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

[MissOrange]

I had talked to you about Do tor Seo before. Should you still consider having him to revise eyelid? I am free to go anywhere now. No more work lol. I was thinking going to him to fix my eyelid

Hi @ceya, someone close to me asked the same question recently and I said yes, I recommend him for revision double eyelid surgery with ptosis correction and upper eyelid fat graft, ie what he did for me. She is older like I am. For aging eyes (ie with hollow upper lids, loose skin and triple wrinkled eyelid folds), he did a great job on me and an older British Chinese male friend. I explained my concern that as he is no longer at MVP, we do not have Ellen, the Canadian Korean manager to interpret for us but suggested she bring an A4 print out of the eyes she wants so he knows precisely and can achieve like he did for me when I showed him an A4 print out of Han Ye Seul. This helps when there is a language barrier. He brought the A4 picture to the operating theatre and delivered. It is so hard to describe what you want and go through a translator. It is much easier and safer to print a large photo of the eyes you want for him to be able to see and copy.

Here is a reminder of how in one operation my 49 year old eyes went from hollow and old to full and youthful like my eldest daughter’s with Dr Seo. I had to do a double take as I literally had my daughter’s young eyes! You can compare this to my 2023 photos to see the eyes still look youthful and lids full 7 years later. It truly is the first step to reverse aging in mature ladies.

 

[MissOrange]

Hi! I'm 41, and getting very deep nasolabial folds, maybe more rapidly bc of my previous vline surgery??? (Any input if that does that?) Anyhow, I'm going to get facial fat graft surgery while I get my revision rhino done. I plan to put fat on my forehead, temples, a little to chin/jaw, and nasolabial folds. I have flat saggy cheeks, will it be wise to get a tiny amount to my upper cheeks to make my face look more lifted or will it just droop over time? Also is it ok to put in fat to nasolabial folds or it will it droop/accentuate my deep folds more? Thanks for all your help!!

Hi @snpry, I can recommend fat graft for the forehead and temples but would suggest you get a lower facelift for flat saggy cheeks especially as you had vline surgery. The facelift will lift and raise your cheeks to a higher position which will make them look fuller. The facelift will also remove excess skin which should then smooth out the deep nasolabial folds. My concern is once you put fat graft into your cheeks and nasolabials they may reabsorb at different rates so you are left with chipmunk cheeks and worsening of the nasolabial fold. The fat in cheeks tends to hypertrophy and the heavy fat weight then may drag the cheeks down. It really is a high risk procedure. This may prompt you to get more fat graft to the lower face in hopes of making the fat graft even in the face and perpetuate the cycle which happened to me until I had a lower facelift.

In hindsight, I did not need any facial fat graft but just a lower facelift or not even that at all had I not started on my fat graft journey. I have recently joined a facial fat graft disaster facebook group and seen and read some shocking accounts of fat graft lumps in the face which required surgical removal during a facelift. That said most of the mishaps seem to be in Western countries and Korea has more experience so may be less likely to get lumps.

I would exercise extreme caution before you embark on facial fat grafting. Tummy or thigh fat is different from facial fat so when it is grafted into the face it can swell up when you eat salty or fatty foods and if you gain a few lbs, the face may balloon. Remember how I cried and cried and cried after I ruined my face with full face fat graft back in July 2016. What I learned in Korea was they rarely say no to a foreign tourist so even when you don’t need fat graft, they may offer it. There were times when I looked in the mirror at DA hospital thinking do I really need full face fat graft top up? But the doctor never said no.

 

[MissOrange]

While you are young, avoid the sun and use spf. It is vital you do this when young to prevent the skin thickening, wrinkling and being hyperpigmented. Why is it the norm in Asian countries to carry umbrellas in the sun to shield one’s face from the rays, but in Western countries they bask in UV sun rays? Could it be this simple difference in culture that makes one‘s face age slower or faster?

When I look at photos of when someone was so handsome or beautiful in their youth and how age robs them of this, it makes me sad. We are only young until our 30s before cruel aging sets in.

 

[MissOrange]

OMG How old is he?! He looks 30!!!

@yellow-sesame In Asia perhaps, but to a Westerner, he looks only 22!

