When Betty looks in the mirror today, she sees a face that finally matches how she feels inside. But it wasn’t always that way. After undergoing weight-loss surgery in 2023 and losing a significant amount of weight, she was faced with a new challenge: the visible signs of facial aging that had been hiding under the volume she lost.
“I’ve always been good about my skin,” Betty says. “I’ve been on tretinoin since it was first approved in the late ’80s for wrinkle prevention. A facelift was always something I considered, but it wasn’t until I lost all the fat in my face that it became a priority. The sagging just exaggerated everything.”
She turned to Houston plastic surgeon Henry Mentz, MD, encouraged by a close friend who had also undergone a deep plane facelift with him. “That really pushed me over the line,” she says. “A lot of my friends were getting facelifts. I thought, ‘Why not me?’”
A Customized Approach
Dr. Mentz performed a comprehensive facial rejuvenation that included a deep plane facelift, necklift, lower blepharoplasty, fractional CO2 laser on the face, neck and hands and a subtle touch, a half lip lift, performed only on the left side. “My left lip was always thinner and more droopy,” Betty explains. “It was one of the things that bothered me the most about my face after the weight loss. So I had just one side lifted to balance everything out.”
According to Dr. Mentz, tailoring the approach to each patient is key. “Most patients have a blend of aging concerns—skin laxity, soft tissue descent and volume loss,” he says. “Each of those has to be addressed in a different way, but all in unison to achieve balance and harmony. That’s what creates natural-looking results.”
Betty underwent a deep plane facelift, necklift, lower blepharoplasty, a half lip lift and CO2 laser on her face, neck and hands—all in a single surgery day. Of her transformation, she says, “I’ve come this far—I wanted to finish it.”
He adds that deep plane facelifts, which re-position the descending soft tissue and tighten skin, are especially durable: “It’s not always the easiest recovery, but in my hands, it lasts the longest.”
The Recovery and Reveal
Despite the number of procedures, Betty describes her recovery as surprisingly manageable. “There was very little pain,” she says. “I had some numbness and odd sensations, but I was out at a public event two weeks later with makeup on. People knew, but they were impressed.”
She also documented her progress online. “I was very open about my weight-loss surgery, and I’ve continued that with my facelift,” she says. “I feel like if I can help someone else by being honest, then why not?”
A Journey Completed
Before her facelift, Betty had already undergone body contouring procedures: a lower body lift and brachioplasty for excess skin. “After that, my face didn’t match the rest of me,” she says. “The facelift was the final cherry on top.”
At nearly 71, Betty has no regrets. “Everything I did was for me. My husband didn’t care either way, but I did. I’ve come this far. I wanted to finish it.” Her advice for others considering a facelift later in life? “You’re never too old. Find a qualified surgeon, gather your data and get into a supportive community. There’s a lot of information out there, you just have to be willing to explore it.”
And perhaps most importantly: “If it bothers you when you look in the mirror, it’s okay to do something about it.”
