Chin lift

Hi, I’ve looked through the archives but don’t see anything specifically addressing this. Older mom (senior citizen now, actually) seeking consultation & hopefully procedure for a gross double chin. Has anyone had this done?  How are the results?  Do you recommend your doctor, and who performed the surgery?  Looking for surgical procedure, not the non-surgical options. By chance, anyone had this done at Kaiser cosmetic surgery?  Thanks so much for any recommendations, description, info about cost & the procedure itself, etc.  Looking ahead for after COVID. Thanks so much. 

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RE:
Chin lift (Feb 13, 2021)

I have just started this process myself and here is what I have learned so far, in case it helps. Surgeons charge anywhere from $50 to $200 for a 30–40 minute consultation. Those who operate at hospitals that are not doing elective surgeries now (CPMC in SF, for example) are not making appointments for surgical consultations. Doctors who do procedures at a freestanding surgical clinics are still doing surgeries, so you can consult with them. I have had one consultation so far (not Kaiser) and was quoted $20k for a mini-facelift (neck and jawline). 

RE:
Chin lift (Feb 13, 2021)

Are you talking about a neck lift, which removes excess skin and shapes and tightens the jawline/jowls... or are you looking to remove excess the excess fat underneath the chin.  These are different procedures... and depending on the severity, can be obtained by different methods (invasive and non-invasive surgery).  I am assuming if your mother is advanced in age, she  most likely will need a neck-lift (also called a lower facelift).  I have previously consulted with Plastic Surgeon Michael Cedars in Oakland.  He is reputable and board certified, and he will be able to discuss your mother's options, based on her needs.  I would also recommend that she looks at post procedure pictures to access if she likes the results that particular surgeon achieves.  He (or another surgeon) can discuss what are realistic expectations she can expect and also discuss the risk and after-procedure downtime.  Good luck.

RE:
Chin lift (Feb 13, 2021)

I had this done about 15 years ago when I was 50 and I'm glad I did. At the time I was starting to get jowls and a big fat double chin and I needed to not look like a grandma because I worked in a young-white-male dominated field. It costs about the same as putting a new roof on a big house. The plastic surgeon I went to is no longer practicing so I can't help you with that, but I'd trust Kaiser - I consulted with them a few years ago about another procedure that I ended up not doing.  The upside of the chin lift: No one noticed, I didn't look different, but I felt much more confident since I no longer had the jowls and the turkey guzzle. Fifteen years later of course I do have an older face, but my double chin is much more subtle than my sisters' who are close to my age. The downside: it's surgery. I really disliked being under anesthesia and then dealing with all the gore of surgery and recovery.  I wouldn't do elective surgery again. But I'm glad my 50 year old self back then decided to do it. It was worth it.

One thing I would do differently: at the time the surgeon suggested I do an eye lift at the same time, since my eyelids were really sagging and obscuring my vision and I was having surgery anyway. I declined because I didn't want to add to the cost or the trauma of recovery. But now I wish I had! I'd be able to see better!

RE:
Chin lift (Feb 13, 2021)

I didn't have a chin lift but a complete face lift with a small chin implant (original chin recessive) at 59. Afterward I looked near 40, but like myself at that age. I'm now 77, and in the intervening years, I've always had a roughly 10-year younger aspect.

Not Kaiser, in fact a private doc who came highly recommended in Salt Lake City. I had no bruising, minimal swelling, and two weeks after surgery attended an annual reunion and no one noticed a thing. There was never a second, including 10 days recovery in a hotel nearby the clinic, that I regretted the procedure, and I was genuinely delighted with the results. All of this is to say, if you do your homework, carefully inspect the surgeon's look books to make sure the patients just look rested/better but THEMSELVES in after-photos, ask for former patient referrals to phone/zoom with, and talk with your prospective surgeon in great detail, you should be fine.