Feather Lift With APTOS Threads To Cheeks - With Gail Humble, M.D. - Hermosa Beach

*click on all photos for larger images*

As I have begun my early thirties and between my yo-yo dieting, I have noticed my cheeks just beginning to sag.  I had thought about fat grafting but thought to myself that adding more weight would only contribute to more sagging later on.  What I needed was support but how??  I had first heard of the Feather Lift about a year and a half ago and honestly was a little skeptical, if not 'freaked out' about having blue threads in my face.  As time went on, several people had visited the YTF! facial plastic surgery board who had had the procedure.  Some were happy, others had problems.  As the year wore on, I began weighing it back and forth, still unsure.  Until one of my favorite doctors, Dr. Gail Humble of Hermosa Beach, started performing it.  I have gone to Dr. Humble for Botox and injectable fillers plus Botox several times and adore this woman.   She is a true artist and since she also had it in her own face and trained under Marlen A. Salamanidze, M.D. who is the doctor who invented it -- I felt secure with the decision to have it with her.

A few months after my Thermage treatment, I decided to schedule the Feather Lift some time in February of 2004.   I had just seen Dr. Humble in the middle of January for some Botox and collagen and to finish up some B-roll for the Fox News piece on my Thermage.  A week later, on January 22, 2004, Erika from Dr. Humble's office called and asked if I'd like to have the Feather Lift on film for a well-known media company.  Of course I said yes, I had been thinking about it for months and now was my chance!  I trust Dr. Humble implicitly plus my cheeks truly are just starting to sag.  I’d rather put a stop to that now, instead of waiting until I need a more invasive procedure like a mid-face lift.  This way it should hold for a good 7 to 9 years and keep things where they are now, plus add subtle augmentation and contouring.  I believe in maintenance and prevention rather than letting oneself "go" and need the big guns. 

What was interesting is that my new friend, Janice, was having a microdermabrasion treatment at Dr. Humble’s that same day and had overheard Erika asking me over the phone If I’d like to do the Feather Lift procedure.  Janice then went into her treatment room and during the treatment, the microdermabrasion machine had a ‘hiccup.’  Dr. Humble went into Janice’s treatment room to check on the machine and Janice mentioned that she had heard she would be taping the procedure in her office that Monday.  What was possibly first thought to be a small inconvenience (the machine breaking down) would turn out to be a great opportunity for Janice  Dr. Humble got a twinkle in her eye and said, "Would you like to be on ______ – you get a Feather Lift for free.”  Janice, of course, said yes!  Dr. Humble also invited another media team to tape the procedure as well to have the footage.   So the wheels were set into motion, it was time to prepare!

Preparation

I made sure I hadn't taken any aspirin, made sure I took no Ibuprofen, vitamin E, alcohol or anything.  I was good to go, I am usually prepared in this regard -- just in case, lol!  I did just start drinking coffee about 2 weeks before so my face had started breaking out like crazy (as you will not in the pics), so I stopped drinking coffee on Thursday which was 4 days before.

We made reservations at the Quality Inn & Suites which I recommend.  This is where we usually stay if we need to stay over night for anything when visiting Dr. Humble.  It is right down the street and they are VERY friendly, understanding, respect your privacy, give you lots of pillows and ice and have some great cookies and Guava juice!  Their address is 901 Aviation Blvd.  Hermosa Beach, CA, US, 90254; Phone: (310) 374-2666, Fax: (310) 379-3797, Toll-Free: (800) 553-1145.  Check in time is 3:00 PM and you don't have to check out until 12:00 PM so you can sleep in!

I went shopping for all of my pre and post-op supplies.  I made a post-op kit with the below items.  This pic was taken at the hotel.
  

• scar sheeting just in case

• paper tape

• waterproof medical tape

• gauze pads

• arnica

• bromelain

• MSM

• Vitamin C

• Alpha Lipoic Acid

• Zinc

• Ester C

• Neosporin

• Gerber silicone-coated baby spoons

• A Barbie Baby Tooth brush (Marc picked it out lol!, I love me some Barbie)

• swabs

• Anti-bacterial soap which I started washing my face twice a day with to help rid my skin of any staph

• Bruise Cream containing Vitamin K, Arnica and Bromelain (which I didn't need)

• arnica bruise gel (which I also didn't use)

• surgical gloves

• bendy straws

• yogurt

• low sodium soups

• protein shakes

• extra pillows

• a "husband pillow"

• my laptop 

• my digital camera

• frozen peas

• they had cotton balls and Q-tips already at the hotel, which was convenient.

I washed my hair the night before and got my kit ready and packed my bag. But I only got 2 hours of sleep, ugh!  We left Las Vegas at about 7:20 AM, and arrived in L.A. at about 11:30 AM.  Our first stop was Savon Drugs to pick up my prescription for (10) Cephalexin, (6) Vicodin ES, and (6) Valium 5 mg, and also a few supplies we forgot like Kleenex, toothpaste and Listerine.

January 26, 2004 - 1:00 pm 
We then headed over to Dr. Humble’s office and were the first ones there.  I had to fill out a volume of medical info, and then while filling my info out Janice walked in.  She was a hoot!  She looked so young!  She was so funny and made me laugh outloud several times.  She took her Xanax (1 mg) and after my consent forms were signed I took 5 mg of Diazepam .  Janice hadn’t eaten that day so she was loopy within 15 minutes.  The Valium never hit me, so I was told to take another one.  Still nothing, so I was told to take one sublingually.

About this time the assistant and cameraman showed up.  The cameraman asked if I was the one who had been in Playboy.  I told him, no, not that I ever recall, lol!  He said they were told one of the patients was a Playmate.  Nope, just little ole me.  Wrong story, I guess. 

Anyway so since Janice was completely loaded, they took her in first.  I was simply not drugged enough to ready – so I forfeited the position.  Which turned out to be a bad decision in a way because the first camera crew supposedly ran out of time and left before my procedure was performed.  Before my interview she did ask me if I had ever been interviewed on film and I told her yes, so she asked like what - so I named off a few including the Fox piece which aired a few days before.  She then said, oh are you the Internet Lady?  Yes, I told her.  Then she said 'I expected you to be older,'  I said, well I am 31.  Anyway they did get footage of me walking in the office with only 2 takes.  Plus, I did that small interview about why and where I was getting the Feather Lift.  If they use it, viewers will probably feel I have BDD or something, which is nonsense considering that the procedure is better for younger patients with little laxity and not in need of full blown face lifts.  I made sure to emphasize that fact – maintenance and prevention is far better than needing a complete overhaul later on.  The way I see it is, do you run your car into the ground until it NEEDS a new engine because you forgot to put oil and water in and get tune ups?  No, you take care of it, because it takes care of you if you maintain it.  Same principle, different type of vehicle.   

I brought a suit with me and the first crew said it would be better if I were casual, so I stayed in my jeans and cowl sweater.

Getting interviewed about why I am doing the Feather Lift	Preparation and facial marking	Ready to go!

The Procedure
Okay so procedure starts, I am STILL not even remotely sedated.  So I am lying on the table and they tell me to put yet another 5 mg of Diazepam under my tongue - 20 mg total, which is pretty much normal.  Adrenaline will counteract Valium anytime lol!  They hooked me up to the oximeter and Dr Humble started injecting me locally and also administering regional anesthesia.  She as talking to me during this part, as she always does -- she is so very considerate and empathetic and keeps you calm by talking to you.  She will be talking to you slowly and you are listening for the next part of the story, not paying attention to the injections and then she will say, "and you know what?" and you say what? And she says -- 'you're finished' -- timing it right after the last injection is over.  

Infiltration with Lidocaine & epinephrine	Betadine Scrub, waiting for local to kick in	top view of Betadine-face and swelling from local injections
Trocars, packaged in sixes for my cheeks	Initial insertion	Dissecting and making the correct tunnels for the thread insertion
Skewered!!  No pain either.	Two threads in, one to go	top view
dabbing the blood for TV	Right side done!	There's always time for fun - just to show all is well, I am fully aware.
both sides finished with Betadine cleaned off!	I am smiling, and yes this is the supposed Howdy Doody look	Icing time

After the epinephrine kicked in I was shaking like a leaf for about 4 to 5 minutes straight, plus I was freezing.  Dr. Humble said to me, you know it will pass just hold it out.  And I did - I know epinephrine makes me tweaky.  So, when it went through my system and I adjusted, they started the procedure.  It felt weird,  I didn't hurt, it felt like a lot of manipulation and twisting and pressure but no pain. I felt these little pops inside which Dr Humble said were the cogs pulling into my tissue or dragging along it to be anchored.  I kept my eyes open the entire time unless they were near them just in case I got poked.  I never got poked :)  

Next thing I heard was, that side is finished!  So they started on the other one.  The assistant had to keep dabbing at the holes so the camera didn't see much blood -- no biggie.  Next thing you know, that side was done and Marc was taking pictures when the camera man wasn't filming.  It went very smoothly, very fast and very professionally.  I would say it took all of about 15 minutes.

Next thing you know I was sitting up so the camera could see my first reaction once I got the mirror in hand.  And I loved it!!  I couldn't stop smiling and Dr Humble said, don't smile! lol!

I got up, totally coherent, someone remarked that they were surprised I was totally fine with 20 mg of valium in me.  I talked to Beamergirl for a while, then to Janice and then we thanked Dr Humble profusely as she had to get to other patients.  She said she'd see me the next afternoon for my follow up.  I was hungry so it was off to the grocery store to get some soup then to check into the hotel. No one really looked at me weird in the stores except for one man and that was it.  I think everyone was just being nice, heheh!  

Hotel Check In & Recovery
The desk receptionist at the hotel wanted to know what I did and I told her and she said "cool!"  - I agreed. lol.  We went upstairs, I made soup, sat down and watched TV and started my journal on my laptop.

One bad thing happened, I was looking at my face in the mirror before bed and I think I was brushing my teeth or something, I don't recall - or yawning - and I felt that familiar pop I had felt during surgery. OOPS! I slipped a cog!! So I taped my face all up and that kept my cheeks from moving.  I shut up the rest of the night.  I slept very well, by the way.

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