If you’re fearful about having a surgical facelift or non-surgical facelift with Botox®, facial fillers or other facial rejuvenation procedures, you have good reason, There are just too many celebrities-- who you would think would go to the “the best” doctors -- who end up looking either weird (think Donatella Versace) or not like themselves (think Renee Zellweger). Fortunately, there are three simple steps to get the natural looking, long lasting results you want, so you look like you, just younger and better!
In Part One of this article we learned about the first step to getting a beautiful facelift: Choose the Right Surgeon. Here in Part Two, renowned facelift specialist, David M. Morrow, MD. explains the second step to getting the facelift you want: A Great Consultation.
1. SCHEDULE YOUR APPOINTMENT: Once you’ve identified one or more surgeons who fulfill all the criteria found in Part One of this article, you’re ready to schedule your consultations. Dr. Morrow recommends seeing at least three different surgeons, if possible, even if you think the first one is “the one.” Some of Dr. Morrow’s patients even go further than that. One woman from England travelled around the world to find the right surgeon. At the end of the first year she met Dr. Morrow and thought he might be the one to perform her facelift, but continued to look for another year until she decided on him. She gave herself the time to make a good decision and did not regret it. You may not need two years to make up your mind but be sure to schedule you appointments when you are relaxed and have time to absorb the information you will receive. Don’t go in tired or “on the run.” Take these consultations seriously.
GETTING TO KNOW YOU! “One of the favorite parts of my practice is getting to know my patients. I enjoy learning about them and their concerns in order to help them achieve their goals,” says Dr. Morrow. You should expect a surgeon to ask some questions about you, your lifestyle and general health. He/She should also review your medical history to make sure you are healthy enough to undergo any surgical or even non-surgical procedure. This is a good time to ask the surgeon any specific questions you might have about his/her experience, background, etc. (By this time, you should already be well aware of your surgeon’s credentials and expertise as discussed in Part One of this article.)
1. WHAT BOTHERS YOU? Though some surgeons have a doctor-centered approach to facelift consultations, Dr. Morrow’s approach is very much patient oriented. “The best way to understand how I can help you is by asking what bothers you about your face and/or neck,” he explains. Sometimes patients are not really sure or just say “everything.” Other patients are quite specific. What’s most interesting is that most of us do not look objectively at ourselves. In fact, the next time you look in the mirror, I bet you’ll be smiling, because most people look better when they smile and we like to see ourselves looking good.
That is why early into a consultation, Dr. Morrow takes photographs of you, at several angles, not smiling and displays these photos on his life-size monitor for you to see. “Almost everyone is at least a little shocked when they see themselves, on the monitor, life-size, with no expression. But this is a great way to really see oneself objectively and to start the honest of addressing a person’s concerns and goals,” he says. If the surgeon you see does not use photographs, he/she might ask you to use a hand held mirror to point out your concerns. Or some surgeons may just ask you to tell them what bothers you about your face. Of course the more visually specific you can be during this process, the better you and your surgeon will understand each other.
Your job in the consultation is to express your concerns and goals. Your surgeon’s job is to let you know how he/she can help you achieve your goals. And sometimes several consultations may be required before there is a meeting of the minds between you and your surgeon.
2. SEE LOTS OF BEFORE & AFTER FACELIFT PHOTOS Dr. Morrow explained to me that sometimes, doctors show before and after photos of procedures performed by others. So make sure you see your doctor’s actual patients. Other doctors will manipulate the lighting, F-stop or angle of the shot to make the after photos look better. So look for changes in backdrop color to spot those manipulations. Also, many doctors use an after photo with the patient smiling. This is always misleading because, as stated above, people always look better when they are smiling. It is best to only consider the results of patients with a neutral facial expression. And seeing just one or two great before and after shots is not enough. The more before and after photos you see, the more you can assume that the surgeon routinely achieves the results that you are looking for. Also, the more examples of his/her work you see, the more you will come to understand if you and the surgeon share the same sense of aesthetics. For example if a surgeon shows you several sets of before and after photos as a fine examples of his work and you don’t like the “after” photos, then that surgeon is probably not the right one for you!
3. EVERYTHING NEEDS TO MAKE SENSE A skilled facial surgeon understands the aesthetics and proper proportions of the entire face as a whole and plans treatment or surgery accordingly.
As Dr. Morrow explains, “Fine facelift surgery is the combination of technical skill and artistry.” The best surgeons know what will work and won’t work on any particular face. And they know the limitations of any surgery or facial rejuvenation procedure. “Some people come in to me requesting one or another procedure they have either read about or seen on TV to address their concerns. I guess a businessman might just “make the sale” and perform that procedure. But I just won’t perform a procedure that will not look good.” Dr. Morrow tells me that sometimes when he has turned down these cases, the person goes to another doctor to have the procedure done, only to come back to Dr. Morrow months or years later to fix the mistake! So please be careful to understand why your surgeon develops a particular surgical plan for you. And take the time to understand the plan. Bottom line, you are not the facelift expert. You can suggest a particular procedures or technique. But more important, ask the surgeon which facelift procedure or set of facial rejuvenation procedures are best for you. The answers need to make sense. And if something does not make sense, keep asking questions until it does or keep looking for another surgeon.

4. WHERE WILL YOUR FACELIFT PROCEDURE BE PERFORMED? It is important to ask your surgeon where your procedure will be performed: in his/her clinic or office, in his/her own accredited out-patient surgery center or in another accredited surgery center or hospital. Botox, facial fillers and many skin rejuvenation procedures may be performed in a physician’s office or clinic because they do not require any conscious altering anesthesia. Even some minor facial surgical procedures can be performed using on local anesthesia and in your doctor’s office. However any procedure that requires conscious altering anesthesia must be performed in an accredited outpatient surgery center or hospital. That said, Dr. Morrow is not a fan of any facelift procedure being performed in a hospital. There is just too much risk of being exposed to the infections rampant in any hospital. So Dr. Morrow recommends seeking surgeons who operate in an accredited outpatient surgery center. Apart from accreditation, it’s also important to consider if your surgeon will be operating in his/her own accredited surgery center. A surgeon using a facility that is not his own may be subject to outside pressures to rush the surgery. Are there other doctors waiting for the operating room? Does the cost to him/her mount up for each hour the room is used? You want your doctor to be non-hurried and relaxed. To take his time to do the procedure the right way and most doctors are far more comfortable in their own facilities. If the doctor uses an outside surgery center, will he/she be limited in the time in the operating room or does he have use of the operating room for as long as he wants or needs to be there with you? Also, is the surgery center dedicated to face lifts and other cosmetic procedures? This means that the nurses and the staff are experienced in the procedures you will be going through. They will know how to deal with issues that are common to these procedures and you will be in good hands before, during and after the surgery. Be sure to ask about these points regarding where your facelift or facial surgery will be performed.





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