“I call it The Masterpiece Surgery™ because a face should be treated as a beautiful and balanced composition, not a checklist of individual procedures. When I operate, I am not fixing features in isolation — I am restoring the entire face the way a portrait artist honors a subject. That is why my patients look like themselves again: rested, restored, unmistakably them. One vision. One pair of hands. One recovery. One unique masterpiece.”
What The Masterpiece Surgery™ can do for you
The Masterpiece Surgery™ is life-changing — not because it makes you look like someone else, but because it gives you back the version of yourself you’ve always felt inside. In a single coordinated session, Dr. Truesdale restores every layer at once: skin, volume, muscle, and structure. You emerge unmistakably you — only rested, radiant, and ready for the next chapter of your life.
- See yourself again. Stop catching a tired stranger in the mirror. Start recognizing the person you’ve always known yourself to be.
- Reclaim your confidence. Show up in photos, on Zoom, at reunions, in the rooms that matter — no filters, no flattering angles, no apology.
- Wake up ready. Your resting face becomes the face you want the world to see. Makeup is optional. You feel comfortable in your own skin.
- Look natural — never overdone. Every contour is balanced. No pulled look, no frozen expression. Rested. Radiant. Unmistakably you.
- Be noticed for your energy, not your age. Friends will tell you you look incredible. They won’t be able to say exactly why. That’s the result Dr. Truesdale designs for.
Ready to discuss your masterpiece surgery goals?
Understanding The Masterpiece Surgery™
What The Masterpiece Surgery™ is
The Masterpiece Surgery™ is Dr. Truesdale’s signature approach — a comprehensive, coordinated rejuvenation delivered in a single session. Patients emerge with a harmoniously refreshed face, not a collection of isolated results.
The Masterpiece Surgery™ most commonly includes a deep plane facelift and deep neck lift, combined with any additional procedures needed to fully reach a patient’s goals for total rejuvenation — such as upper and lower blepharoplasty, fat transfer, brow lift, and skin resurfacing laser treatment.
At its foundation is The Truesdale Facelift Technique — Dr. Truesdale’s signature extended deep plane, composite-flap face and neck lift, described step by step.
Who The Masterpiece Surgery™ is for
What makes Dr. Truesdale’s approach different
Dr. Truesdale’s approach to every procedure reflects a consistent set of principles — the same standards that inform every consultation, every surgical plan, and every post-operative follow-up.
Restraint, Not Over-Correction
The most over-done procedures in facial aesthetics are over-done because someone kept going past the right stopping point. Dr. Truesdale's rule: when the result is right, stop — even if more could technically be done. For The Masterpiece Surgery™, that means including only the procedures genuinely needed for your goals — never the longest possible plan.
The Artist's Eye
Before becoming a surgeon, Dr. Truesdale was a trained portrait artist. That lens shapes every decision — proportion, light, shadow, the relationship between every feature — in a way purely clinical training alone does not. For The Masterpiece Surgery™, that lens reads how every region of the face will harmonize with the rest after the final result.
Personal, Start to Finish
Every consultation, every surgical plan, every procedure — performed personally by Dr. Truesdale. No delegation to coordinators, PAs, or residents. Dr. Truesdale is personally involved every step of the way. Every Masterpiece Surgery™ is planned and performed entirely by Dr. Truesdale — one surgeon, one operation, one vision.
Natural Is Non-Negotiable
The only acceptable outcome is one that no one can identify as a procedure — a result that reads as a better version of you. No pulled look, no frozen expression, no obvious work. The Masterpiece goal: a comprehensive transformation that reads as a single, harmonious version of you, never as a collection of procedures.
“Many patients come to my practice because of the transformative results they see on my social media pages, videos, or website. Many of my most beautiful and age-defying transformations are from patients who fully trusted me to create their surgical plan, rather than providing them a ‘menu’ of surgical options to choose from. Patients are almost always happiest when they let me use my expertise to deliver the most life-changing, most balanced, and most beautiful result — using whatever procedures are required to get them there. The Masterpiece Surgery™ lets me use my full set of surgical skills and my artist’s eye to take back the hands of time in the profoundest way possible.”
— Dr. Carl Truesdale, MD
Ready to discuss whether The Masterpiece Surgery™ is right for you?
Life Changing Before & Afters
Real Masterpiece Surgery™ patients of Dr. Truesdale. Each result reflects a customized combination of procedures designed for that individual’s anatomy and goals.
From first consultation to final reveal
We always tell our patients to ‘trust the process.’ You are in good hands on every step of the journey to your unique masterpiece.
Consultation
Personal session with Dr. Truesdale — facial analysis, digital imaging, honest assessment of what the procedure can and cannot achieve.
Planning
Medical clearance, pre-operative instructions, and a personalized plan Dr. Truesdale reviews with you before the day of the procedure.
Procedure Day
Performed personally by Dr. Truesdale at our AAAHC-accredited True Surgical Center. The combined plan typically includes deep plane facelift, neck lift, blepharoplasty, fat transfer, and skin resurfacing in a single session.
In-Office Follow-Ups
Overnight nurse. Dressing removal (Day 1), hemostatic net suture removal (Day 2) and drain removal (Day 3, if drains were placed; for men, drains usually come out on Day 5). Sutures out at Day 7. Plan on about a week in Beverly Hills — most patients fly home the day their sutures come out or the day after.
Swelling Settles
Bruising and major swelling resolve. Light cardio at Day 14; strenuous exercise around 3 weeks, once your surgeon clears you. Tightness and numbness improve over 2–3 months.
Your Masterpiece
Your masterpiece is fully revealed. Results typically hold for 10–15 years before aging meaningfully resumes.
Individual timelines vary. Dr. Truesdale sets realistic, patient-specific expectations during your consultation — not exaggerated claims.
See if The Masterpiece Surgery™ is right for you.
See the work in motion
Dr. Truesdale on technique, philosophy, and patient stories — from his self-produced Beyond the Surface docuseries and his educational content library.
“The best money I have ever spent on myself. I look refreshed without looking stretched or fake, with the most sharpened jawline, tight neck, and plump skin imaginable. Dr. Truesdale’s work is subtle and natural — people just ask if I lost weight or got a facial. Trust him: you’ll still look like you, only way better.”
The Masterpiece Surgery™ in Beverly Hills: the essentials
- Your surgeon
- Dr. Truesdale personally, who plans and performs every Masterpiece Surgery™.
- Where
- True Surgical Center, the AAAHC-accredited surgical center at 150 S. Rodeo Drive, Suite 220, Beverly Hills.
- Anesthesia
- MAC (monitored anesthesia care) with IV sedation rather than general anesthesia, given and watched throughout by a board-certified anesthesiologist.
- Time in surgery
- About 5 to 8 hours, depending on the procedures in your plan.
- The first night
- One of our nurses takes you back to your hotel or aftercare suite and stays with you overnight.
- First-week visits
- Day 1 dressing off · Day 2 hemostatic net out · Day 3 drains out (Day 5 for men) · Day 7 sutures out.
- If you travel
- Arrive at least a day before surgery and plan on 7 to 10 days in Beverly Hills, staying within 20 minutes of the office.
- Back in public
- Most patients plan on 2 to 3 weeks before they feel ready to be seen.
- Exercise
- Light cardio at 2 weeks; heavier exercise at about 3 weeks, once Dr. Truesdale clears you.
- Final result
- Bruising and most swelling settle over the first weeks; full healing takes 6 to 12 months.
The facts patients ask about first. Every plan is personal, so Dr. Truesdale confirms each of these for you at your consultation. Recovery, week by week
What happens on surgery day
The Masterpiece Surgery™ is one operation, under one anesthesia, built on the deep plane face and neck lift. Here is what the day looks like for you.
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01Before you go in
You arrive at True Surgical Center having had nothing to eat or drink after midnight. You meet your anesthesiologist, and Dr. Truesdale goes over the plan with you before you go into the operating room.
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02One plan, set before surgery
Your plan is made with Dr. Truesdale at your consultation: the deep plane face and neck lift at its foundation, with only the procedures your face needs added to it, such as upper and lower eyelid surgery, a brow lift, fat transfer or skin resurfacing.
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03The neck, then the face
The face and neck lift follows The Truesdale Facelift Technique. The deep neck is corrected first, through an incision of about 2 to 2.5 cm hidden under the chin. Then the face: incisions hidden in the hair of the temple and along the inside edge of the ear’s cartilage, and the cheek, jowl and neck tissues lifted together as one unit.
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04Volume and the added procedures
When your plan includes fat transfer, volume lost with age is restored with your own fat. The other procedures in your plan are done in the same session, so you have one recovery instead of several.
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05Closing and going home
Only the skin that is truly extra is trimmed, and the incisions are closed with very fine sutures. A compression dressing goes on, and small drains may be placed for the first few days. A nurse takes you back to your hotel or aftercare suite and stays the night, and you come back to the office the next morning for your Day 1 visit.
The Truesdale Facelift Technique, step by step → · The deep plane face and neck lift · Combining procedures: what works well together
Masterpiece Surgery™ recovery, week by week
Your recovery follows the face and neck lift protocol our patients receive in writing before surgery. The detailed instructions below come straight from it, so they change only when Dr. Truesdale changes them.