 

[MissOrange]

My rejuvenation journey thread has now been viewed over 520,000 times! Thank you to my global audience! I wish I could get this monetized lol. Oh well. I guess I benefited from being treated like a VIP client as a blogger and was able to negotiate better on pricing. Okay today I need to alert readers who planned to emulate my journey and get a smas facelift from my surgeon in York, England, Dr Nick Rhodes. I have been told today that he is no longer doing the VR or smas facelifts and only doing deep plane facelifts for £15k which is a huge jump from the £3495 I paid less than 2 years ago for a VR/smas FL. This means the price is substantially more but not as high as London surgeons doing deep planes. The Coppergate clinic website will be reflecting this in the near future. At the moment it just states that Nick himself comes at a premium, as there are other plastic surgeons who work in his clinic to choose from too. You could choose one of the other plastic surgeons who are still doing VR or smas facelifts. This leaves Dr Marando as the sole UK plastic surgeon doing smasectomy FL/NLs for £12-£16k.

Many British ladies are being driven to Turkey due to the increase in UK prices. Based on patient reviews, the top 3 plastic surgeons in Turkey for facelifts are: Dr Mehmet Comert, Dr Karaca Basaran and Prof Dr Omer Ozerdem and they charge around 7k for a deep plane face and neck lift.

 

[MissOrange]

Hi @ceya, I shall be flying to Korea in January 2024!!! OMG! I haven’t been back since January 2020! This is a tad risky for a ps addict as clinics there accept walk ins for free consults, credit cards for same or next day surgery and rarely say no! I will find out later which dates. If you are in Korea around the same time I can say Hi. I am going to help a friend.

 

[pie]

I have to keep reminding myself that Asians need to get SMAs and not deep plane! I think the only real option now is to travel to Korea!

 

[EmmaDr]

A cause to celebrate! The laser doctor Dr Asif Hussein who burned my right areola has been given interim conditions by the GMC to protect the public which means he can only work supervised. My 3+ year GMC case against him is still open and hoping the GMC reaches a final decision in the New Year.

I flew to the US to visit my 26 year old and took a selfie without makeup on in the Virgin lounge looking ridiculously young last month! I asked for the over 55 Denny’s breakfast menu in the Denny’s on the Vegas strip by MGM last week and was told that was for over 55 year olds! lol. Yup had that conversation. The fountain of youth is definitely fat graft + smas facelift. I definitely do NOT look 57.5 years old…maybe 21 in this selfie? I had a delightful chat with the US immigrations officer who was so baffled and confused that I was 57 and looked half my age and was visiting my 26 yo daughter that he forgot to do my iris and fingerprint scan and waved me through. The only problem I had with looking young was on the flight when the male flight attendant did not offer to top up my red wine glass as he looked 50s and gave me a look like I was too young to be drinking and instead offered to top up the glass of the lady next to me who was probably younger than me!

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Ok, wait...did you say you're 57? I'm 57 and I need to know who did your surgery! Please message me!

I thought I would start a new thread as I seem to have hijacked smitten kitten's thread on MVP to share my journey. I summarised my plastic surgery journey on www.drunacoales.blogspot.co.uk. Here is a short summary of my tips.

1. As you age, the nose tip droops. Bear this in mind when you get your primary rhinoplasty as it may not be your last. My tip drooped after 16 years and needed revision. In SK they prefer ultra soft silicone for the nose as it is easier to fit. Take care as some people react to foreign material more than others and you may need to remove or exchange on average every 10 years as with most body artificial implants. Ear or rib cartilage is autologous and less likely to cause a reaction. Get several quotes on kakao from various clinics. One clinic JW may start at 13 million for rib rhino revision but then drops to 11 million if they know you are active on social media but then may drop even further to 8 million after a consultation with the plastic surgeon and may even drop to 7.4 if you look like you are going elsewhere as shared by another KK friend. This is something foreigners are not used to...negotiating. Or clinics like GNG or MVP will start with a fair price like 4.5 million at GNG for rhino or 3 million special at MVP. MVP is noted for trying to give foreigners as close to local prices as they can. There are 2 types of noses...long nose and Barbie nose. Make sure you bring an A4 of a favourite actress or model or use the facetouchup app to see which suits your face. Bear in mind the nose and ears continue to grow with aging!

