u/VirginiaOnSafari

Another great photo safari in the Zambezi National Park!

I had a deep plane face lift, deep plane neck lift, submandibular gland reduction, buccal fat repositioning, parotid repositioning, lower blepharoplasty, CO2 laser around my eyes, perioral work, and fat transfer.

For me, this was never about trying to look 25 again. I wanted to restore the structure and balance I felt I was losing while still looking like myself.

And recovery was definitely not the effortless two-week transformation social media can make it appear to be.
There was a LOT of swelling, tightness, strange nerve sensations, and plenty of “Is this normal?” moments.

At four months, I was still very much healing and still had noticeable swelling and tightness. But this was also the point when I really started seeing where everything was headed.

I looked like me. Just restored.

I’m now nine months post-op, and the difference between four months and nine months has been significant. I still occasionally swell, especially after flying, a very active day, salty food, or alcohol, and I still have significant tightness. But I’m absolutely thrilled with my results.

I’m sharing the four-month comparison because I think it’s important for people considering a facelift to see the middle of recovery too, not just the dramatic before-and-after photos or the people who somehow look completely healed at three weeks.

Healing takes time. Four months was good.

Nine months is even better.

Brand new camera, learning as I go. Eye level with the watering hole, completely protected inside a shipping container turned photography hide in the Tuli Block of Botswana.

Where can you recommend for more opportunities like these? I am addicted.

THREE MONTHS!

Secondary swelling has calmed down!

I finally don’t feel like I’m touching an inanimate baby doll anymore.
That strange, stiff, rubbery numbness is almost gone, I can actually tell it’s my face now.

But now everything is waking back up, and it’s a completely different kind of strange. There’s the nerve pain, zings and zaps here and there, and the weirdest part is it can feel like something is crawling on my skin… like something’s there when it’s not.

It’s just the nerves coming back online.

They don’t reconnect smoothly, so they misfire a bit at first. My doctor warned me about it, and sure enough, here we are. It’s called paresthesia.

I’m still a bit numb, but the tenderness has definitely taken the front seat. It’s a very bizarre feeling… hard to describe unless you’ve felt it.

I can feel my temples again, under my jaw, behind my ears… all those areas that just felt dead before.

I’m still swollen — especially in my temples — but the buckling I was seeing earlier is definitely improving over time, which has been a huge relief.

And my ears in the winter breezes? I was not prepared for that. They absolutely howl like the wind at my mountaintop home — sharp, immediate pain.

I’ve been staying on top of it with lymphatic massage, using a chilled jade roller, and aggressive manual work.

I feel 100% like myself again physically, which is huge… but healing is still very much happening. It’s just quieter now, and a lot more subtle.

Not scarily swollen anymore… not fully settled either. This is the part I really wish more people talked about.

Before and after at the end!

I receive no incentive or compensation for sharing my facelift journey.

I am catching up virtually with my plastic surgeon, Dr. Jerry O’Daniel, this Thursday, July 30th at 8 a.m. EST. We are excited to talk about my results 8 months after my face and neck lift.
We’ll be talking about the procedures I had, the recovery (all of it!), and how we’ve managed follow ups from more than 8,000 miles away.
Join us live on Instagram @dr.tgeraldodaniel.

I receive no compensation or incentive from sharing content regarding my surgeon.

My surgeon told me this could happen, especially as a “super sweller.”

Some people are looking pretty settled by this point. I wasn’t. I was still very swollen, and then another wave rolled in.

During a deep plane facelift, the deeper structures of the face are still healing long after the incisions have closed. Your body is rebuilding support, restoring blood supply, and laying down new collagen. That process creates inflammation, so swelling can come and go. It doesn’t necessarily mean anything is wrong. It’s often a sign that your body is still healing.

For me, it meant more puffiness, tightness, one side holding onto more fluid than the other, and waking up with tingling that felt like ants crawling across my face. Such a bizarre sensation, but completely normal as the nerves continue to heal.

And my temporal buckling got WORSE again! I felt like my progress vanished.🤦🏼‍♀️

Recovery isn’t consistent. Just when you think you’ve turned a corner, your face can throw you another curveball.

What helped me most was sleeping with my head elevated, staying hydrated, watching my salt intake, gentle lymphatic massage, and getting out for light walks.
At this stage, I wasn’t trying to stop the swelling. I was trying to support my body while it did exactly what it was designed to do.

This is the kind of information I wish more women were given before surgery.

A good surgeon prepares you for surgery. A great surgeon prepares you for recovery.

The best part of Week 10, though? We welcomed a brand new grandson into the family. ❤️

Recovery is still doing its own thing.
I’m definitely still dealing with swelling, and the temporal buckling.

