Ilchi ponytail lift + neck lift + fat grafting
Clinic: great
Doctor/Staff: great
Procedure: smooth
Recovery: rough
The short review is, I don’t have my final results yet so I really can’t speak to it just yet, but I feel good about it and am very excited for the results. I am confident I will have a natural result that does not change my appearance, but rather gives me a fresh, youthful, yet subtle rejuvenation. I would choose Ilchi Plastic Surgery again and I am happy with my experience there. However I think its very important to have a realistic understanding of recovery. I had read a lot of reviews that made it sound relatively easy but I think that may have been for ponytail lifting only. If you add neck & platysma like I did, it definitely is a rough road to recovery and I wish I had been more prepared for it. Hopefully my experience will help someone else be fully mentally prepared for the road to recovery.
The LONG review:
Prep~ Tylenol, waterproof bandaids, smooth easy food like yogurt, fine porridge, protein shakes and a small spoon! I was not able to open my mouth wide or chew anything.
Also a nice back pillow to stay elevated is highly recommended.
Day 0 ~ for me the anesthesia is rough to wake up from. I am very thankful to my translator Nika; she was absolutely amazing and stayed with me every step. She was much more than a translator, she was there to provide support I didn’t even know I needed. She shared with me about what she had seen in terms of recovery from other patients and it put my mind at ease. After the surgery she even walked me downstairs to the conveniently located pharmacy to get all my meds and even help me get to my taxi. I couldn’t have done it without her.
Night 0 ~ it was rough, I had previously read about the tight band and the pressure but didn’t fully understand what to expect. It was the kind of dull and annoying pain you get from wearing an extra tight ponytail and your head feels bruised except it was all around your face and there is no relief.
My right ear was numb but also achy and bothered me a lot.
Day 1~ hard to leave the house but I had to go remove my bandages. This part wasn’t bad and I felt instant relief when the compression band and bandages came off. I also got an injection in my arm to help with swelling and tried the hyperbaric oxygen chamber. They warned me it could hurt my ears and to press the call button if it became too much. I didn’t last long until I had to call the button and they reduced the pressure to a much more comfortable level. The red light therapy was great, it was a nice warm light and I almost fell asleep.
Last but not least, they sent me to the salon 3 minute walk away to get my hair washed. My hair was a crunchy mess from the solutions used during surgery. It felt amazing to have a professional wash and blow dry. I felt human again!
Day 2
Might be the roughest day in terms of pain and discomfort and swelling
Day 3
Swelling is still severe but less discomfort
Day 4
Visually still very swollen but I feel much better and able to run a few easy errands.
I can even chew a little more. Yellow bruising starting to appear.
Day 5
Sutures and chin stitches were removed & bandages came off. I was up to do about an hour of small nearby errands, but it's not easy to comfortable to move around. Face is quite tight and numb and yellow all over.
Day 6
Reduction in swelling. Ear pressure has loosened a bit, overall very yellow and purple.
Day 7
Stitches removed
Day 10
Starting to regain some limited facial movement
Day 11
Looking more human ~ less cat woman
Day 14
I still have a lot of swelling and the process of it going down is really slowing down. I am still trying to minimize sodium intake, and regularly icing. Bruising is a lot better and starting to fade. Im getting a little tired of seeing my swollen reflection. I have no sense of how my final outcome will look so not able to get excited quite yet. I thought I would be socially ready by now but that is definitely not the case. I am hoping to have dramatic improvements in the coming days.
Overall, I am really glad the hard part is over and I think from here is on it when Ill start seeing the benefits.