For 63 year old Susan, needles are a terrifying thought – so much so that she even delivered her son naturally. She said, “I wanted to give a gift to myself to take care of the turkey neck I had always hated. I inherited it from my father, and it got even more exaggerated after I lost 40 pounds”.
Susan was also bothered by the hooding that existed on her upper eyelids and felt like a refreshed look was just what the doctor ordered. But finding the right surgeon who could be sympathetic and work around her fear of needles was going to be critical.
“I had several friends who had gone through plastic surgery, so I asked them for references,” says Susan. “My close friend had a ‘one-hour’ facelift. I met with her doctor, but with my fear of needles, that procedure was not going to be a viable option.
Working in a law firm, doing research & due diligence comes as second nature to her. While she scoured the web and inquired with friends, the name Dr. Wesley Price kept popping up. “Several people recommended Dr. Price at CPS (Center for Plastic Surgery), so I went for a consultation.”
When Susan met with Dr. Price and his Patient Care Coordinator, Diana, she felt reassured by their soft approach. “I knew what I wanted, and didn’t need to be talked into anything. I remember saying to Dr. Price, ‘Look at this face and tell me what you would do,’ and he only recommended what I needed. I really admired that.”
Susan’s comfort level with Dr. Price and Diana were important, but she had a few more criteria on her list that had to be fulfilled before making a final decision. “Safety was a paramount concern. I wanted to know that the facility was accredited, clean, that my anesthesiologist was board certified in anesthesia, and of course, that my surgeon be a board certified plastic surgeon. The reputation of both my physician and his practice were also very important to me. CPS met all the criteria on my list and I was so excited to be going forward. I felt so comfortable with Dr. Price that I went ahead and booked it.”
Was she nervous on the day of surgery? “Actually, I was fine. I had wanted this so badly. I never in my life thought I would have it done. I had a rhinoplasty when I was around 40, so knew what surgery was like. The care I experienced at both Sibley the day of surgery and CPS before and after the procedure was wonderful. I never had pain or even a headache!”
“I took my girlfriend with me for the suture removal 5 days after surgery because I was a nervous wreck. Dr. Price was empathetic, reassuring, and had a great bedside manner. My friend and I ended up going out to lunch right after the appointment to celebrate.” Later, when she returned to work, the reaction from co-workers was just what Susan wanted to hear. “I felt great and people kept saying ‘You look fabulous!’ but they all thought I was on vacation…it was a very natural look.”
Susan feels a new-found freedom and confidence after her eyelid and neck lift. As a lover of travel (her favorite spot so far being the Algarve Coast off of Portugal), she has a journey planned for later this year to Cambodia and Vietnam. When asked if she would do it all over again, Susan replied, “I would do it again in a second if I thought I needed it.”
Another side effect of her surgery: a change in style. “I have weeded out many of the turtlenecks I used to rely on to hide my neck,” says Susan. “Now shopping affords me so many more options.”