How to go from 50+ to looking 20+ with plastic surgery rejuvenation.

[MissOrange]

Here is a collage of my MACS lift at 29 weeks and 5 days on top, followed by the second facelift (smas plication) and just now 20.5 weeks post still looking good! I can definitely see an improvement since the MACS lift sag so the more facelifts to excise loose skin, the tighter the face! I can recommend double board certified in plastic surgery and maxfacs Mr Nick Rhodes as long as you get a free retightening if the first one starts to sag. He does not offer it to every lady as it is discretionary. To think 2021, I had good and bad face days before my 1st facelift and since the 2nd facelift January 31, 2022 I have never had to look at my face as I no longer dread or worry about getting a bad sag face day. If I can last past 29 weeks, then I think this may well last! I noticed that besides daily meat, taking vitamin C 1-1.5g a day may be helping the formation of collagen in the face? I have been taking high dose vitamin C as part of the Linus Pauling protocol to lower my lipoprotein A. I noticed serums being sold with vitamin C as an ingredient but taking it orally would be more effective?

 

[MissOrange]

I have come a long way in 13 months! I think any procedure that causes profound facial swelling may result in marked skin laxity after deswelling. When I had my final full face fat graft in Korea Jan 2020 I had +++ swelling as I had also had 6 threads in and taken out too. I did not know the importance of taking postop prednisolone and only after researching that the top 3 US facelift surgeons all give intraop or postop steroids did I realise this is what prevents swelling and skin laxity.

Here is my journey through 2 facelifts July 2021 and Jan 2022, one without steroids and one with 5 days of postop steroids and HRT patches. Maybe the smas plication is holding because I have developed scar tissue. Nick did say he had to cut through scar tissue in my face during the second facelift. The last pair of photos were taken yesterday 21 weeks or 5 months post smas plication.

There is no need to spend £25k or $150k when you can go to a board certified plastic surgeon for £4k or $7k and make sure you are given a week of prednisolone 30 mg a day. Sadly no UK facelift surgeon prescribes prednisolone intraop or postop and the majority do not offer free revisions. It is a shame as prednisolone is cheap and safe for 5 days.

 

[catlover6]

I have come a long way in 13 months! I think any procedure that causes profound facial swelling may result in marked skin laxity after deswelling. When I had my final full face fat graft in Korea Jan 2020 I had +++ swelling as I had also had 6 threads in and taken out too. I did not know the importance of taking postop prednisolone and only after researching that the top 3 US facelift surgeons all give intraop or postop steroids did I realise this is what prevents swelling and skin laxity.

Here is my journey through 2 facelifts July 2021 and Jan 2022, one without steroids and one with 5 days of postop steroids and HRT patches. Maybe the smas plication is holding because I have developed scar tissue. Nick did say he had to cut through scar tissue in my face during the second facelift. The last pair of photos were taken yesterday 21 weeks or 5 months post smas plication.

There is no need to spend £25k or $150k when you can go to a board certified plastic surgeon for £4k or $7k and make sure you are given a week of prednisolone 30 mg a day. Sadly no UK facelift surgeon prescribes prednisolone intraop or postop and the majority do not offer free revisions. It is a shame as prednisolone is cheap and safe for 5 days.

View attachment 5435245
@MissOrange did you get the Prednisolone from Nick Rhodes? Or elsewhere? I have my surgery in September so was considering asking them if they will give me some.

 

[Fraulein]

Catlover - will you be in Seoul in September? I'm going for consultations end of August to the first week of september.

 

[catlover6]

Catlover - will you be in Seoul in September? I'm going for consultations end of August to the first week of september.

No I have already had my consultations and I am booked in for surgery at the same clinic as @MissOrange had her surgery in the UK.

 

[MissOrange]

No I have already had my consultations and I am booked in for surgery at the same clinic as @MissOrange had her surgery in the UK.

