READY,SET, SURGERY!

Well, my big day dawns tomorrow when a car will whisk me into NYC to the office of Scott B. Wells M.D. shortly after the sun rises. I didn't expect to be nervous, excited yes, but nervous. no, except that I am.
"Are you packed" each of my daughters asks when they call. Packed? This is a bare bones trip. Nothing to take but myself. The printed instructions that I've read and re- read say no jewelery, no cosmetics, no cash; shower the night before, no food after midnight. Bring the prescribed medications, an antibiotic and painkiller along with Arinica Montana a homeopathic medicine to reduce bruising and swelling that Dr. Wells also prescribed.
I've already finished a seven day pre-op perscription for Vitamin K and have laid out a zip front warm up suit purchased at the Gap especially for the occasion because recommendations also include loose clothing and something that opens in the front along with flat shoes. So I'm set and should be out the door and on my way in no time at all. One more thing I'm taking my camera and I promise to share the pictures from each stage, no matter how bad.
Cheers,
Barb

I'VE MADE MY DECISION

After thinking and rethinking and spending way too much time in front of the mirror lifting my eyes with the fingers of one hand and smoothing out the wattle beneath my chin with the other; and after asking the opinion of close friends and family and also several members of my ballet class, I'm going under the knife as they used to say or in my case the Active FX Laser and a few strategically placed incisions.
My surgeon Scott WellsM.D. assures my that my years of sun damage will be erased and my skin tighter due to the ongoing collagen boost the Laser provides. My eyes will more resemble their former wide awake selves rather than the tired droop they've been wearing in later years. I've seen Dr. Wells twice and have an appointment later today to fine tune the procedure and pick up my prescriptions.
So,yes I'm actually doing this. The date is November 8 (Election day for my elective surgery)
So stay with me. I'll keep you updated with before and after pictures and all the details. Yes it's a bit scary but blogging about it helps. And an interesting aside. There was not one negative response to the question. Should I do it?

Cheers,
Barb

IS THERE A NIP AND TUCK IN MY FUTURE?





A few years back after seriously researching the pros and cons of plastic surgery, I decided that the face I had was the one I would keep. Let others go under the knife, I would just admire the results and try not to harbor any jealousy. After all there were risks to consider what with all the anesthesia and cutting and what have you and I didn't want my children to have to say that their mother had succumbed to the hereafter while undergoing a face lift. I didn't want to be a woman who felt compelled to have her face"done"in order to feel attractive. I would take the high road and settle for for sags and wrinkles rather than be accused of excess vanity.

Who was I fooling? I am vain. Witness my obsession with each beauty fix that makes its way into Sephora. Not to mention that at different times I have had Restlyn, Collegen and Botox and while I found them somewhat effective, they didn't do enough or last long enough for me to rationalize their cost.

Meanwhile I continued to take note of every face altering product and procedure that came on the market and kept abreast of recent advances in face resurfacing especially with the new and more powerful lasers. I liked their promises of dramatic results with little down time. But would they work for me? I was doubtful. My face was not aging at all as gracefully as I had hoped. I could either make my peace with it or do something to change it and stop bemoaning the situation. Still, being who I am, all I did was think and rethink

Then this summer I received an e-mail from my friend Marcia in which she mentioned in a sort of by the way manner, that she had made an appointment for some facial surgery. "I'm thinking of doing something about my chin and eyes," was the way she put it. Now Marica would be absolutely last on the list of my wide group of friends who I would pick to do such a thing.
Was she sure? I e-mailed back. "Absolutely", she said. She had confidence in the surgeon and this was not the sort of thing she was going to over-think.
When I saw her two weeks after the procedure her eyes were wide and bright, her chin line defined and the skin on her face smooth and glowing without a trace of her previous sun damage. She didn't look done; she looked great. Evidently facial surgery had taken a big leap forward when I wasn't looking. It certainly wasn't the big deal it was even a few years ago.

"Plastic surgeons on the forefront of their profession now take advantage of the advances in lazer surgery and combine them with more traditional methods to get natural looking results with a minimum of incisions and very little down time," Scott B. Wells M.D., a New York City based cosmetic surgeon, said. He is especially enthusiastic about the Active FX Laser. The first of its kind, it is a partially ablative laser with reactionalized technology for skin rejuvenation. It utilizes CO2laser energyto treat fine lines, wrinkles, skin laxity, discoloration and other effects of aging and sun damage in a very fast single treatment. This provides a collagen boost that is then followed with IR(infrared treatment )which further contracts the collagen and continues to stimulate new collagen production. "Used in conjunction with an eye lift and chin restructuring it results in improved facial contours, smooth glowing skin and a much younger and refreshed look that doesn't look at all done," Dr. Wells said.

Just maybe this is what Ive been waiting for. However in all likelihood there will continue to be more technological advances. Should I wait to see what comes down the pike? Should I stick with my original decision and let my face take its downward course or should I follow Marcia's lead? Stayed tuned. I'm still thinking.

Cheers,

Barb