2. In your 40s, you start to lose fat from your face which then makes your face look bony. The most resistant fat is in your cheeks which then makes your face look unbalanced, ie chipmunk cheeks on a bony skeleton face. The answer is not cheek liposuction or buccal fat removal but full face fat graft to rejuvenate and replace all the facial fat lost with ageing. Be patient as fat grafting may need 3 attempts to stay and be prepared to gain a few lbs to help the fat graft thrive.

3. Eyelid sulcus hollows with ageing. Again fat grafting to the lids rejuvenates. You can combine this with an incision des or blepharoplasty. Again bear in mind that skin sags so actually a bigger crease buys you more time before it sags. Your first des is never your last when battling gravity.

4. Philtrum sags with ageing. You may have seen smiles with no upper teeth show. This is because the philtrum has sagged from 11 mms to 20 mms and basically covers your upper teeth show even at rest. Try a bullhorn lip lift and do not ask the plastic surgeon to cut into the nasal sill or it may distort the nostrils. The only downside is a scar but if you wear makeup, you can hide as it takes a year for the scar to be invisible.

5. SMAS facelift. I have seen this in girls as young as 30. As it is costly and with ageing all skin sags, I would suggest trying to put this off as long as possible by using other anti ageing procedures. Bear in mind any bone surgery may accelerate skin sagging and you may end up requiring an earlier SMAS facelift.

Hope this helps ladies especially from 40+. I turn 51 shortly and my next milestone hurdle will be conquering ageing at 60!

Hey @MissOrange I realize this post is quite a few years old now. I'm considering going to Korea to get either SMAS or Deep Plane, I'm 57 and everything on my face has started to droop to the point where skincare routines will no longer keep the drooping at bay. 😢. Which doctor or clinic would you recommend nowadays for face and necklift?

I have to keep reminding myself that Asians need to get SMAs and not deep plane! I think the only real option now is to travel to Korea!

Why only SMAS and not Deep Plane? I had an acquaintance who's Asian in the US recently get deep plane and she looked fine.

 

[MissOrange]

Why only SMAS and not Deep Plane? I had an acquaintance who's Asian in the US recently get deep plane and she looked fine.

Hi @mdaz, welcome to tpf!

Okay long story. I did research into facelifts for 3 years. What I discovered was the gold standard is a smasectomy. It is important to cut and trim the muscle as is done with ptosis lid muscle correction and proper lip lift to ensure it lasts and does not drop and sag. Smasectomy means cutting the smas (muscle) layer, trimming it and resewing the ends together. Just below this is smas plication which shortens the smas layer by folding it over and suturing it together in rows of sutures. I had a vertical vector smas plication facelift. Research papers show that ladies under 70 who have smas facelifts look more beautiful than ladies who have deep plane. In fact the vertical vector smas lift gives the most aesthetically pleasing results in my opinion.

Now what I have against deep plane is that it cuts the facial retaining ligaments to access deeper into the face. Why??? Why cut the ligaments that hold up the face? It then relies on scar tissue formation for the cut facial ligaments to repair themselves which may not be ideal or reliable in my opinion. It also costs double or triple that of a smas facelift. Also once you have a deep plane facelift, it is nigh impossible to find another surgeon to do your revision in 10 years time and if they agree, the price will be astronomical as they can charge double what you paid for a deep plane as a revision case. It is also very dangerous territory once scar tissue has formed after deep plane as it is where the facial nerve and its branches traverse so few surgeons want to go back in there to do a revision in years to come. If a patient ends up paralysed from a cut facial nerve or its branches in the deep plane, the payout may be in the millions and this may then make the surgeon uninsurable in the future so unable to practice. Deep plane in London can cost £30k-£40k and in Kent with Bray up to £70k. Deep plane in NY and LA can cost $50-$100k! And finally I have not seen a good result at over a year after deep plane. In fact because it hasn’t been around for a long time, there are no patients to prove it lasts even 10 years. Look up patient videos and not still photos. Ladies tend to go back on botox and fillers months after deep plane once it sags at 6 weeks to 6 months, so even this makes their results less reliable and reflective of the true longterm results of a DP facelift.

 

[MissOrange]

Ok, wait...did you say you're 57? I'm 57 and I need to know who did your surgery! Please message me!

Hi @mdaz, Dr Nick Rhodes of Coppergate clinic in York, England did my smas facelift and Dr HyoSeok Seo now at his own clinic Machimpyo in Seoul, Korea did my full face fat graft and top up. Who is older? I am 57.5 years old. How many months are you into your 57th year? . In Korea it is a big deal to determine who is older, even by months as it decides who gets more respect.

