Ideal candidates for surgery are medically healthy, at a stable weight, do not smoke or drink heavily, and have realistic expectations. If you have underlying health conditions, Dr. Umstattd will request a letter of medical clearance from your primary doctor. Routine laboratory tests are run on most patients prior to surgery.

For rejuvenative procedures (i.e., facelift, brow lift), the surgery is intended to have long-term results. You will, however, continue to age. The primary goal is to look like yourself, but more refreshed and youthful. Natural aging, which is influenced heavily by genetics, lifestyle, and weight fluctuations, will continue to occur after surgery.

Dr. Umstattd performs all procedures in our state-licensed operating room in partnership with a board-certified Anesthesiologist. Depending on the extent of the procedure and your preferences, we are capable of providing a full range of anesthesia, from local (numbing injections) to general anesthesia (completely asleep and unaware). For most invasive procedures, Dr. Umstattd typically recommends IV sedation or general anesthesia.

Scars vary from person to person. If you have an incision, there will be a scar. The key is for your surgeon to use techniques to minimize scarring as much as possible. Scars evolve over time and typically take 12 months to become fully mature. For the first 6 to 12 weeks, scars will be pink. With time, the pinkness fades to more of a natural, flesh tone color. To achieve the best results, patients should closely follow postoperative instructions and avoid excess sun exposure.

Facial and neck fat often respond differently to weight loss as compared to fat stored elsewhere in the body. It can be challenging to lose this fat without surgical intervention, sometimes even with dramatic weight loss. In terms of postoperative healing, it’s best to proceed with surgery when weight has been stable for several months.

Selecting your surgeon is a big decision. It's best to choose someone who has the training and expertise that is required to achieve a safe, quality, and natural-appearing result. The doctor-patient relationship is key in ensuring goals are discussed and expectations are met. Dr. Lauren Umstattd is board-certified, has dedicated her career to cosmetic surgery of the face and neck, and brings a unique female perspective to the table.

All of our pricing is available at faceleawood.com/pricing.

Our pricing includes nearly everything. The one fee includes the surgery, Dr. Umstattd's professional fee, the operating room and it's supplies, Anesthesia, postoperative supplies, and all postoperative care. The only thing it doesn't cover is your prescriptions for after surgery.

Typically, 1-4 months out. Occasionally, we have last minute openings become available. Some patients opt to schedule their surgical consultation a few months prior to when they'd be looking to have their surgery done. Others opt to come in for the surgical consultation and then schedule their surgery 6+ months out to reserve their surgery date.

Downtime varies significantly - individual patient, procedure being done, and your definition of downtime. Some patients are okay easing back into daily activities, work, etc. while they're still a bit bruised and swollen. Others prefer to wait until the majority of swelling and bruising have resolved until their return to work and social activities.

Yes. All patients receiving any form of IV sedation are required to have a responsible adult drive them home and be with them for the first 24 hours following surgery.

In order to begin driving again, you need to be off all prescription pain medication and you need to be able to turn your head quick enough to respond to surrounding traffic. For smaller procedures like blepharoplasty, chin implant, and rhinoplasty, that may be 3-4 days after surgery. For larger procedures like neck lift and facelift, that may be 1-3 weeks.

Depending on your age and health status, we may obtain updated labs and/or clearance from your primary care provider. This is discussed in detail at your surgical consultation with Dr. Umstattd.

The recovery process begins once you arrive in the recovery room on the day of surgery. While all patients heal at different intervals, we give a time frame of 6-12 months of healing for our major surgeries before long term results can be assessed. Final results require patience, and all good things come with time.

While pain differs from person to person, the majority of our patients have found scheduled Tylenol is adequate in keeping the pain to a minimum after surgery. Prescription strength options are available and are discussed at your pre-operative appointment.

Respecting your privacy is paramount to us at FACE Leawood. Our surgery center is private from all other areas of the building. All of your personal information (health, financial, photos, etc.) is kept completely private and only accessed by the FACE Leawood Team as needed, and is never shared. We always ask permission when using before and after photos in any capacity.

Aside from Dr. Umstattd, we have two staff RNs, a Scrub Technician/First Assist, and our Anesthesia provider who all assist in a given procedure. You can meet the team at the Our Team link.

This is one of the toughest questions to answer because everyone defines downtime a little differently. For most surgical procedures, I advise patients to take a minimum of 2 weeks off of work and social activities. At 2 weeks, most patients feel comfortable walking around the grocery store or being around strangers. At 3-4 weeks, most patients are comfortable re-engaging in more intimate social events.

Stitches are typically removed 5-7 days after surgery. If used, drains are removed 3-6 days after surgery.

For face and neck surgeries, I typically advise a minimum of 2 weeks off work. For rhinoplasty, I recommend a minimum of 1 week off work. For more public facing positions where patients want to look their best before returning to work, you may want to plan for 3-4 weeks off work.

At a minimum, we advise at least 4 weeks between surgery and re-initiating routine neuromodulators (i.e., Botox) and skincare treatments (e.g., facials, chemical peels, microneedling).

Procedures vary significantly in length. Eyelid, or blepharoplasty, surgery typically takes 30-45 minutes. Full face rejuvenation (e.g., facelift, neck lift, upper and lower eyelid surgery, brow lift, lip lift) may take 6-7+ hours.

Most of the procedures we do are done under IV sedation, or MAC (monitored anesthesia care). You are completely asleep and have no recollection of the procedure nor feel any pain. This allows a smoother wakeup and lower incidence of nausea/vomiting postoperatively. Occasionally, based on the patient's medical comorbidities and/or procedure length, our anesthesia provider may place a breathing tube.

100% normal. Even though we do the same surgery on each side, it's very common for one side to swell and/or bruise a bit more than the other. During the recovery phase, Dr. Umstattd likes to see you back frequently to ensure it's a normal amount of swelling/bruising.

Suture and drain removal are often much easier on the patient than they anticipate. You have a fair amount of numbness in the operated regions, which is helpful during suture and drain removal. We do not routinely recommend taking pain medication prior to those appointments.