Why I Got a Facelift (And Why It Had Nothing to Do With Low Self-Esteem)
This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through my Amazon storefront, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
Since sharing my facelift journey, I've read a lot of comments. Many of you have been kind, curious, and supportive. Some of you have told me I must not be mentally well, or that I clearly struggle with self-esteem.
I want to answer that honestly, because I think it points to a bigger misconception about why people choose plastic surgery.
I didn't get a facelift because I disliked myself. I got one because I like myself very much.
It Started With My Mom
My mom had a facelift years ago. I watched her go through it, and I've watched her enjoy the results ever since. She's in her 80s now and still happy with her decision.
So for me, there was never any stigma attached to it. I didn't grow up thinking of cosmetic surgery as something shameful or something only insecure people do. I grew up seeing a woman I admire make a choice for herself and feel great about it for decades.
I always knew that when the time came, I would do the same.
This Wasn't My First Surgery
About 17 years ago, I had a breast reduction. It was one of the best decisions I've ever made.
Most people assume a reduction is done for back or neck pain. That's true for a lot of women, but it wasn't my reason. I did it because I wanted to feel comfortable in my own skin. I wanted clothes to fit the way I wanted them to. And I wanted people to see me first, not my chest.
They were quite literally a weight pulling me down. Once it was lifted, I felt lighter in every sense.
Seventeen years later, I've never regretted it. So when people suggest my facelift was an impulsive or emotional decision, I think about that surgery. I know what it feels like to make a thoughtful choice for myself and live happily with it for a long time.
Losing 70 Pounds Changed My Skin
A few years ago, I lost 70 pounds. I'm proud of that work, and it changed my health and energy in ways I'm grateful for every day.
But skin doesn't always get the memo. After the weight came off, the skin on my face and neck didn't bounce back. It sagged, especially under my chin.
Here's the best way I can explain how I thought about it.
Imagine you have a favorite outfit. You absolutely love it. Then you lose weight, and it doesn't fit anymore. You have three choices. You can keep wearing it baggy and loose. You can get rid of it. Or you can take it to a really talented tailor and have it fitted to the body you have now.
I chose the tailor.
I didn't want a new outfit. I loved the one I had. I just wanted it to fit.
"But You Were Beautiful Before!"
I hear this one a lot, and I know it usually comes from a kind place. But here's the thing: I never thought I wasn't.
I never looked in the mirror and thought I was ugly. I wasn't trying to become someone else or chase a different face. I didn't want to change the way I look. I wanted to tighten things up.
I feel energetic, youthful, and fresh on the inside. I wanted the outside to match that a little more closely.
What I Actually Wanted to Improve
My goals were specific.
Under my chin. The skin there had become very saggy and wrinkly, and I had a double chin that no amount of healthy eating was going to fix. This was the area that bothered me most.
Under my eyes. The skin there had become very crepey and thin. This wasn't only cosmetic. It was often irritated, dry, and red, and I even dealt with infections in that area. Addressing it was as much about comfort as appearance.
My smile. I smile with my whole face, especially my eyes. But the skin around my eyes just didn't reflect how I felt on the inside. When I was genuinely happy, the tired, crepey skin told a different story than the one I was living.
A Gift I Gave Myself
I see this surgery as an act of self-care. Not a fix for something broken, but a gift.
We give ourselves gifts all the time. A vacation. A great pair of shoes. A personal trainer. A skincare routine. Therapy. Time off. This was a bigger gift, and one I thought about carefully for years, but the motivation was the same.
I did this because I love myself. And because I love myself, I wanted to give myself this.
More Common Than You Think
I'm not the only person in my life who has had plastic surgery. Several family members and friends have had procedures too. Most of them have never talked about it publicly.
That's their right. Nobody owes anyone an explanation for choices about their own body. But I do think a lot of people stay quiet because they're worried about what others will think. They've seen the comments. They've heard the assumptions.
The result is that plastic surgery looks like a rare, extreme choice, when it's actually far more common than most people realize. According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, about 1.5 million cosmetic surgeries were performed in the U.S. in 2025, and that number is growing.
Even more telling, most people aren't chasing a dramatic new look. The biggest driver was restoration after weight loss, aging, and other life changes. In other words, a lot of women are taking their favorite outfit to the tailor, just like I did.
Chances are, someone you know and love has had something done. You just don't know about it.
Source: American Society of Plastic Surgeons, 2025 Procedural Statistics Report (plasticsurgery.org)
Why I Shared the Whole Journey
When I started researching facelifts, I found plenty of before and after photos. What I rarely found was the in-between. The swelling, the bruising, the discomfort, the emotional ups and downs, the days when you wonder what you've done. The actual journey.
I wanted to be as informed as possible before making my decision, and that information was hard to come by.
So I made a decision of my own. If I was going to do this, I was going to show people what it really looked and felt like. Not just the polished result, but every step of getting there.
I did it for the women who have a surgery date on the calendar and are nervous about what's ahead. I did it for the women who are still considering it and want an honest picture before they commit. I wanted them to have what I couldn't find.
Sharing openly is also just who I am. I share my life with my audience, and over the years, you've become part of my life. You're my friends, and I talk to you the way I'd talk to a friend. I believe that when we're open and willing to be vulnerable, we help each other. People feel less alone and less isolated when someone else goes first.
That's also why I created The Facelift Comfort Guide. It's everything I wish I'd had before my surgery: how I prepared, what made recovery more comfortable, and the honest details I couldn't find anywhere else. It comes with The Facelift Comfort Kit, a set of printable checklists and planning sheets, and there's a phone-friendly edition so you can keep it with you through recovery. It isn't medical advice (that's what your surgeon is for), but it's the practical, woman-to-woman guidance I was looking for.
I also kept track of the products that genuinely made life easier during recovery, from the first few days through the weeks after. I've gathered them all in one place on my Amazon storefront so you don't have to hunt for them.
If you have a surgery on the calendar or you're still deciding, I hope my story, the guide, and these products help you feel more prepared and a lot less alone.
Different Reasons, Different Stories
I'm not writing this to convince anyone to get plastic surgery. It's a personal decision, and it isn't right for everyone. There are real risks, real costs, and real recovery time, and anyone considering it deserves to weigh those honestly with a qualified surgeon.
What I am asking is that we stop assuming every person who makes this choice is running from something. Some of us are simply running toward something. For me, that was looking on the outside the way I've felt on the inside for a long time.
And honestly? I think my mom would say the same thing.
Comments