Swelling and bruising, with a nurse with you the first night. Office visits on Days 1, 2 and 3 (Day 5 for men’s drains) and Day 7, when sutures come out. Body shower only, face dry, until your drains are out. Sleep with your head raised, ice 20 minutes on and 20 off, walk from the first day, and move your head and shoulders together. Added procedures, such as eyelid surgery or fat transfer, have their own instructions on their pages and in the full post-operative care guide.
Bruising and swelling ease. Start silicone scar gel two days after your sutures come out, twice a day for a month. Light cardio from Day 14, light earrings from 2 weeks.
No bending, heavy lifting or straining until 3 weeks; heavier exercise then, once Dr. Truesdale clears you. Most patients feel ready to be seen at 2 to 3 weeks. Hair color from 1 month. SPF 50, a hat and limited sun for 6 weeks.
Tightness and numbness ease over 2 to 3 months, and full healing takes 6 to 12 months. Follow-ups at 1 week, 1 month and 3 months with Dr. Truesdale; optional visits at 6 months and 1 year.
Your detailed instructions
One of our nurses will accompany you back to your accommodation and stay with you overnight. You will have a facial compression garment, sutures, and possibly staples. Drains may be in place to collect excess fluid and reduce swelling. It is normal to feel drowsy, swollen, and bruised, with significant eye swelling that may make it difficult to open your eyes.
Return to the office for your Day 1 visit; your dressing is removed. Until your drains are out, take a body shower only and keep your face dry. Do not scrub or pick. Brush teeth gently with a small toothbrush. Clean incisions with gentle soap and water to remove dried blood, crusts, or scabs; pat dry, then apply a thin layer of Aquaphor.
Return to the office on Day 2 for hemostatic net suture removal, and on Day 3 for drain removal (if drains were placed). For men, drains usually come out on Day 5. Once your drains are out, you may take a full shower and gently wash your hair in cool to lukewarm water. Continue cleaning incisions with gentle soap and water to remove any dried blood or crust, then keep them moist with a thin layer of Aquaphor.
Wash your hands before touching your drains or dressing. Gently strip ('milk') the tubing as you were shown. Once a day, at the same time each day, record the time and the amount, pour out the fluid, then squeeze the bulb and recap it; keep the bulb secured inside your dressing or clothing. You'll come back to the office on Day 1, Day 2 and Day 3. Your hemostatic net comes off on Day 2, and your drains come out on Day 3 with our physician assistant; for men, drains usually come out on Day 5, unless Dr. Truesdale tells you otherwise. Removal can be uncomfortable.
If you have staples in your hairline or scalp, they stay in until your Day 7 visit. Keep them clean with mild soap and water. Don't let blood dry or crust on the incisions — soften and rinse it away with water, without scrubbing or picking. Apply a very light layer of Aquaphor along the incision line. Be gentle with the hair around it: no tight hairstyles, ponytails, or anything that pulls on the scalp.
Apply ice compresses with a cloth barrier — never directly on skin — 20 minutes on, 20 minutes off, for five days to a week after every procedure. This is when it helps most. You don't need to ice while you sleep.
Sutures and surgical staples are removed on Day 7. Be gentle with incisions thereafter — they will not yet have full strength. Do not pull your ear forward.
Keep incisions clean and moist at all times. Wash your hands thoroughly before touching any incision area. Keep incisions out of direct sunlight.
Sleep on your back with your head elevated on two to three pillows, a wedge pillow, or a recliner, for the full first two weeks. Do not sleep flat — it significantly increases swelling. Move your head and shoulders as a unit, and avoid straining or bending your neck.
Light walking is encouraged from day one — it promotes circulation and reduces clot risk. No heavy lifting, bending at the waist, or straining for three weeks. Avoid any activity that raises blood pressure. Light cardio — elliptical, spin bike, low resistance — may resume at two weeks, for every procedure. Confirm with your surgeon at your follow-up before increasing intensity. Heavy cardio, weightlifting, bending over, yoga, and Pilates typically resume at three weeks — once your surgeon clears you at a follow-up. Three weeks is a judgment, not a date that clears itself.
Plan to arrive at least a day before surgery and to be here for 7 to 10 days; we'll confirm the right length of stay for your surgery. Please stay within 20 minutes of our office, even in heavy traffic: one of our preferred hotels, or Luxe Serenity Aftercare, which we can help you book. Your hotel and travel arrangements, and their costs, are your responsibility. You'll come back to the office on Day 1, Day 2 and Day 3: our physician assistant removes your hemostatic net on Day 2 and your drains on Day 3 (for men, drains usually come out on Day 5); Dr. Truesdale removes your sutures on Day 7.
