on one side of my face and not the other!

Lifestyle Lift is where they make a small incision on either side - under your ears - and pull the skin up. It is done by a certified doctor who has been trained in the procedure.

There are infomercials on about it, but I got the info from my sister who went to the place here in town that does it and talked to them. There is also good info on their website - lifestylelift.com.

My sister said there were a couple of people in the waiting room who had already had the procedure and were coming in for a follow up check up and they were thrilled with the results!

I think it is about $3K. If you do the neck, it's extra - I think the total is about $5K.

With YAG, there wasn't any burning, peeling, etc. - in fact there was NOTHING - no results at all - so I wouldn't recommend it!

I knew $3,000 was too good to be true...

 

[SirenSongWoman]

But I think cosmetic docs have a tendency to underestimate recovery time.

That's because their still paying on their student loans, a country club membership, a mortgage, a vacation house... If potential patients got scared away by the flat truth they couldn't afford anything!

Question: How big a deal is it to get rid of spider veins? Since I lost enough weight to actually be able to see what's been happening on parts of my thighs I didn't used to be able to see(!), there have been some unpleasant revelations. I want those revelations GONE. How pricey is it?

 

[SirenSongWoman]

Here is just one complaint from the Life Style Lift in my area. There are so many.


"I did have this same procedure and I'm so very sorry. I was told I would have a small incision by my ear and I ended up with stitches to the top front of my ear and same on the back and now I have scars and can not wear my hair behind my ears unless I use concealer and a lot of it. I had my procedure March 06 and the scars are stretching, I hate it. The doctor just didn't care, didn't say word when he left the room. I had to have one side of my face drained. The shots were very painful and the doctor was singing like he didn't have a care in the world!!"


Here is a link to more complaints:

http://www.infomercialscams.com/scams/lifestyle_lift_complaints/start/100


Edited to add a video of the results and the opinion of Chief of Plastic Surgery.
http://www.cbsatlanta.com/video/18013688/index.html

Oh Lord. I'm so glad you posted these links. I'm out.

 

[linny14]

A reputable surgeon will not give a hard sell. The truly gifted surgeons are by word of mouth. They do not advertise. Believe me, if I choose to have any face work. I will travel to the best surgeon. I don't know of any locally I would trust with my face![/QUOTE]



I am in complete agreement. I was in San Francisco (I live in NJ) and made an appointment with a highly recommended plastic surgeon. His work was beautiful. He told me he would not operate on me and believe me I was ready willing and able. I will travel when the time comes which i feel is soon

 

[fit44]

I knew $3,000 was too good to be true...

Something to remember when choosing plastic surgery and a surgeon.
Gimmicky type procedures are usually a red flag. If the procedure is safe and effective, all the best surgeons (chief of surgeons from the best hospitals) would offer the procedure. When it comes to plastic surgery, avoid the gimmicks. A gimmick is what led me to my botched surgery. A very hard lesson for me to learn Plastic surgery is something you do not want to price shop.

 

[LauraMax]

Oh gosh Cynthia, how awful for you! I cannot even imagine! I used to price shop but I stopped after my first visit to this lady. She is more expensive than many docs in the area, but I trust her implicitly.

The pricing I saw for the Lifestyle Lift was actually about $5200. Could be a difference in where we live. I'm very lucky in that I live right outside of NYC. Most of the cosmetic docs here have offices in Manhattan too. Thank you Short Hills housewives!

Carolyn, I'm going to ask about Thermage today for the skin on my rear end. It was actually specifically for the neck & jowels, it's a skin tightener, so if it is a viable option I'll let you know. It's a one visit procedure, costs $2000-$3000 at my doc's office, but maybe less where you live.

BTW I was wrong about the YAG being the same as erbium. My doc offers a 3 laser procedure that I'm interested in. It's YAG, erbium & IPL all in one. But I don't think IPL is very effective. Anyway, all this depends on what she recommends.

Stacey, the spider veins were a cakewalk. It took about 20 minutes & cost $400. I didn't think it was that bad, but when they took the goggles off they were full of my tears. LOL! Anyway, I was slightly red for 2-3 hours after but other than that no pain or discomfort at all.

 

[Carolyn B]

Hi Laura,

Thanks for checking into Thermage. I look forward to hearing your findings!
I remember reading about it a while back but I guess I "wandered off" and didn't pursue it.

My main question would be - how long do the effects last?

I would love to find something that would last a few years - especially since all these treatments are so expensive!

Carolyn

 

[LauraMax]

OK, I am going for the fraxel again. I'm kinda crapping my pants about it & I'm hoping it doesn't hurt as much as I remember. The doc said it was my best option w/the least downtime. I convinced her to give me some pain meds for after.

Carolyn, since Thermage is a collagen-regenerating treatment also, it probably won't work for you since you've already tried it w/no results. She said the only really effective treatment would be a neck lift. Sorry!