Facelift denied - but my eyes just made the priority list.

Lower facelift series part 3.

I turn 47 this year. And the lower jowls I see staring back at me in the mirror can only be helped so much by microcurrent, Thermage, Sofwave, and well placed filler.

Last year I went on a quest to start investigating a lower facelift. I started with a series of questions to Dr. Amir Karam ( I am obsessed with his before and afters on instagram). I also reached out to dermatologist Dr. Doris Day. I wanted to get the perspective of both a dermatologist and plastic surgeon. I have been seeing Dr. Day personally for over a decade now.

Women are now getting lower or mini facelifts starting in their late 40s. And there are a host of named facelifts like “the V Lift,” “deep plane,” “vertical Restore” and “S-lift” which can make the process confusing for the patient. I think I need a whole story on that as well.

I have been told by several doctors that the average age is now around 45. Dr. Karam says, “50 typically is a great time to do the first one.” This past week, I was deep into Dr. Sheila Nazarian’s show on Netlfix, she says that her average age for a facelift is 45.

However, after visiting with 5 different doctors, all but one recommended putting my lower facelift on pause - turns out my eyes are the real issue.

After publishing ‘Facelifts Part 2,’ which focused on the costs and ideal age, I attempted to do a formal surgery consult with Dr. Karam but holy crap….it just wasn’t feasible.

Here are the details:

• A zoom consult is $1,000. Which to be honest, I was happy to pay. But I wanted to do it in person. I was willing to fly to San Diego, California for this consult but I was told by his staff that Dr. Karam simply does not do in person consultations. My only thought was a simple, “WTF.”

• Prior to applying for the the zoom consult I did submit a series of photos for the doctor to review. I was told I was a candidate for:

  • Vertical Restore at a cost of $85,000

  • Customized Facial Fat Transfer at a cost of $40,000

  • Upper Blepharoplasty at a cost of $25,000

• With additional operating room fees the total cost was going to be $156,000. Plus I can only meet Dr. Karam in person once I have placed a 20% deposit or $31,200. If after I meet him and I change my mind, I can have my $31,200 back.

I was really flabbergasted by the whole experience. When I inquired why such a dramatic ask, I was told that Dr. Karam has over 9,000 inquiries per month and they need to make sure people are serious patients.

I am not flabbergasted by the fees. Facelifts (all in with the add-ons) can be anywhere from $80,000-$150,000 range.

Still, I thought this whole process was quite insane. I am not sure why I had to fork over $31,000 just to get a meeting with a doctor.

While I am obsessed with Dr. Karam’s work on instagram, I decided that this process was a massive turn off.

I lived in New York City 25 years and only recently moved away, so I know the scene there quite well. I decided to consult with some of New York City’s top doctors.

I put together a list of who I wanted to meet with in person. These are all A-list New York City surgeons esteemed by the New York social elite and celebrities alike. I can’t reveal where and how I was referred to them. Their instagram and social media team may not be as good as Dr. Amir Karam, but each of them allowed me to book an in-person consult and came with rock solid referrals.

Consults must be booked far in advance and are quite costly, but this is what to expect. Surgeons are often in surgery and only certain days of the week are devoted to consults. These days fill up. Consult fees ranged from $250 to $750. I had no problem securing a consult appointment in person, I just needed to schedule 2-3 months in advance.

I met with Dr. David Hidalgo (whom I have had surgery with before in 2010), Dr. David Rosenberg, Dr. Steven Levine, and Dr. Brett Kotlus.

Each of these doctors took great time with me, never made me feel rushed, and quite honestly you could not go wrong having surgery with any one of these great surgeons. Each one was simply fabulous. Picking a cosmetic surgeon is such a personal choice. It is so much about personality and aesthetic fit.

I will say that their intake process and their feedback to me was wildly different than Dr. Amir Karam’s. Each of them agreed it was too early for a facelift. But I could really benefit from some eye and potentially brow work.

Now, before you read on, each of these surgeons is amazing. It’s just different strokes for different folks.

Here’s what they said and their costs: