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

*click on all photos for larger images*

This was by far the easiest recovery I have EVER had.  Thermage was far worse than this,  Seriously, folks -- this was cake.  I have been taking my meds and my supplements and eating well and hoping all will work out more than well!

These were some of the ones used on me :)	20 minutes after my treatment	20 minutes after with Beamergirl!
1 hour after, going back to the hotel - Plastic Surgery, blond hair, palm trees and sunglasses - How L.A. do I look?? LOL!!	without the sunglasses outside Dr. Humble's office	10 hours post at the hotel
10 hours post	about 12 hours post, drugged.	20 hours post
24 hours post, at IHOP eating lunch/breakfast	taped at 36 hours post (at home)	taped some more at 48 hours post (at home)

The Next Day
I woke up about 10 or so, I don't recall, got ready, how nice it was not to have to put make up on.  I just got dressed, brushed my hair, replaced the tape.  Which by the way was my doing because I kept bleeding droplets for a while so that stopped it and I also wanted to keep the, flat and protected.  We went to IHOP, and the staff was wonderful :)  NO questions, no stares -- I simply asked what soft things they had and I settled on two poached eggs and mashed potatoes and gravy, with a water.  She was wonderful to us!  Off to the check up!

BTW Only slight pains and discoloration.  It feels like I had laughed too much and was sore, that's all.  I have to be sure not to smile.  Also if you touch the face, which I got to wash my face with Cetaphil that morning, you have to be VERY careful because it is tender to the touch, you don't want to disrupt the threads and it pokes you right under the holes and the last thing you need is to dislodge those ends!!

Check Up Appointment
Janice and I had our check up the next day and all was well :)  I told Dr. Humble about the pop the night before she told he exactly what I thought it was and said be sure you don't do that again!  I asked her if I ruined my results she said no, but don't keep doing it. lol.  I thanked her profusely.  She looked me over and said it looked just beautiful and once I heal I will just love it.  Too late, I already do!

I see her in about 2 weeks and then I will be thinking about New Fill in the cheeks in a few months and some lip aug -- but just a little!  I am thrilled!

Back Home In Vegas
The ride was comfortable, I was a little bit loaded from the Vicodin ES but all was good, lol.  I slept most of the way but woke up right before we rounded the bend and saw the strip come into view.  The best part of getting to Vegas at night, you see the Luxor light first then the strip and you know you're home :)

All is well, the swelling went down a lot on my left side, my right which is the most swollen is more bruised and tender.  Couldn't tell you why, just is I guess.  Felt another prickly sensation near the hole nearest my nose when I washed my face. I dried off and promptly taped the holes with paper tape, then taped the cheeks up with waterproof medical tape and got into bed.  I slept well, but Marc woke me up a few times when he found me sleeping on my ear, but not on my cheek -- basically on the edge of the pillow.  He made me sleep back upright.  Gosh I hate sleeping upright but you have to.  

Wednesday - Two Days Post-Treatment
Swelling is still down, but right side is still larger.  I have GOT to stop smiling, It is sore when I do so.  I worked all day on this journal, but had to spend a lot of time sorting through about 1,500 virus emails (that stupid W32MYDoom is getting on my nerves).  So, I am now almost finished.  I hope you guys like the journal, I really enjoyed having this done.  I know that sounds weird but this is a great procedure so far!  I just hope it stays like this and keeps my cheeks where they are at least :)  I have to say I LOVE this swelling, it makes me look very youthful.  I feel like Miss J when she says she likes her swelling, I can totally relate!

I took the following pics at about 1:30 AM Wednesday night/Thursday morning...

2 days post-op - notice the holes are almost healed!

left oblique	front	right oblique

Here is a close up of the threads next to a dime to compare size - click for a larger image so you can see the cogs

Sensations & Miscellaneous Comments
Someone had asked if I could feel tension when I smiled.  I only feel soreness when I smile so I try not to do that.  But, I do feel tension across the malar area when I gently tug the skin next to my nose inward.  Which to me means it is working!  It means the cheeks are "tacked" in there and not going anywhere.  I like it!  Also my face is peeling as though I had a chemical peel but without the irritation and burning or rawness.  It's like the skin rolls off when I wash my face and when it is dry there are lots of peely pieces everywhere like after a sunburn.  I wonder if it is the Betadine because before anyone suggests it was the swelling -- the peeling is occurring on my forehead as well as everywhere else and I truly doubt I had swelling there.  Whatever the case, I don't mind as I could always use a good peeling!

Thursday  (January 29, 2004) Small Complication
I had a thread in my right nasolabial begin to surface in the AM but by nightfall it had finally poked through -- By the next afternoon it came out even further.  I have an appointment soon to have it repaired in L.A. on Monday.  This is a common complication and is not very serious at all.  The doctor simply grabs on to the thread, snips a bit off and paces it back into the tissue.  End of story.  The only real problem to worry about is infection during this time so, I have to be careful, use a triple antibiotic and stay on my oral antibiotics.  I am keeping it taped and covered so that no dirt or germs can get it.  Also I am not wearing make up until I can get it repaired.  I don't want to risk a bacterial infection. 

BTW This very well could have been causes by my talking or smiling too soon post-treatment.  So when your doc tells you not to talk for the first 24 hours or so, tape your mouth closed and shut up!  Or the below can happen.  The nasolabial areas move when you eat and talk, causing disruption of the threads.  I may need a complete replacement of that thread because a lot was snipped off because it just kept coming out with no manipulation and I couldn't tape it down so I snipped quite a bit off.

Progression of Thread Extrusion

One thread tip is visible under the skin.	thread poking through	thread poking through more visible with skin slightly stretched
break through and extrusion	further extrusion, I snipped part of it off and it continued to extrude so I though the best thing to do was to snip it again...	wash it twice with antibacterial soap, pack it with a triple antibiotic ointment, then paper tape & waterproof tape.

My take on this?  Experience.  Now YOU know what can happen and what to expect if it does.  I am more than certain all will work out, it just will take an additional week to get things where they should be.  This doesn't happen to everyone, but it can happen.  

Saturday (January 31, 2004) Complication May Be Gone
I woke up with it still poking through and irritating the heck out of my skin.  So, I decided to snip it one last time because it will eventually make a scar if it keeps peeking in and out.  Lo and behold, I snipped it and more did not come out, no blue tip was showing!  I quickly put Neosporin on it and one of those Band-Aid scar tapes on it.  

I can feel it every once and a while poke under the skin if I move my face too much (by accident!) because it is still tender. I am hoping there will be no need to go back this Monday and I can just go to my two week follow up instead.  My only concern is, did I snip too much off by now (because it kept coming back out) to give a good lifting effect?  I will ask Dr Humble what she thinks.

Also, I ran out of my prescribed antibiotics, so I am starting to take one Levaquin 500 mg a day for a few more days.  I have a few packs of these just in case which is good because I think I am still at risk for infection due to the open, irritated wound I had for so long.  I am taking every precaution because having gone through that infection with the Gore-Tex lip implant, that was awful, I can't imagine being infected in the cheek.  Plus I know personally two people with staph infections right now (non-cosmetic surgery related).  It can't hurt to take a precaution.

Sunday (February 1, 2004) Still No Thread Sticking Out
I think I am almost out of the woods!!  I still have some soreness, just starting to get those weird healing sensations, which means sensation is coming back, back, bruising is now yellow, has moved down my cheeks, and no peek-throughs anywhere.  Happy Day!!  I can't wait to wear make up again and see how this looks.  Sorry some are a little blurry, I think I may have touched the lens accidentally.  I have Band-Aid scar tapes on in the pics.

Monday (February 2, 2004) 
All the holes are healed, they are just hyperpigmented red spots that look like the rest of my spots on my face from my acne flare up the week before my procedure.  My swelling is down on my cheeks *waaaah*    But, my cheeks are supposed to tighten a bit more and then I am getting fat or NewFill in my cheeks next month!  Or as soon as I am finished healing from the Feather Lift.  My right side is a little more bruised (more like a yellow tint) and more swollen than the left.  The right was the problem side.  I am still on Levaquin antibiotics once a day and am not even taking Tylenol now.  Also still taking, MSM, Vitamin C, Zinc, Bromelain, and Ester C. 

I am warning you, I have no make up on, no eyebrows, my face is recovering from a major breakout and my nose looks enormous in these pics.  But reality is tough, lol.  I circled the scars below so you can discern them from the acne hyperpigmentations.  The one which is double circles was the problem hole and made more scar tissue and a redder hyperpigmentation.  As I have said before, I hyperpigment pretty bad after injury.

February 3, 2004 (Puckering Issue Today)
As you have read, the right side had given me problems with the thread which is now shorter than the other thread opposite. Well, I was putting foundation on for a dinner party tonight and when I swept it outwards across my right cheek with light pressure, I saw a puckering right to the outside of the insertion hole of the trouble side. Okay so I called Marc in to come see. I was not pleased.

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