Case Study: The Christmas Deadline
Patient Profile
Our patient is a 57 year-old woman who wanted her exterior to match her vibrant, youthful energy. Prior to her experience with Dr. Shah in his Chicago office, she had never received any work to her face, including botox, fillers, or laser treatments. Her primary aesthetic concerns stemmed from natural aging and sun exposure, particularly on her left side. Her ultimate goal was to more closely resemble a photo taken of her in her late 30s.
Surgical Techniques Applied
To achieve her natural, balanced transformation, Dr. Shah utilized a comprehensive combination of facial rejuvenation techniques. For her upper face, a browlift corrected the downward tilt of her brow, and fat grafting restored volume to her temples and brow area.
Her eyes were treated by removing a small amount of excess skin and residual fat beneath her lower lids, combined with strategic fat addition to create an open, refreshed appearance through her eyes.
To address mid-face aging, fat was added to her upper cheeks.
A lip lift was performed to shorten the distance between her nose and upper lip. The incision for the lip lift was hidden inside of the nose, resulting in no visible external scarring.
For her lower face and neck, a 5 Layer Neck Lift elevated the hyoid bone and balanced the deep anatomical structures without removing protective fat. Precision contouring was also performed along the sides of the face to redefine the tragal contour and eliminate shadows on the face traditionally caused by facing.
Finally, laser skin resurfacing treated structural skin changes and fine lines caused by skin damage.
Recovery Timeline
The initial days post-surgery are the most mentally and physically demanding. The patient managed early swelling by icing consistently and wearing a facial compression garment with surgical tape.
By the end of week one, the patient visited the clinic to have her stitches and tape removed. While she reported her neck feeling tight, she experienced no pain and was already comfortable enough to go for walks with her face protected from the elements.
Pre-op
1 week post op
At this stage, expected bruising was present, and her upper lip remained temporarily tight and elevated.
At one month, swelling under the chin reduced dramatically, and her upper lip began settling downward from its initial elevated position.
By the two-month mark, the final aesthetic balance began fully emerging beautifully. The patient’s surgical scars placed discreetly behind her ears had flattened entirely, and all facial shadows balanced out naturally.
Ultimately, the procedure successfully helped shed years off her appearance, leaving her looking much more like her younger self.
