A New Chapter
After being a stay at home mom for 18 years, I decided to embrace my “empty nest” by creating my own company, a bakeware line called Perfect Slice. I could see my dream coming true at 59 years old, but in order to be my best, I knew I needed to look my best. I’ve always taken care of myself with daily exercise and a vegetarian diet, but there was nothing I could do to reverse or stave off gravity. I needed a face lift.
Facelift
“Facelift” is a word often shunned by women—said in a whisper as if it were something truly shameful. I never understood this. No one feels that covering their gray hair or wearing a gel manicure is something only movie stars or really vain women indulge in. It’s considered a normal grooming activity in order to retain a youthful, healthy appearance. That’s how I feel about a facelift. I knew that it would make me look as young as I feel. Launching a new company requires lots of energy and I could not afford to look tired. I believe that success is dependent on both appearance and confidence. Cosmetic surgery can achieve both.
“I am not over the hill; I’m on top of the world”
Research
Being from Dallas, the city of the perpetual cheerleader, I was always very conscious of looking my best at all times. When my family moved to Ann Arbor in 2006, I noticed that the “natural look” was much more embraced here. I really thought that I’d have to go to Dallas for cosmetic surgery, but I decided to interview the top cosmetic surgeons in the Ann Arbor area first. Both University of Michigan and St. Joe’s have large plastic surgery practices; so I started there. I wanted to see actual before and after photos to ensure that I didn’t get that “overdone” look so often associated with facelifts. I wanted to hear exactly what each doctor recommended for me specifically. My final question was always: “If your mother or wife needed a facelift, who would you send them to?” The name I kept hearing was Dr. Richard Beil. He was my last interview.
Dr. Beil
Dr. Beil’s innovative methods, customized recommendations (including lowering my receding hairline), and excellent communication style gave me the confidence to place my face, and my future, literally in his hands. After all, a surgeon who can rebuild burn victims’ faces should have a pretty easy time with mine. He assured me that I would not have an artificial looking outcome — like the overdone aging movie stars with swollen lips and an eternal surprised look from overarched eyebrows. He said that I would look like a young version of myself. Good. That’s exactly what I wanted.
Healing and Recovery
I was never afraid of this process. I knew there would be a period of time for healing and that my expectations of beauty would only come after a short period of really ugly had passed. I had very little pain. So little, in fact, that I only took the painkillers the first day. I was well prepared by the staff to know exactly what to do when I came home to make healing faster and easier. Yes, I looked like a victim of a hit and run for about 10 days. Then I was able to dress and go out to dinner without a single person asking if I needed the number for a women’s shelter! In 21 days I was so healed that I put on makeup and went shopping. In 30 days I was traveling through Spain with my family—feeling and looking great.
Success Story
Women have so much fear about cosmetic surgery – especially facelifts. We all have seen the really obvious overdone women who look so artificial. Not wanting that outcome, many women believe that growing old naturally has a better and more predictable outcome. But because women who have had great facelifts look young and refreshed instead of artificial, no one realizes they have had surgery. These lucky women often keep this information to themselves rather than reveal that their youthful appearance is due to a great plastic surgeon instead of fabulous genes. Why? If we women were more forthright and told each other about our cosmetic successes and how easy the recovery is, the fear would dissipate. More actual success stories need to be told or, even better, shown, to alleviate the fear. I hope that seeing my photographs will encourage others to explore facelifts and to be their very best. If I decided to keep this a secret no one would ever know I had anything done. While other 60 year olds are content raising their grandchildren, I’m launching my own company. I feel beautiful and more confident than when I was 40!
Becky’s Surgeries at CPRS
A facelift is a surgical procedure that removes facial wrinkles, sagging skin, and other visible signs of aging. Typically, a facelift corrects aging in the lower part of the face including the neck, cheek area and jaw line.
A Browlift, also known as a forehead lift, is designed to rejuvenate the upper one-third of the face, or the area above the brow. It can also elevate and reshape the brow as well as improve heaviness or drooping of the brow.