FACELIFT POST-OP: Week 12

PREVIOUS POSTS: WEEKS 1 AND 2, WEEK 3, WEEK 4, ONE MONTH FOLLOW UP, WEEK 7, WEEK 8 , 2 MONTHS, WEEKS 10-11, WEEK 12, 3 MONTHS, WEEK 14

Today, for the first time since my face and neck-lift, I did not cringe when I washed my hair. Much.

Look, Ma! No makeup! Meso mix is settling nicely around cheeks and upper lip. Neck and what’s left of the “jowl” area is looking natural.

Since the procedure I’ve been especially hair-washing-averse. In my earlier posts I talked about how foreign and tender and sore my head felt. How only baby shampoo was allowed, and how I let water simply flow over the staple/stitch/scar areas. The staples and stitches were removed only days following surgery. New hair started to emerge around the eight-week mark. Now, approaching week twelve, the scars are beginning to fade from angry red to dark pink. Still, the skin is fresh and tender. The area behind left ear is still super sensitive, tingly and sore feeling. The area around my jaw just in front of both ears is still so numb it feels like I’m petting a warm gel-pack.

So, yes, guess I did cringe a little, but it’s becoming a manageable sort of cringe.

What is now un-manageable is my hair’s color, or should I say colors! I currently sport shades of bronze, light and dark brown, and at least twenty shades of gray.

Left ear — the one with the most trauma. Still numb feeling and “full” feeling at the end of the day, but the scars are improving rapidly now.

So this week I contacted Destin hair stylist and master colorist Bill Trotter to ask for some expert advice. With an extensive hair styling career in New York and London, Bill is a hidden gem on the Emerald Coast! Honest and funny, Bill clearly cares about his clients. And with near 40 years of experience backing him up, I expected — and received — great advice!

“As soon as your physician clears you for salon services you are good to go with hair color”, he responded in an Email interview.

Plan to let your stylist know about your procedure, because keeping it secret will not be possible. Trotter noted he’s seen many (facelift procedures) in his day, and although the procedure is very common, he says you can’t hide those scars from your hairdresser. “We know!” He quipped. On a positive note, Trotter said he’s noticed that scarring has improved since he started work in the mid 1980’s, at a salon on New York’s upper West side.

Right ear: Why I can’t wear a high ponytail. Note the white “nodule” on my ear’s tragus (our vocabulary word from a couple posts ago). No sensation, and I think they are just dead skin. However, it’s hard to scrub what you can’t feel.

“…I never saw this (level of scarring) before so I said something to my manager about this woman being in a really bad car accident…The manager looked at me and said, My God, you've never seen a facelift before?”

Trotter recalls the procedure often left thick, pencil sized scars and were disguised using hairstyling techniques. Nowadays, Trotter says scarring is more fine and hidden, but cautions patients to expect to be “tender headed” for a while. Trotter notes he’s even had clients call for shampoo service following their procedure, to gently clean the hair.

When asked which procedure would be gentlest to ease a client’s way back into , he suggested a subtle highlight, explaining the solution never comes in contact with your scalp, but is completely contained within the foil.

58 Years old last week and feeling SO much better. After nearly twelve weeks of whining, I’m feeling much better about my procedures.

I asked if using non-bleach or other natural coloring techniques could be used in place of traditional coloring. He said the results could be disappointing, and though they may be used in going darker, they can become “very brassy” when lifting color lighter.

My next step is to contact my surgeon to see how she feels about having chemical processes done on the fresh and tender skin.

It’s been twelve LONG weeks, and I’m very ready to complete my new look!

Still on the lookout for a super-soft washcloth and will keep you posted.