I was hoping for some input before I do anything else.
Here's my situation. I'm 34 at the moment, will be 35 in April. Over the last year, I lost an enormous amount of weight, went through a bad breakup with my son's father with custody issues still pending resolution in court, and I just had a lot of stress. I've come out of the stress (which isn't gone yet, but less acute than before) and the weight loss looking worse for wear. Ideally, I would like to be at the stage where I can finally feel good about myself and move on with my life. That includes looking more like the way I did before I met my son's father. I have bad facial sagging and look at least 10 years older than I am. Not only does this make me feel bad, I also think it will prevent me from perhaps meeting someone else. I'd like the way I look to reflect who I am inside, not what happened over this stressful period of my life.
Perhaps it's ridiculous, but I have found myself thinking about having a face lift. I look at before and after pictures and think yes, that is the right procedure for me. I do not want to keep on looking the way I am looking now. That much is very clear.
But, am I too young for a face lift?
Big hugs to you. That sounds very difficult.
I don't know whether you are a good candidate for a face lift or not, but I do know that that is determined based on the amount of sagging you have, and not based on your age. My mom had a face lift at 53 and still looks much younger than her friends, many years on. It is not an easy procedure to go through, and you will be informed of all the details if you are deemed a good candidate. One thing that does come to mind is that there may be alternative treatment options in your case. Chin liposuction was one procedure being discussed here, to name one. If I were in your position, I would no hesitate to make an appointment to discuss your options.
You can expect a face lift in the US to cost around $6500, which includes all the fees — consultation, anesthesia, recovery, hospital stay, and so on. There are risks, of course, including the risk of numbness and the risk of infection, and those are things you will want to discuss with potential surgeons in detail before you make any decisions.
On the whole, face lifts are done on people who are good candidates, regardless of age, but some surgeons will indeed not perform face lifts on younger people.
Hi hon,
I don't know all that much about face lifts but I did wanna say that PINK started another thread for you about alternative options... it's called skin laser tightening for neck and face, something like that. Go look and you'll find it. But I have to say that though lasers are a really interesting alternative to face lifts, they definitely don't achieve the same results... basically I read that it's only 20 percent. Whereas with a face lift, one way to check how it might look on you is to go lie flat on your back and hold a largish mirror up in your hands, then look at your face. It pulls the skin back by about as much as that if you have a face lift.
But thank you. I know that I should overcome my fears and make an appointment.
You are not too young for a face lift, but I cannot tell from your description if a face lift is right for you either. It is certainly unusual to have a face lift at 34, and one thing I wanted to throw out there is the possibility that your skin sagging is not nearly as bad as you think it is. We often tend to be hyper critical of ourselves, and a plastic surgeon may well see you and your skin in a completely different light than you yourself do.
In any case, you have nothing to lose by making an appointment for a consultation — they often tend to be free, the first time. And if a face lift is not right for you, you may get other suggestions instead.
Rosie
No one is ever too old for a facelift. Patients of almost any age can benefit, provided they are in sufficient general health to withstand surgery. Many plastic surgeons advise older patients to take care of their entire face by having a brow lift or eyelid surgery performed concurrently with their facelift. This guarantees that the face is refreshed throughout and that nothing is out of place. The best way to ensure that you’re a good candidate for a facelift is to meet with a certified facial plastic surgeon and get an assessment from an expert.