How This Woman in Her Late 40s Got Dramatic Results Without a Facelift
Three minimally invasive procedures added up for one big makeover for a famous beauty entrepreneur.
Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast/Getty/Sarmela Sunder
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When Alli Webb, a beauty entrepreneur in her late forties, noticed her facial structure changing with age, she sought guidance from a professional. Webb consulted Dr. Sarmela Sunder, a board-certified plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills, about both surgical and minimally invasive options.
Webb, the founder of Drybar and Messy by Alli Webb, wasn’t opposed to exploring a surgical option such as a facelift, but as a busy entrepreneur, wasn’t sure she wanted to commit to the long recovery process it would entail.
Alli Webb, prior to undergoing her procedures with Dr. Sunder.
Dr. Sarmela Sunder
Good Things Come in Threes
Ultimately, Webb and Dr. Sunder chose the minimally invasive trio of procedures, including:
- buccal fat removal
- chin and jawline liposuction
- a radiofrequency neck-tightening treatment
Where a facelift would’ve required weeks of recovery, the combination of procedures Webb underwent required only three to four days of downtime.
Webb’s procedures were completed in just 90 minutes. Each procedure took about 30 minutes, and everything was performed under twilight anesthesia.
Depending on your location in the U.S., Dr. Sunder explained that the cost of those combined procedures could range from $15,000 to $30,000.
Webb’s procedures, which were done in California, totaled to $28,500. For comparison, Dr. Sunder said a facelift typically costs between $55,000 and $150,000.
Before and after Alli's trio of procedures with Dr. Sunder.
Photo Illustration by Thomas Levinson/The Daily Beast/Getty/Sarmela Sunder
Aftercare & Healing
Aftercare for procedures like Webb’s isn’t too disruptive, Dr. Sunder told The Looker. She instructs her patients to wear a headwrap for swelling for five to seven days and to avoid exercise for at least one week.
Patients aren’t on bedrest, so much as “social downtime,” Dr. Sunder explained. Some might opt for prescription pain medication afterwards, but most do fine with extra-strength Tylenol as needed, the doctor said.
“You look really swollen for the first 24 to 48 hours,” Dr. Sunder said. If you have the ability to move your social calendar around post-surgery, you may want to do that.
What to Keep in Mind
Dr. Sunder said that part of why Webb’s makeover looked so good was that she had good skin quality to begin with. Not every patient who undergoes the same trio of procedures will achieve the same dramatic before-and-after results.
“Let’s say someone wanted to do this either at a later age, or had more laxity of their skin, they wouldn’t have gotten the [same] level of results,” Dr. Sunder said.
Webb, after her procedures with Dr. Sunder.
Dr. Sarmela Sunder
Ideally, a patient undergoing this trio of procedures would be in their late thirties or early forties for best results, the doctor added.
Ultimately, Dr. Sunder told The Looker, it is the surgeon’s responsibility to communicate realistic results to prospective patients on a case-by-case basis.
“[Alli] had good skin and good skin quality, and I was very clear in setting expectations for her,” Dr. Sunder added.
In Webb’s specific case, it was a good bet: She achieved results comparable to those of a facelift—and at a fraction of the cost and time, with a much shorter recovery period.