MACS face lift, fat injections and upper eyelid surgery in Hungary

Treatment: Facelift
Provider: Budapest Plastic Surgery
Date: Jun 2015

Full evaluation from Dean - former male model from Men’s Health magazine:

I will endeavour to make it as informative as possible for those of you who are considering cosmetic surgery abroad and in particular my review of Dr Rodrigo.

Just in case you do not wish to read the entire review I will say up front I am a 45 year old professional male, healthy with an active lifestyle and have recently undergone a MACS face lift, fat injections and upper eyelid surgery with Dr Vincente Rodrigo.  Now I have healed I can say without question the results are AMAZING.  He has turned back the clock in my case of at least 10 years if not more, made me look fresh and handsome again and simply made me glow inside.  The results are entirely natural, everyone has commented on how well I look but no one has guessed why. Confidence has returned in abundance and it feels great to walk tall again. I can’t stop smiling. Dr Rodrigo has lived up to everything I desired and more and is not only a genius but a cosmetic artist.

So why did I consider cosmetic surgery and what advice can I give?  Well perhaps first, may I mention that during my 30’s I was an attractive and somewhat handsome chap, even though I say so myself, and always received lots of positive attention and nice comments from the opposite sex.  However during my early to mid 40’s I noticed these comments had ceased, work, time and stresses of life had taken their toll, and I started to look rather drawn in the face and tired.  My upper eyelid also became a little saggy which added to the effect.  I would say I looked a few years older than my biological age and started to think about a face lift and upper eyelid surgery. My wife naturally said she thought I didn’t need one and that I looked fine the way I was, however looking in the mirror every morning I would think ‘where did that handsome youthful man go that used to stare  back at me.

Before I decided on a surgeon like most I thoroughly researched the procedures that I thought best suited my requirements, and all the possible complications etc. I would suggest everyone considering surgery do the same and spend as much time as possible on websites so you are fully aware of the procedures and the possible results.  MACS Lift, fat injections and upper eyelids is quite a lot but I was fairly sure this was the right combination for me.  In the UK this would cost anything up to around 10k which was simply too expensive so I decided to look abroad. In Hungary it is a fraction of the cost.

Around six years ago I went through the process of dental cosmetic surgery and chose Hungary as the destination. Once you get over the idea of going abroad for surgery of any kind it is in reality a very simple, extremely safe and cost effective process.  Choose a clinic,  book a budget flight over and stay a few days or week in a nice apartment/hotel to recover.  Hungary is extremely cheap still in this regard and is just a couple of hours flight from the UK.  As long as you choose your clinic wisely, the standard is every bit as high as in the UK and in many cases better.  You also normally get some down time to spend sight-seeing and relaxing in a wonderful historic city. 

Anyhow as a process I decided to shortlist three possible surgeons/clinics and present them with my very detailed set of questions. One bit of vital advice please please do not be afraid to ask anything and everything. This is a big decision and you have to be totally informed.  Dr Rodrigo entered my shortlist of three as his website was very informative as well as the reviews on What Clinic. He also specialises in facial beautifying procedures and is one of the most experienced surgeons in Hungary.  Please be wary of glossy websites or cosmetic brokers that offer the cheapest solution. They are very sales based and even attempted to get me to commit with discounts before answering all my questions or even disclosing the surgeon.  DO NOT book surgery or pay a deposit until you know at least who the surgeon is first.  Some of these sites after initially offering added discounts didn’t bother even to get back to me after I insisted they first disclose the surgeon!  All that happens is that you will in effect go to the surgeon or clinic that bids the least for your business, or pays the highest commission, no matter what their credentials. In effect these websites are no more than cosmetic brokers. A NO NO in my book!  I assume this is where the cosmetic horror stories originate from.