One thing that really caught me off guard was the twitching. My surgeon warned me it could happen as the nerves started regenerating, but I wasn’t prepared for how intense it would be. For about three days it was almost constant, then it became more random. One day I had muscle spasms for over three hours straight, and my face was actually sore afterward from all that twitching. Has anyone else experienced it to that extent?

The swelling is still all over the place. Some days I look pretty good, and the next morning I wake up looking puffy again.

Another thing I wasn’t expecting was that the swelling created creases running from the outer corners of my eyes toward my temples. They actually became raw from rubbing together. Aquaphor has been a lifesaver.

Toward the end of week 9, I had dinner with friends. I intentionally took it easy for a couple of days beforehand, and it paid off. It was honestly the best I’d looked so far.
My surgeon also warned me that a secondary swelling phase often happens around weeks 10 to 12, so I was bracing myself for that.

Recovery is definitely slower than I expected, but being a “super sweller,” is the cards I’m dealt. No super healing unicorn here looking fab like so many seem to at this stage!

For those of you who have undergone your own facelift recovery, when did your swelling and nerve twitching finally settle down? Did anyone else have the temple buckling too?

Every year, I take my granddaughter to see Santa, and every year we have a photo made together. It’s one of my favorite Christmas traditions. This year, I was 6–7 weeks post-op from my deep plane facelift and neck lift. I was hoping I’d look and feel “normal” by Christmas. But, I didn’t.

At six weeks, I was still incredibly swollen. My face was hard, tight, and changed from one day to the next. I’d think I was finally turning the corner, only to wake up the next morning looking puffier than the day before.

My temporal buckling was crazy. If you’ve experienced it, you know exactly what I’m talking about. My temples would bulge and buckle from the swelling, and I remember wondering if they’d ever look normal again.

I also wasn’t prepared for how much talking, smiling, laughing, and even eating could make me swell. One of my first social outings was a dear friend’s birthday celebration. I got dressed, put on makeup, and felt pretty good. A few hours later, after talking with friends and enjoying some wine, I was right back to balloon face. I left early.

Recovery was every bit as much a mental challenge as a physical one. At this stage, I was still dealing with tightness, numbness, bizarre nerve sensations, and constantly wondering if I was healing “normally.”

Looking back now, nearly nine months post-op, I realize I was healing normally, for me. If you’re sitting at six, seven, or eight weeks feeling discouraged, don’t assume something is wrong just because you’re still swollen. Some of us are simply “super swellers,” and healing takes the time it takes.

These Christmas photos are a reminder of just how far I’ve come. I’m so glad I took them, even though I wasn’t thrilled with what I saw at the time.

Anyone else experiences the temporal buckling??? It’s no joke.

I thought I was showing up for a facelift consultation. Turns out, I was showing up for a history lesson!😂

My surgeon, Dr. O’Daniel turned a stack of old family photos into one of the most important tools in my facial plastic surgery.

Before my facelift, he asked me to provide photographs from every decade of my life. Not because he wanted to make me look younger. Because he wanted to see me before gravity, volume loss, and time gradually changed the landscape of my face.

I found the entire process fascinating.

In this reel, he explains why those old photos become the roadmap for surgery and why every surgical plan should be as unique as the patient sitting in the chair.

If you’ve ever wondered what separates an exceptional facial plastic surgeon from someone who simply performs facelifts, this is worth the watch.

Dr. T. Gerald O’Daniel, triple board-certified facial plastic surgeon and international educator, Louisville, Kentucky.

I receive no incentives or compensation for sharing his educational content.

Ever wondered what a rhino’s mouth feels like? Didn’t think so… I certainly hadn’t until I found myself getting a lesson in rhino anatomy recently.

Yes, this young rhino cow is on the ground with a breathing tube and oxygen. If that catches you off guard, you’re not alone. This is exactly what you might expect during a carefully managed wildlife veterinary procedure. She was safely anesthetized so the conservation team could tighten her tracking device, ear notch her for identification, and complete a thorough health assessment, all while minimizing stress to the animal. Every step was overseen by an experienced wildlife veterinary team, and she was closely monitored from start to finish.

While I was getting schooled on the fascinating anatomy of her mouth by a member of the team, you’ll notice the veterinarian in the background ear notching her.

Each rhino receives a unique notch pattern that allows conservation teams to identify individual rhinos quickly, even from the air during wildlife monitoring and anti poaching operations.

I was invited by the reserve manager to tag along with a group of students as we observed, learned, and even lent a hand.

One of the greatest advantages of living and working in Africa for much of the year is the relationships I’ve built over the past decade with reserve managers, conservationists, guides, lodge owners, and veterinarians. Those relationships open doors to experiences like this that most visitors never get to see.