OMG! That‘s 2 people on this site booked in with Nick after following my facelift journey! Remember to source a week of prednisolone 30 mg a day for 5-7 days postop. He won’t prescribe. There is no point in getting a facelift, if you do not prevent swelling with steroids @catlover6. When is your surgery booked? Compression garments are not enough. Any cm or more of stretch from swelling will come back to haunt you at 4 months! One lady after me had premature skin laxity at 6 weeks post her facelift with Nick and another is showing laxity at 17 weeks like I did with the first facelift. Neither had steroids. They both paid £9k for a full smas plication facelift and necklift. 2 other ladies who Nick agreed to revise for free obtained steroids from elsewhere and one had her free revision in March and the other is due to have her facelift retightening in September. Both are armed with a box of steroids even though Nick and 99% of Uk plastic surgeons do not prescribe steroids but most US facelift surgeons do prescribe steroids. I would absolutely NOT have a facelift now without a box of prednisolone. Why do American plastic surgeons offer a better postop service than UK surgeons? I doubt Korean plastic surgeons give steroids either. They seem to underdose for pain postop and offer only paracetamol.

 

[MissOrange]

Catlover - will you be in Seoul in September? I'm going for consultations end of August to the first week of september.

Hi @Fraulein, when you are in Seoul for consultations ask them if they give postop steroids, ie prednisolone for a week. I would love to know if the Korean plastic surgeons follow the US protocol of giving postop steroids or the backwards UK not giving postop steroids.

 

[Otto8]

I believe predi

I have come a long way in 13 months! I think any procedure that causes profound facial swelling may result in marked skin laxity after deswelling. When I had my final full face fat graft in Korea Jan 2020 I had +++ swelling as I had also had 6 threads in and taken out too. I did not know the importance of taking postop prednisolone and only after researching that the top 3 US facelift surgeons all give intraop or postop steroids did I realise this is what prevents swelling and skin laxity.

Here is my journey through 2 facelifts July 2021 and Jan 2022, one without steroids and one with 5 days of postop steroids and HRT patches. Maybe the smas plication is holding because I have developed scar tissue. Nick did say he had to cut through scar tissue in my face during the second facelift. The last pair of photos were taken yesterday 21 weeks or 5 months post smas plication.

There is no need to spend £25k or $150k when you can go to a board certified plastic surgeon for £4k or $7k and make sure you are given a week of prednisolone 30 mg a day. Sadly no UK facelift surgeon prescribes prednisolone intraop or postop and the majority do not offer free revisions. It is a shame as prednisolone is cheap and safe for 5 days.

I am not sure about prednisolene as it has side effects of weight gain, headaches, acne, mood changes, indigestion, sleeplessness.

Although if it is a short dose of two days, the side effects may not be so bad.

However, I am inclined to stay with high doses of turmeric or follow an arnica and vitamin regime or perhaps consider these alternatives:

Or I could cave in and take the prednisolene. Don't know yet. But here is the regime I found:

 

[catlover6]

@MissOrange how did you know what dose of Prednisolone to take? Did you have any side effects from them? As I am worried that I might get an upset stomach. I am going to also use cold gel packs on the area on and off to try and to reduce the swelling quicker as well.

 

[Otto8]

OMG! That‘s 2 people on this site booked in with Nick after following my facelift journey! Remember to source a week of prednisolone 30 mg a day for 5-7 days postop. He won’t prescribe. There is no point in getting a facelift, if you do not prevent swelling with steroids @catlover6. When is your surgery booked? Compression garments are not enough. Any cm or more of stretch from swelling will come back to haunt you at 4 months! One lady after me had premature skin laxity at 6 weeks post her facelift with Nick and another is showing laxity at 17 weeks like I did with the first facelift. Neither had steroids. They both paid £9k for a full smas plication facelift and necklift. 2 other ladies who Nick agreed to revise for free obtained steroids from elsewhere and one had her free revision in March and the other is due to have her facelift retightening in September. Both are armed with a box of steroids even though Nick and 99% of Uk plastic surgeons do not prescribe steroids but most US facelift surgeons do prescribe steroids. I would absolutely NOT have a facelift now without a box of prednisolone. Why do American plastic surgeons offer a better postop service than UK surgeons? I doubt Korean plastic surgeons give steroids either. They seem to underdose for pain postop and offer only paracetamol.

But how did they get the steroid if Nick does not prescribe?

 

[MissOrange]

@MissOrange how did you know what dose of Prednisolone to take? Did you have any side effects from them? As I am worried that I might get an upset stomach. I am going to also use cold gel packs on the area on and off to try and to reduce the swelling quicker as well.

Hi @catlover6 I know what dose as I was both an ENT surgeon and a GP for many years so prescribed steroids both in ENT and as a GP.

Please, please do NOT have a facelift without postop steroids for 5 days. Cold packs are not enough. I used compression garments, cold packs, popsicles, cold pineapple juice, arnica pills, zinc, etc. and still my face swelled after the first facelift. Here is a brutal collage showing what I looked like going into the Coppergate Clinic on July 5, 2021 for my first and on January 31, 2022 for my second facelift and how much my face swelled by day 5 without prednisolone after the first facelift which I strongly believed stretched my thin skin and created more loose skin. You can see the clinic in the background. This second facelift is much better now as I took 5 days of 30 mg of prednisolone on postop days 2-6 so had zero swelling. Top US facelift surgeons Ben Talei ($50k), Amir Karam ($75k) and Andrew Jacono ($120k) all prescribe steroids to their facelift ladies. I am trying to prevent you from feeling low when the sagging commences once the swelling goes, ie it can be as early as 6 weeks or commonly around 17 weeks. What rang alarm bells was when Nick said at 6 weeks postop ladies give him gifts but at 6 months they come with 2 fingers asking for their face to be pulled up and demonstrating with their fingers. I have British ladies contacting me at 4-6 months postop lamenting how they wasted £9k-£13k for a facelift that did not last, including deep planes as none of them were prescribed steroids by their UK plastic surgeons. Take the steroids with a glass of milk or with food. It is just once a day. No side effects as you are not taking it for 6 weeks at doses above 40 mg a day. The paediatric dose of prednisolone is 1-2 mg per kg with a max dose of 40 mg a day. You as an adult would be on 30 mg a day.

 

[MissOrange]

But how did they get the steroid if Nick does not prescribe?

@Otto8 that is the unfairness and difficulty. One British lady got it on holiday from a pharmacist in Morocco for her revision. Another British lady resorted to using her son’s steroids for her revision. I repurposed the leftover steroids my NHS GP prescribed me for an allergic rash to the azd vaccine for my revision. Another lady was already on steroids for her rheumatoid arthritis when she had her facelift so had no bruising or swelling and was able to wear makeup on postop day 4! Others bought from Indiamart online. It is so unfair that British ladies have to think outside of the box, whereas American ladies can get it prescribed by their facelift surgeon as routine. No wonder American ladies age so well and British ladies are struggling with 4-6 month facelift longevity or resorting to going back to dermal fillers or fighting to get a partial refund or free revision or simply living with a saggy face as they have spent all their savings on one facelift (mis)sold to them as lasting a lifetime. I can only recommend Nick if you are able to source a box of steroids elsewhere to take the first week postop or you may look like I did in the collage and be begging for a free revision 6 months after the first facelift.

If you have zero postop swelling with steroids, you do not need to overcorrect a facelift to compensate for postop swelling and skin stretch. Who wants an overcorrected lizard face for 4 months until all the deep swelling disappears when you can simply take 5 days of steroids postop or even up to 2 weeks if you are a patient of Dr Jacono in NYC and always look good immediately after your facelift and for months after. I have yet to determine the longevity of this smas plication as I am only at 21 weeks and 1 day. This thread has been viewed over 401,000 times thus far which means my advice is reaching many ladies out there in hopes they do not make my mistakes and only benefit from my successes.

 

[Otto8]

@Otto8 that is the unfairness and difficulty. One British lady got it on holiday from a pharmacist in Morocco for her revision. Another British lady resorted to using her son’s steroids for her revision. I repurposed the leftover steroids my NHS GP prescribed me for an allergic rash to the azd vaccine for my revision. Another lady was already on steroids for her rheumatoid arthritis when she had her facelift so had no bruising or swelling and was able to wear makeup on postop day 4! Others bought from Indiamart online. It is so unfair that British ladies have to think outside of the box, whereas American ladies can get it prescribed by their facelift surgeon as routine. No wonder American ladies age so well and British ladies are struggling with 4-6 month facelift longevity or resorting to going back to dermal fillers or fighting to get a partial refund or free revision or simply living with a saggy face as they have spent all their savings on one facelift (mis)sold to them as lasting a lifetime. I can only recommend Nick if you are able to source a box of steroids elsewhere to take the first week postop or you may look like I did in the collage and be begging for a free revision 6 months after the first facelift.

