Cosmetic surgery can change your life

When it comes to facial rejuvenation, beauty is more than skin deep.

The facelift procedure has evolved over the years. Through the 1960s and 70s, facelifts meant tightening the skin only, which looked fine for a short time. Only when the underlying structures are changed, as in modern facial rejuvenations, are the results more long lasting.

As we age, our skin changes and the natural fat in our face also begins to sag and the muscles begin to descend and loosen. The goal of facial rejuvenation is to restore the face to a harmonious appearance. That’s what Deborah Vaughn wanted and went to visit the Cosmetic Surgery Center at UWMC-Roosevelt.

Deborah’s main point of contention with her appearance was her neck. “At 52, I wanted my face to support my efforts of working out to stay in shape,” she says. It took several consultations with the cosmetic surgery team to ask questions and to become familiar with what was involved before Deborah agreed to have surgery.

She decided to have three procedures done: a facelift, blepharoplasty (to correct excess eyelid tissue), and a chin implant. “I came out looking like a giant Q-tip,” she says. But a month later, after most of the swelling had subsided, Deborah was satisfied with her new look.

“The biggest treat for me was to wear turtlenecks because before I had no neck definition,” Deborah says. “My face is no longer just hanging there. The difference is wonderful.”

Jeannie Macnab always knew her nose was crooked; she’d had a deviated septum since childhood. But then she broke her nose while in college, which made breathing a challenge, especially when she started practicing the art of yoga.

“I was exclusively a mouth breather,” Jeannie says. “I tried to train myself to breathe through my nose, but I couldn’t get enough air.”

Jeannie’s UW primary care physician referred her to the Cosmetic Surgery Center at UWMC-Roosevelt. During her clinical consultation, specialists took photos of her face and together they reviewed computer simulations to see what she would look like after a rhinoplasty.

Almost immediately after her surgery Jeannie could breathe through her nose, bringing many benefits to her yoga practice, and her life in general.