Diary Of My Facelift

She’d been a scalpel skeptic, but after significant weight loss, a ’90s era model turned celebrated writer opted for a refresh over a rewind.

By

Deborah Gregory

 
Published April 03, 2026
image of facelift tools on an open journal
AARP (Getty Images, 2; Shutterstock)

Back in the 1990s, liposuction was the cosmetic surgery du jour. My skinny chef girlfriend, Ishbel, and I bought into the hype and signed up to have our saddlebags sucked away. When the results were virtually invisible, I wrote about the experience for Essence magazine, which landed me on Oprah. Seated beside world‑renowned plastic surgeon Dr. Sherrell J. Aston—whose patients reportedly included Jackie O., Anna Wintour, and Catherine Deneuve—I admitted on national television that lipo had done nothing for me. “It was like throwing a hot dog down the hallway,” I quipped, advising viewers to “treat yourself to a trip to Tahiti instead.”

That experience, combined with years of attending press events filled with celebrities who looked increasingly plastic, left me deeply suspicious of cosmetic surgery. One beloved Black celebrity in particular was clearly over‑nipped and over‑tucked—but my lips are sealed, although you have probably guessed her identity.

Like many women of color, I was aging just fine—until weight loss changed the conversation.

Fast forward to today, when facial fixer-uppers have replaced lipo as the most popular cosmetic enhancement. Like many women of color, I was aging just fine. But after a significant weight loss, even I noticed subtle laxity around my eyes and jawline. It wasn’t anything like the spider‑web wrinkles dominating the face of my darling blonde, blue‑eyed girlfriend Andrea—whom I had modeled with in Italy in the 1980s—but it bothered me.

Naturally, my New York friends dismissed my concerns, insisting I still looked fabulous. (My advice: don’t ask your friends.) I chalked it up to vanity—until a trip to Los Angeles last spring changed everything. I went to visit Andrea during a book‑signing trip, and my face dropped for entirely different reasons. She looked amazing. Her spider webs? Gone. Her disappearing chin line—a.k.a turkey neck? Gone.

I wasn’t chasing youth or my ’90s face—I just wanted to look like myself again.

Andrea couldn’t wait to spill her secret. “You have to go to Florida,” she cooed, praising Dr. John G. Westine, who had performed her eye, face, and neck lift, along with laser resurfacing, just a month earlier while she was visiting relatives in Delray Beach. Right before my eyes stood the answer to my saggy situation—and just like that, my disbelief in cosmetic surgery vanished.

As with most essential service providers—psychotherapists, dentists, primary care physicians, tailors, hairstylists—it is widely advised that potential clients seek referrals when selecting a board-certified plastic surgeon rather than relying on online searches and heavily retouched “before and after” images. I turned to my trusted podiatric‑surgeon girlfriend, Dr. Yolanda Ragland, who highly recommended Beverly Hills–based plastic surgeon Dr. Carl Truesdale. I watched an Instagram video of the facelift he performed on his mother. God bless him—he was a miracle worker.

But the surgery would require traveling to Los Angeles and multiple follow-up visits. I knew that wasn’t for me. Besides, I live in the greatest city in the world—surely New York had someone equally qualified.

Choosing a surgeon wasn’t about trends. It was about trust.

After gathering four additional recommendations—three of them men—I followed my instincts and booked my first consultation with Dr. Bianca Molina. (It’s a fact—the majority of plastic surgeons are men.) She is a woman of Latin descent and is widely praised for her excellent patient care. At her Fifth Avenue office, I was greeted by the lovely Erika Kulka, who oversees operations.

After examining my face and neck, Dr. Molina explained that for patients over 50, non‑surgical options such as fillers and Botox are often insufficient. Her recommendation was a full facelift, including the neck, plus revision of the upper and lower eyelids, known as blepharoplasty. Aging causes a loss of facial volume, she explained, and facelift procedures can restore some of that volume by transferring fat from the abdominal area to the under-eye and mid-face regions.

Laser resurfacing, she cautioned, is not always appropriate for patients with non-white skin, as it can cause hyperpigmentation and is generally reserved for treating fine lines, which are more common in Caucasian complexions. In my case, she noted, there were no sun spots, melasma, or uneven skin tone or texture, so additional procedures such as microneedling were unnecessary.

Confident in her assessment—and admittedly swayed by her demure demeanor and chic Chanel slippers—I canceled my remaining consultations.

AARP (Getty Images, 2; Courtesy Deborah Gregory, 3)

The fear wasn’t the pain—it was the unknown.

Once my surgery date was confirmed, the standard pre‑operative requirements were outlined, including medical clearance, lab work, and prescriptions commonly used to manage nausea, pain, and incision care. Smoking and vaping are discouraged for several weeks before and after surgery, as nicotine interferes with healing. Alcohol consumption is also restricted due to its impact on bruising and bleeding.

Although Dr. Molina is on staff at Lenox Hill Hospital, she prefers performing cosmetic procedures at Greenwich Street Surgical. Facelift surgery typically takes about six hours, followed by several hours of recovery as anesthesia wears off. Patients are discharged the same day and advised to have a responsible adult or medical professional assist them that evening.

In my case, my friend Duane took me home, and my former neighbor, Nurse Jenny (not Nurse Jackie), stayed on hand with throat lozenges and popsicles. A sore throat is common after general anesthesia. Patients are also advised to sleep on their backs initially and to move around periodically to reduce the risk of blood clots.

One of the most common questions patients are asked is whether the procedure is painful. In my experience, it wasn’t. I took two Tylenol the first night and nothing more. I returned to work within days and applied makeup again after four weeks.

The transformation was subtle—and that was the point.

Yes, I looked fabulous. The transformation was subtle, natural, and exactly what I wanted.

Full facelifts are a significant financial investment, typically ranging from $25,000 to $40,000. When performed by the right surgeon, many patients feel the results justify the cost. I do look slightly younger than my actual age—though I won’t kiss and tell.

Post‑operative care includes multiple follow‑up visits. Swelling is common and can appear in unexpected places; in my case, ankle edema resolved with dietary changes, leg elevation, and daily walking. While many surgeons schedule three or four post‑op visits, Dr. Molina prefers six or seven. By my six‑month follow‑up visit in January 2026, everything was healing beautifully.

Happy New Year, indeed.

Deborah Gregory is the New York Times bestselling author of the 16‑book tween series The Cheetah Girls and the Catwalk trilogy. She is also a former contributing writer for Essence magazine.