If you have zero postop swelling with steroids, you do not need to overcorrect a facelift to compensate for postop swelling and skin stretch. Who wants an overcorrected lizard face for 4 months until all the deep swelling disappears when you can simply take 5 days of steroids postop or even up to 2 weeks if you are a patient of Dr Jacono in NYC and always look good immediately after your facelift and for months after. I have yet to determine the longevity of this smas plication as I am only at 21 weeks and 1 day. This thread has been viewed over 401,000 times thus far which means my advice is reaching many ladies out there in hopes they do not make my mistakes and only benefit from my successes.

I love this thread. I go back to it many times.

 

[catlover6]

Hi @catlover6 I know what dose as I was both an ENT surgeon and a GP for many years so prescribed steroids both in ENT and as a GP.

Please, please do NOT have a facelift without postop steroids for 5 days. Cold packs are not enough. I used compression garments, cold packs, popsicles, cold pineapple juice, arnica pills, zinc, etc. and still my face swelled after the first facelift. Here is a brutal collage showing what I looked like going into the Coppergate Clinic on July 5, 2021 for my first and on January 31, 2022 for my second facelift and how much my face swelled by day 5 without prednisolone after the first facelift which I strongly believed stretched my thin skin and created more loose skin. You can see the clinic in the background. This second facelift is much better now as I took 5 days of 30 mg of prednisolone on postop days 2-6 so had zero swelling. Top US facelift surgeons Ben Talei ($50k), Amir Karam ($75k) and Andrew Jacono ($120k) all prescribe steroids to their facelift ladies. I am trying to prevent you from feeling low when the sagging commences once the swelling goes, ie it can be as early as 6 weeks or commonly around 17 weeks. What rang alarm bells was when Nick said at 6 weeks postop ladies give him gifts but at 6 months they come with 2 fingers asking for their face to be pulled up and demonstrating with their fingers. I have British ladies contacting me at 4-6 months postop lamenting how they wasted £9k-£13k for a facelift that did not last, including deep planes as none of them were prescribed steroids by their UK plastic surgeons. Take the steroids with a glass of milk or with food. It is just once a day. No side effects as you are not taking it for 6 weeks at doses above 40 mg a day. The paediatric dose of prednisolone is 1-2 mg per kg with a max dose of 40 mg a day. You as an adult would be on 30 mg a day.

View attachment 5436244

@MissOrange i really appreciate your advise, it is best to hear it from a previous patient who has actually been through the operation. Yes I want it to last, so I will do everything I can to reduce the swelling. I will get hold of some Prednisolone, you said you started on day 2, can you take them on the day of the surgery?
Did you also notice when you took them that the pain was less in recovery, then when you didn’t take them?
Yes it’s a real shame that UK surgeons are behind on issues like this, as surely they would want their patients to have long lasting results!

 

[MissOrange]

@MissOrange i really appreciate your advise, it is best to hear it from a previous patient who has actually been through the operation. Yes I want it to last, so I will do everything I can to reduce the swelling. I will get hold of some Prednisolone, you said you started on day 2, can you take them on the day of the surgery?
Did you also notice when you took them that the pain was less in recovery, then when you didn’t take them?
Yes it’s a real shame that UK surgeons are behind on issues like this, as surely they would want their patients to have long lasting results!

Hi @catlover6 I started on day 2 as that is when swelling starts but yes you can start on day 1. You only have intense pain in the first 24 hours and sadly paracetamol or tylenol is not strong enough so you will need to get codeine or tramadol from your GP. Paracetamol is fine for day 2 onwards. I was prepared this time as the pain kept me up all night for the first facelift. Thank goodness I had stronger painkillers with me for the second facelift. If you are getting it under local, you only get a box of antibiotics and antibiotic ointment. If you are paying for the full facelift and necklift under sedation, you get sent a long list of prescription meds to fill and pay at your local pharmacist but steroids is not on the prescription.