I’ve written more than once about over-the-top claims about plastic surgery — particularly when it comes to facial rejuvenation — and I wasn’t planning to do it again. But I read an article today that first made my jaw drop, then clench up in anger. So I just can't help but put fingers to the keyboard once more.
Who can blame me after reading about the Lifestyle Lift in the health trends section of www.examiner.com, and that it can have you looking “10 to 20 years younger in about 45 minutes.” As Dolores Bundy, the author of the article, describes it, it’s “like going to the dentist.”
Hmmm. Ever heard that old saying that if it sounds too good to be true it probably is?
It certainly seems that there are satisfied Lifestyle Lift patients. But you get a very different viewpoint if you visit www.complaintsboard.com and look for postings about the procedure. There’s even one posting from Atlanta, home of www.examiner.com, that discusses strong-arm sales techniques and results including “eyes cut differently, creases missed entirely,” dramatic scarring and ongoing pain.
Another place to read patient reviews is www.realself.com. Dozens of postings there run 2:1 against the Lifestyle Lift. But even more alarming are the descriptive words the dissatisfied patients use. “Nightmare” is one of the most common terms used to describe the experience, and the posters talk about ugly, prominent scars, disfigurement and worse. One woman even commented, “I was butchered.”
Some of the milder complaints relate to the over-the-top claims that got me started writing about this subject again. Contrary to the assertion that the procedure takes around 45 minutes and you can go back to work the next day, many reviewers say their Lifestyle Lift took well over an hour. Some say three hours, some say four. One woman even said she was worked on for six hours. And many say they continued to experience bruising and swelling for weeks, if not months, following their surgery.
Other complaints echo what I have heard from experienced, board-certified plastic surgeons; and by the way, almost none of them perform anything like a Lifestyle Lift. They explain that when you get a quick procedure that simply tightens skin, rather than addressing the underlying muscle structure as well, the results generally are not as pleasing or as long-lasting as you might hope. One woman who agrees — whose review is titled, “Cinderella for two months, then back to the pumpkin” — mentions that it’s especially cruel to look good for a short time and then revert back to your old appearance.
There’s much to be weary of when it comes to the Lifestyle Lift. Even the temptation to go for it so as to avoid the general anesthesia of a traditional facelift comes with a downside. One woman described the, “horrible sights, sounds and smells” she experienced during the procedure.
But perhaps the most disturbing thing of all is the way many people say they are treated before, during and after their Lifestyle Lift. The high-pressure sales techniques I’ve mentioned raise one red flag. Others include high surgeon turnover at Lifestyle Lift facilities, doctors handling patients “as if they are cattle,” office visits likened to a trip to the zoo and follow-up that’s inadequate or even unavailable. Surgery is surgery, no matter how long it takes, and patients deserve to be treated as if their health and well-being is at stake. It is.
Many of us would love to find a magic formula for self-improvement. And one day perhaps science will give us a way to shed pounds effortlessly, keep in shape easily and look as young as we want to without too much investment. But in my book, the Lifestyle Lift is not a step in that direction.