Travel has the power to do more than show us beautiful places. It connects us to the people protecting wildlife and gives us the opportunity to make a real difference.

Travel With Meaning. 🦏

When a three Michelin starred chef asks you to trust the menu, you trust the menu… even when it turns your teeth black.

Henni and I were celebrating the biggest contract of her career, so naturally we chose the tasting menu at Amura inside the iconic Mount Nelson Hotel in Cape Town.
There was squid ink. There were some decidedly fishy flavors. And there was an emergency rinse with a glass of Babylonstoren Chardonnay, from one of my favorite South African wineries, to determine whether our teeth were permanently black.

Did we love every course? Nope. Would we book the tasting menu again? Without hesitation.

That’s one of my favorite things about travel. Sometimes the most memorable moments aren’t the dishes you rave about, they’re the ones that nudge you outside your comfort zone and become part of the adventure.

And I’m ordering the tasting menu. Every. Single. Time.

I’ve had a lot of activity on my recent 5 week recovery post, including several private messages from people wanting to know more about the “Magic Shot” my surgeon gave me when it felt like I had a golf ball living under my chin.

So, I thought I’d share the actual moment. This reel captures Dr. O’Daniel explaining exactly what was happening in plain English while giving me the targeted steroid injections. One of the things I’ve appreciated most throughout this entire journey is how he explains everything in terms I can actually understand.

I’d developed significant tightness in my neck and especially under my chin. It honestly felt like there was a golf ball under the skin, like it was taking up space under my tongue.

What was happening was post surgical swelling and early fibrosis as my body healed and laid down new tissue. It can feel strange (and honestly a little alarming), but it can be a normal part of the healing process. As Dr. O’Daniel explains in the video, “the tightness is our friend.” It’s a normal part of wound healing and remodeling, even though it doesn’t always feel that way.

The steroid injection helped soften that firmness, reduce inflammation, and encourage everything to settle more quickly. It made a very noticeable difference for me.

Every recovery is different, so this isn’t something everyone needs. But if you’re dealing with a similar hard, tight area, it’s worth asking your own surgeon whether a similar treatment is appropriate for your situation.

I receive no discounts or incentives from my surgeon.

I was still swollen. My temples were still buckled. My face and neck were still hard as rocks. My ears were still numb and tender. I was still sleeping upright in a recliner. I still wasn’t driving because I couldn’t turn my head enough to check my blind spots due to the swelling.

The pain from my submandibular gland shaving was almost gone, and that was a welcome reprieve.

The tightness under my chin was intense. It felt like I had a golf ball sitting right at my incision. At times it even affected my ability to swallow. I am, after all, as we’ve already confirmed, a SWELLER.

It was time for another post op check in with Dr. O’Daniel, so hubby and I traveled to Louisville, Kentucky. The evening of our arrival, we went out to dinner, and I did a full face of makeup for the first time since surgery, five weeks prior.

It was SO weird putting makeup on again. What once felt effortless now felt like a child playing dress up, but I managed. This reel ends with me in makeup.💄

And by the way, I am LOVING Jones Road WTF, What The Foundation. It gives light, buildable coverage and is so emollient and moisturizing, not heavy or cakey at all. I’m still being super gentle when cleansing my skin because of the lingering tenderness. No full coverage, waterproof products for me right now!

At dinner with hubby, I had three bites of his steak, and it was glorious. I’d only been eating flaky fish and ground meat. I didn’t eat more because I could tell I’d pay for it with an achy jaw and temples if I did, but being able to chew steak again felt like a milestone. I also had my first post op glass of wine. I’d stopped all alcohol for a month prior to surgery to promote optimal healing. It went straight to my head, and I loved it! 🍷

Dr. O’Daniel and his nurses raved about my progress. All of my incisions were healing beautifully. He addressed “the golf ball” under my chin with what he calls a “Magic Shot,” a steroid cocktail injection to soften the tissue, and it did help.

He also gave me the green light to vigorously massage my temples, under my chin, my neck, and behind my ears for tension relief. I can’t tell you how good it feels to finally be able to do this. I’m concentrating especially on my temples, hoping to get that fluid moving and reduce the buckling. I’m calling them my racing stripes. Zoom, zoom. I also had another lymphatic facial while I was there, and I was cleared to go back on my ZO skincare. I’d been using ALASTIN for my pre and post operative skincare.

You’ll also notice my earlobes look much more normal at week five than they did at week three. It’s amazing how many little changes happen from one week to the next.

Week 5 wasn’t groundbreaking. It was tight. Swollen. Tender. The buckling is bothersome. But there was progress.
And progress is everything!

Since my submandibular gland reduction caused such a hubbub, I’m sharing another educational clip from my surgeon.

