Tami, a 55-year-old Las Vegas resident, had considered plastic surgery for years. However, after losing a significant amount of weight, she noticed what she described as accelerated aging in her face and decided it was time to move forward.
“I kind of kept it in my back pocket thinking, this is something I might be interested in doing,” she said. “I have lost a lot of weight recently, so my aging accelerated quicker than I thought. And I thought, okay, now’s the time.”
Tami had been following San Diego-based plastic surgeon Dr. Amir Karam on social media for years and chose him as soon as she decided to proceed.
“It’s kind of like wedding dress shopping. The first dress that I tried on was the dress that I chose,” she said of meeting him.Dr. Karam said Tami came in with a common goal he sees among patients: wanting to look as young as they feel.”
They feel like the aging process has stripped them of their identity, their sense of who they are, and they’re looking for a solution,” he said. “They effectively have faith that I can give them a super-natural version of themselves.”
After consultation, they decided on a full facial rejuvenation, which included:
Vertical Restore (Dr. Karam’s version of a face and neck lift)
Facial fat transfer
Upper blepharoplasty
Lower blepharoplasty
Lip lift
Dr. Karam explained that Vertical Restore addresses downward sagging of facial structures that often begins in the late 40s or early 50s, changing the face’s shape from an uplifted, heart-like shape to a heavier, rectangular appearance.
On surgery day, Tami traveled from Las Vegas to San Diego. She recalls feeling calm and excited.
“I remember getting up before, doing some meditation, saying some prayers, just having a calm morning out by the ocean,” she said. “I just kind of remember coming out of it and going, ‘Oh my gosh, this is so amazing.’
“The surgery was performed under IV sedation and local anesthesia. Dr. Karam said the procedure went according to plan, though he noted that swelling in the days following surgery often causes temporary worry among patients.
“Three, four days after, when the swelling gets really big, they get scared that they’re going to be the ‘exception’ because everything’s puffy,” he explained. “Then by day seven through 14 after surgery, things resolve fast.”
Tami stayed in California for a week to recover. She experienced swelling, which she described as the most surprising part of recovery. She also found the emotional impact more intense than expected.
“I thought, okay, I’ve got this. I want this so bad. I’ve heard of others saying there’s a mental aspect of it. It hits you and you’re thinking, why am I feeling this? What am I feeling? Why am I so emotional about the way my face looks?
” she said. “Maybe there’s a disconnect in what your brain sees and how you feel. Because I’m happy with everything. I love it. Everything went smoothly. It’s emotional.”
Tami has been sharing her recovery process on social media. She described herself as an “open book” and was comfortable documenting her journey publicly.
“Some of the comments are crazy,” she said. “They’re wild, but I enjoy that. I just laugh along with everybody.”
Many comments praised the subtlety of the results. Some people in her personal life, unaware she had surgery, asked if she had changed her hairstyle because they couldn’t pinpoint what looked different.”
They can’t pinpoint it, which is bizarre,” she said.Tami said she is pleased with her decision and inspired by others who shared their own cosmetic surgery journeys.”
We have these same emotions, ‘Oh, I don’t like the way I look today,’ or, ‘I’m not enjoying how I’m aging.’ So to see other women take this step and see positive results, that’s why this has resonated,” she said. “Not even just women — a lot of men are doing this now too, which I think is awesome. But why not? If you have the means to do this, do it. We remodel our homes and show everyone. You remodeled your face. It houses what our souls live in. It’s incredible.”