Fast approaching 70, Linda Truesdale wanted to turn back the hands of time.
Fortunately for Ms Truesdale, her son, Dr Carl Truesdale, is a plastic surgeon and he quickly went to work giving his mother a ‘mommy makeover.’
Over almost a year, Truesdale underwent more than five procedures, that saw nearly all the parts of her face and neck ‘lifted,’ as well as fat injected to add volume lost due to age.
Dr Truesdale, 36, said his mom had been asking for a facial rejuvenation for several years but he was apprehensive about operating on a family member.
However, the Beverly Hills based surgeon finally relented and went about designing a treatment plan.
Because of her age, Dr Carl decided to perform his mom’s facelift in two steps, as older people are more at risk of surgical complications when going under the knife.
But after months of procedures and painful recovery, Truesdale was so astounded by the results she said she looked younger than her daughter, who is 20 years her junior.
And her son joked that his work had turned his mother into his sister.
Linda Truesdale was 68 years old when she decided she wanted to get a facelift. Her son performed multiple lifts on her eyes, lips and neck
Dr Truesdale detailed his mom’s journey in one of his YouTube videos, telling viewers that ‘very, very few people can say that they’ve done their mom’s facelift.’
And while Dr Truesdale was hesitant to operate at first, his mom said she felt very comfortable with her son doing her surgery, as she has seen him grow into his profession as a top plastic surgeon.
The retiree said: ‘Carl was destined to do this, it was just meant to be.
‘I couldn’t imagine Carl doing anything else other than what he does and he has always researched.
‘A lot of times we see doctors and they do things because it’s the money.
‘[But] Carl… comes from the heart and he’s doing what he was purposed to do in life, so that’s the difference.’
For her first round of surgery in September 2023, Linda remained awake and said she felt very little pain.
During the first part of her facelift, Dr Truesdale cut extra skin away from her upper and lower eyelids and from under her nose, to give a more lifted look.
Linda said: ‘It was really surreal.. I asked him at one point “Carl are you finished?” and he’s like, “Mom I’m sewing you up now.”
‘It was just amazing to see that. I’m sitting there in the chair and I’m watching my son and looking at his hands and he’s doing what he does… [He’d] literally taken pieces off of my face and it was just an awesome experience.’
In a YouTube video, Linda is seen as she undergoes a nine-month transformation with a full facelift. She is pictured above after her face and neck lift
For the next round of more invasive procedures, Ms Truesdale was put to sleep with general anesthesia.
During this surgery, he performed a brow lift, a complete face and neck lift and he also transferred fat from one part of her body to her under eye and cheek areas for a more youthful look.
After this, Linda said she found the recovery period less arduous than she was expecting and there was little to no bruising or puffiness.
Recovery from a face and neck lift typically takes one to three weeks for most patients to return to their regular routine and some people experience extreme swelling and bruising.
When she returned home, she was instructed to keep her head elevated and her face iced.
Linda said: ‘It’s been way better than I thought it was supposed to be.
‘I really thought I was going to be in pain. I thought I wasn’t going to be able to move my head a certain way or just move in different positions but I mean nothing’s changed, except that I’m not laying on my back…. I’m staying elevated for the swelling.’
A few weeks after recovering, she completed her refreshed her look with a new wig.
The mom opted for shorter dark hair like she had when she was younger and she said the woman in the wig store called her ‘mama sexy’ when she revealed her finished look.
Linda Truesdale is seen, left, before her plastic surgery and, right, after her plastic surgery
For her first round of surgery, Linda stayed awake and she said she felt very little pain. However, for the more invasive procedures later on, she was put to sleep with general anesthesia (She is seen left before surgery and right after surgery)
Thrilled with her new appearance, Ms Truesdale said: ‘I have to make sure that I maintain [this] and that I keep a positive attitude.
‘We’re all aging but at 68, I feel great. This what I felt inside – the youthfulness – and now I can see it on the exterior.’
Her son added: ‘Most kids add wrinkles to their mothers’ faces, I was able to take some away which is really, really special.
‘She was already confident, she already had a beautiful personality but I see that youthfulness and I see that that vigor that’s returned in her. She’s looking really great.’
After making his mom’s transformation public, Dr Truesdale said he received criticism for operating on a family member.
But defending his decision to give his mom a facelift, he said: ‘A lot of people were saying my mom didn’t need surgery and I completely agree.
‘My philosophy with all plastic surgery right outside of the reconstructive things that we do… is [for people] to feel great about the way that they look.
‘I had the ability to do that for my mom. So even though she doesn’t need to look younger, it makes her life better… improves her quality of life and we only have so much time to live, so we better be as happy as we can be.
‘I personally know probably 10 surgeons who have done work on their family members. You know… their moms, their wives [but] there’s only a couple that I know have done it pretty publicly.’