 

[EmmaDr]

Hi @mdaz, Dr Nick Rhodes of Coppergate clinic in York, England did my smas facelift and Dr HyoSeok Seo now at his own clinic Machimpyo in Seoul, Korea did my full face fat graft and top up. Who is older? I am 57.5 years old. How many months are you into your 57th year? . In Korea it is a big deal to determine who is older, even by months as it decides who gets more respect.

LOL! Wow what great information you've provided on Deep Plane. Thank you! I just changed my User name from MDAZ to EmmaDr 😀 I'll be turning 58 in April 2024...so I guess I might be a bit older than you by maybe a month? 😉

 

[EmmaDr]

Hi @mdaz, Dr Nick Rhodes of Coppergate clinic in York, England did my smas facelift and Dr HyoSeok Seo now at his own clinic Machimpyo in Seoul, Korea did my full face fat graft and top up. Who is older? I am 57.5 years old. How many months are you into your 57th year? . In Korea it is a big deal to determine who is older, even by months as it decides who gets more respect.

So would you recommend Dr HyoSeok Seo for SMAS?

 

[EmmaDr]

Here are some selfies at 57.5 years of age. Wearing green contact lenses and false eyelashes F810.

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@MissOrange Did you have your lips done? If so, what did you do? You have amazing lips. I had medical silicone injected in mine and I was really pleased with them for over a decade. But even my lips need some more work. 🙁

 

[EmmaDr]

Hi Gats, if I do gain a few pounds now (9 years since my last lipo), I notice it in my back, upper arms and face! I call it back fat, flabby bat wings and fat graft balloon face. Lol. The good news is the fat goes down if I lose the few pounds. I am really surprised at how sensitive a few lbs of weight gain can make! I think after 2 lipos to my tummy and inner thighs it is harder for those areas to gain weight now and walking exercise helps tighten the abs and tone the legs. A friend sent me this on non surgical no needles laser liposuction even in skinny people!

Wow! I need to get this done! I'm thin and had lipo on my abs and flank with a BA back in 2003. After Covid lockdown, I gained around 8 lbs and now I have a pooch around my tummy, muffin tops and flank fat AGAIN! 🙄 I do pilates daily but still can't get rid of the problem areas.

 

[Gats]

Hi @snpry, I can recommend fat graft for the forehead and temples but would suggest you get a lower facelift for flat saggy cheeks especially as you had vline surgery. The facelift will lift and raise your cheeks to a higher position which will make them look fuller. The facelift will also remove excess skin which should then smooth out the deep nasolabial folds. My concern is once you put fat graft into your cheeks and nasolabials they may reabsorb at different rates so you are left with chipmunk cheeks and worsening of the nasolabial fold. The fat in cheeks tends to hypertrophy and the heavy fat weight then may drag the cheeks down. It really is a high risk procedure. This may prompt you to get more fat graft to the lower face in hopes of making the fat graft even in the face and perpetuate the cycle which happened to me until I had a lower facelift.

Hi MissOrange. Your face having a lot of volume definitely contributes to your looking so young. You've said the multiple fat grafts and its related swelling caused sagging and hastened your need for a facelift but assuming it also added volume which you've retained, would you say the end result was worth it given your current appearance?

A plastic surgeon I follow on youtube recommends addressing both sagging and volume together, he says addressing one but not the other after 45+ is a mistake. This video addresses the question from @snpry so I recommend she watch it too. Here's the relevant part of that video, watch steps 16 and 17:

This makes sense to me as I've seen people in their 20s who lose weight and complain it made them look older, there's no sagging but facial volume is one of the things our minds use to compute people's age. So I see adding volume as something that must be addressed especially if you want to have any chance of looking 20+ years younger than your current age if you're 40+. I do agree fat grafts can be unpredictable but it seems like a gamble we just have to take?

Dr. Karam recommends doing the lift and fat graft together to address both the sagging and volume loss. I'm wondering if you agree or do you think doing the fat grafts first like you did and waiting til that result is known before getting a lift is preferable to doing them both together? Also would you happen to know if fat placement is more precise if done during a lifting procedure since they have you opened up? Thanks.