Anyhow no such problem exists with Dr Rodrigo.  His assistant Joanna works very closely with Dr Rodrigo and is simply wonderful both in disseminating information and pre and aftercare.  She and Dr Rodrigo are always on hand to answer questions.  A few things really stood out or shone for me regarding Dr Rodrigo  over and above any other surgeons/clinics.  The replies to my questions were extremely detailed and realistic. They are not sales orientated in any way.  In fact if anything they will advise more against a procedure if they do not believe it is the right one or a lesser procedure exists that would fit the bill.  Dr Rodrigo definitely cares more about the patient and the final results, his reputation than any financial benefits. Of this I am certain.  Also when I informed one of my other shortlisted surgeons that I had decided on Dr Rodrigo, he replied in an email that it was a very good choice and although he had not worked directly with Dr Rodrigo he personally had not heard anything except really nice things about him.   I could go on but everything including my instinct told me Dr Rodrigo was the right surgeon for the job.

Now just a little about the procedure and recovery.  I had a lower eyelid procedure done in my late 30’s with nice results in the UK and along with my dental cosmetic implants so am no stranger to  cosmetic procedures. A face lift is something entirely different however. It is the very essence of who we are and as a middle aged man it was vital for me to look younger but not different, restoration not alteration.  Naturally Dr Rodrigo knows far more about the desired procedures than I possibly could even after all the research I undertook. A surgeon has to be able to visualise the end results and how best to attain them which may be different than what we may think.  Communication is very important but most of all trust. If you have done your home work and communicated well hopefully you should feel more relaxed going into the procedure knowing that you are in safe and experienced hands.

I decided for local anaesthetic for the MACS lift and fat injections. I felt relaxed and confident of the results to expect before I was taken into surgery. Dr Rodrigo advised in my case against upper eyelid surgery at the same time but to first see the results after healing, then reassess if  6 or so weeks later  I still desired to proceed with upper eyelid at a later date. Although at first I desired the eyes to be done at the same time this turned out to be some excellent advice for a couple of reasons.  First after surgery I had read it was common to feel down, and perhaps emotionally exhausted the days following surgery.  This proved to be the case as after taking off the bandages the next day my face was extremely swollen. Nothing quite prepares you for it as you don’t really recognise yourself when you look in the mirror. It is so off putting, and at this stage you begin to doubt if you have done the right thing.  Your face may not heal evenly also, so despite reading lots of reassuring online information on the healing process you still wonder if it will be different in your case.  If only I could have foreseen the end results as Dr Rodrigo is able to then I would not have felt quite so anxious.  If I had had my upper eyelids done at the same time I think the anxiety of looking quite so different due to swelling and bruising may have been a bit too much.

On returning I was able to hide away from close friends for a good few weeks whilst I continued to heal.  On Xmas eve I stepped out in full Friends view at a get together at a pub. WOW! No-one could put their finger on it but the flattering comments just kept coming. I will never forget how that felt.  It was then that I truly knew I had done the right thing.  A couple of months later I was booked back in for my upper eyelids, and at the same time I was able to have some fine adjustments with some extra fat transfer injections.  Far less traumatic this time, and more cost effective as fat transfer with Dr Rodrigo costs much less if it is undertaken at the same time with another procedure.

Again and within just a couple of weeks was fully transformed even more so, and as I said at the beginning of this review feel a complete new man.  I just got back from my first summer holiday after surgery yesterday so have  taken my final days holiday today to write this review.  Holiday was amazing as people we met kept saying how fantastic I looked especially after I told them my age.  My wife can’t stop smiling too.  I walk around with a whole revitalised image of myself and this obviously projects to others in such a positive way.

I didn’t wish to post pictures of myself on the web simply for privacy reasons, however if you are curious of the ‘before and after pictures’ please contact Dr Rodrigo or better still Joanna at www.meditourist-budapest.com.

And they will email them over to you directly.  Simply see the difference for yourself.  Also I am happy to talk to you directly over the phone if you are considering a cosmetic procedure with Dr Rodrigo and in particular facial surgery and have questions or concerns you would like to ask someone who has actually gone through the procedure themselves.  Again just email Joanna and she will forward my contact details.

All there is left to say is ......Dr Rodrigo, thank you immensely,  I made a life changing decision and it truly has changed my life and outlook for the better.