There are many motivations for considering cosmetic surgery. For Audrey, it was recovering after the loss of her husband. She also moved to San Diego to be closer to her son.

As Audrey dealt with her husband’s death and her relocation, her appearance changed. Looking in the mirror, she noticed her eyes were “so tired and wrinkled”. She decided she wanted her former confidence back.

Audrey called LJCSC asking to see Dr. Johan Brahme about an eyelid lift and a tummy tuck, too, “From there, I made what I truly believe was the best choice I’ve ever made”. Audrey felt confident and “excited” when she left the Centre. She knew she’d selected a great surgeon who really listened to her.

South African born Susan’s life is never dull. While maintaining a web design business and sailing on the competitive circuit, she is also a single mom. In the last 15 years of living in the U.S., Susan has developed a passion for sailing. She has done everything from LEMWOD to Newport to Ensenada (twice!) in the Long Beach Yacht club, an all-women’s match race on the Catalina 37s.

Susan promised she would have cosmetic surgery done before her fiftieth birthday. When the time came, she kept her promise and decided on a facelift and breast augmentation. Choosing the right surgeon was of utmost importance to her.

by Johan E. Brahme, MD

Dr. Johan Brahme

A recent article in the blog “mashedplastic” (link below) explores the unique features of facial aging. We used to think that all components of the face (cheeks, chin, jowls, neck, eyes, and forehead, etc.) aged in a uniform, predictable manner.

However, in reality what we are finding is that is that in some people the neck tends to age more than the eyes, or the cheeks tend to fall more than the forehead. The cause of this is poorly understood but may relate to genetics. It is only reasonable to suspect that if your mother or father had a “turkey neck” you may be at risk for this as well, if you look like them to begin with.

If Suzanne’s friends and family were to vote someone “least likely to have cosmetic surgery,” she would have been the winner. Never much into primping or giving attention to her appearance, one day Suzanne hit a turning point.

“I would have to say that there comes a moment when you catch a glance of yourself in the mirror and think, who is that old woman?,” she states as she recalls her father affectionately calling her mother “the lion” because of her wrinkles and loose skin.

There seems to be a point when the face or body in the mirror feels out of sync with inner feelings or desires. Julie remembers experiencing those exact emotions. “I’m realistic. I wasn’t wanting to look 20 years younger, but I knew that my face wasn’t representing the real me.”

Like many patients, several years after her first laser procedure, Julie decided that tightening the skin on her face would enhance her appearance. She didn’t have to go far to find the perfect plastic surgeon for her surgery. Julie consulted with board certified plastic surgeon Dr. Joseph Grzeskiewicz (“Dr. G”).