The gland is reduced – not removed.
It continues to function. It is carefully sculpted, not eliminated.

Here’s what many people don’t realize:

The platysma muscle can hold glands up for years. But as that muscle relaxes with age, it gives way. The glands enlarge and descend, causing heaviness under the mandible.

You can tighten skin, you can reposition muscle, you can have a technically beautiful lift.

But if enlarged glands were never addressed, the neck can look heavy again when the platysma inevitably relaxes and the glands descend once more.

Dr. O’Daniel speaks openly about performing more and more revision surgeries. Many were originally pleased with their facelift results – until their glands worked their way back into position and the heaviness in their neck returned.

Two-thirds of his practice is now revisionary surgery.

I wasn’t about to invest this kind of money, recovery, and surgical precision into a deep plane lift only to leave behind the very structure contributing to the heaviness I hated. I have no interest in doing this twice!

I chose to address it. My glands still function – I make saliva exactly as I always have. What I won’t have again is a heavy neck distorting the very triangle of youth so many of us pursue with plastic surgery.

For those of you following along, we didn’t find the fresh lioness kill we’d hoped for after tracking her the day before yesterday. That’s the beauty of a truly wild Africa—you never know what the bush has in store.

What we did find were massive herds of wildlife, including hundreds of Cape buffalo, and one of my favorite sightings of the trip: a serval. This was only the second time I’ve ever been able to spend any real time watching one. They’re usually gone in a flash before you can even get your camera up.

Today is one last game drive before we leave the park and head to the airport. Until next time, Zimbabwe.

Chamabondo is widely regarded as one of the standout wildlife-viewing areas within Zambezi National Park, and after countless visits over the years, I can certainly understand why.

Today, we spent well over an hour with a breeding herd of elephants. The calves were having the time of their lives—charging through the water, taking mud baths, splashing one another, and generally reminding us that elephants can be just as playful as they are powerful.

From there, we came across an estimated 300 Cape buffalo. Then the mood shifted.
Perched on a hillside above the herd was this gorgeous lioness. She wasn’t posing for our cameras, she was watching… calculating… and slowly closing the distance.

Eventually, she melted into the bush, but you can bet we’ll be back out at first light to see how the story ends.

If she and her pride were successful overnight, tomorrow morning could be just as exciting. Hyenas may already be moving in, vultures circling overhead, each playing an essential role as nature’s cleanup crew. It’s all part of the circle of life, and one of the reasons I never get tired of spending time in the African bush.

Every game drive tells a story. Sometimes you get to witness the ending… and sometimes you have to come back at sunrise to find out how it ends.

I’m in the Zambezi National Park, Zimbabwe. This is my highlight of the morning.

I spend a tremendous amount of time in the bush on game drives with some of Southern Africa’s finest guides, on some truly premier properties.

And yet…

This little critter right here – the bat-eared fox – I’ve only ever seen at my beloved Rhino Mountain Retreat. And I’ve seen it there many times.

That alone tells you how special this place is.

Bat-eared foxes are small, elusive, and mostly nocturnal. They’re best known for those oversized ears – which aren’t just adorable… they help regulate body temperature and allow them to hear insects moving underground.

They are also monogamous and mate for life. Pairs raise their young together, and males are heavily involved in pup-rearing – guarding dens, babysitting, and even grooming their offspring.

A tiny fox.
A lifelong partnership.
A reminder that some of the most extraordinary stories in Africa belong to the quiet ones.

This is why I do what I do. Not just for the Big Five – but for the small, rare, easily overlooked magic too.

If you’re having facial plastic surgery – facelift, neck lift, anything involving incisions around the ears – only pack tops that zip up or button down.

No pullovers. No tight necklines. No cute sweaters.

In this video, I was only a few days post-op and said my ears were “still swollen.”

Ha ha! If only I knew then what I know now. I didn’t start getting real feeling back in my ears until several months later.

Your ears will be numb. I felt like a Mr. Potato Head. You will not feel fabric catching. Women have had major complications from ripping their ears because a neckline snagged on stitches or staples.

For context, I had:
Stitches around my ears
Stitches inside my ears
Stitches behind my ears
Staples behind my ears

The last thing you want is to undo surgical work because a sweatshirt caught and you didn’t feel it.

Per my surgeon’s instructions, I only brought zip-ups and button-downs. I even bought bras that zip in the front. That was interesting because my neck was so swollen, I couldn’t look down. 😂

You will not be in physical condition to twist, snap, or maneuver anything over your head. You must keep your face and shoulders square and aligned. The twisting motion of putting on a traditional bra? Absolutely not.

Recovery is hard enough. Make it easier on yourself. Plan your wardrobe like it’s medical equipment — because it is.