Before

It's two days before my mini-lift is scheduled and I've had my sweet, indulgent husband take "before" photos. In all the ads and all the web sites that show before and after photos of plastic surgery, the before photos are always taken when the patient looks their very worst; no makeup, hair straggly or pulled back, harsh lighting, pre-surgery anxiety adding to the horror. This, of course, is designed to make the "after" pix that much more amazing in their transformation.

Hooey.

I wanted a before photo that shows me at my current best; makeup on, hair combed, good lights. That way there would be a more "apple to apple" comparison for judging the overall results. So here they are in all their reveling glory: my Before Pictures

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This one was taken with a flash, which washes out the dark circles under my eyes and softens the lines running from my nose to my mouth. Unfortunately, such flattering lighting isn't how most people see me. This is:



The side views show where my face is starting to slide:



And there's where you see the start of Mom's double chins.

(And Honey, thanks for the soft focus, but even that doesn't help much.)

It should be said that I've spent most of the past 6 months getting myself into shape physically; I've been following an extreme workout program that has given my a body better than what I had 20 years ago. So now that I have the body of a 30 year old (OK, a 40 year old in good shape) I want the face to match. Two days to go....