You may color your hair again one month after surgery — the same for every procedure. No heat on your hair or scalp for one month after surgery: a blow-dryer on the cool setting is fine, but no warm or hot settings and no hot tools. The skin around your incisions stays numb for a while, so you may not feel how hot it's getting, and heat can burn the healing area. Light earrings may be worn at 2 weeks post-op if desired.
Avoid alcohol and salt during recovery — both worsen swelling. Avoid hot baths and saunas. Wear front-closing or zip-front clothing for easier dressing.
Use SPF 50 daily, wear a hat when you can, and limit sun exposure — for at least six weeks once you are cleared.
Makeup may be applied to surrounding skin (not over incisions) once sutures are removed. Makeup may be applied to incisions another 7 days after suture removal — only after Dr. Truesdale has confirmed adequate healing.
Two days after sutures are removed, begin applying silicone scar gel twice daily to the incisions for the next month. Thickness, pain or itching behind your ears after a face lift or neck lift can be a keloid starting to form. Call us as soon as you notice it: a steroid injection given early prevents it.
Full post-operative care guide · Preparing for surgery · Traveling for surgery
Masterpiece Surgery™ risks, and how we keep you safe
Every operation carries risk. Dr. Truesdale goes through the risks that apply to your plan at your consultation, and each one is written in the consent you read and sign. For the deep plane face and neck lift at the heart of every Masterpiece, the consent lists:
- Nerve Injury. Weakness of the facial muscles from injury to a branch of the facial nerve is possible; it may be temporary or permanent.
- Numbness. Numbness of the cheeks, ears, earlobes or neck is possible and may last months; it may be temporary or permanent.
- Hematoma, Seroma or Sialoma. A collection of blood under the skin (hematoma) is the most common early problem after a face lift, more likely in men and with high blood pressure, and may need a return to the operating room. A collection of fluid (seroma) or saliva (sialoma) may need drainage.
- Skin Necrosis. Skin necrosis is possible: if the blood supply to an area of skin is interrupted, that skin can die, leaving a wound that heals slowly with a scar. Smoking and nicotine in any form make it much more likely.
- Hair Loss. Hair loss along the incisions, or a change of the hairline or sideburn, is possible; it may be temporary or permanent.
- Keloid Behind the Ear. Itching or a growth behind the ear or along an incision can be a sign of a keloid. Let us know right away so it can be injected with a steroid to stop the keloid from forming.
- Hemosiderin Staining. Hemosiderin staining is possible: iron left in the skin after bruising can leave a brown or yellow-brown discoloration that may last months or be permanent, and may need a lightening cream or laser treatment.
- Asymmetry and Irregularities. Asymmetry, depressions, lumps, contour irregularity or residual loose skin are possible and may need a revision.
- Ear Deformities. A change in the shape of the earlobe or the tragus (the bump in front of the ear canal) is possible, including an earlobe pulled down toward the cheek.
- First Bite Syndrome. First bite syndrome is possible: a sharp pain in the cheek with the first bites of a meal, which may fade over months.
- Tightness. Tightness of the face, jaw line and neck, and firmness under the skin, are expected while healing and may last several months.
- Aging. The face continues to age after surgery.
- Visible Scars. Scars in front of and behind the ear may be visible or widened, and the sideburn or the hairline behind the ear may shift.
- Neck Bands and Fullness. Neck bands or fullness under the chin may return over time.
When part of a salivary gland is reduced
Every face and neck lift consent includes a possible partial removal of the submandibular gland, with these added risks:
- Dry Mouth. Dry mouth from reduced saliva is expected for a few weeks and may last longer.
- Nerve Injury. Weakness of the lower lip (marginal mandibular nerve), numbness of the tongue, a change in taste, or weakness of the tongue (hypoglossal nerve) is possible; each may be temporary or permanent.
- Saliva Leak. A leak or collection of saliva under the skin (sialoma or fistula) is possible and may need drainage.
- Bleeding in the Neck. Bleeding into the neck is possible and may need a return to the operating room; bleeding that presses on the airway needs emergency treatment.
- Neck Contour. A change in the contour of the neck under the jaw is possible.
The procedures added to your plan
Each procedure added to your plan has its own consent, with its own risks, which you read and sign too. The risks each consent names, with the full wording on each procedure’s page:
- Eyelid surgery (upper, lower): chemosis, dry eye, difficulty closing the eyes, ectropion, drooping upper eyelid, asymmetry, hollowing, double vision, hemosiderin staining, visual change and eye injury, bleeding on the white of the eye, lumps and lash loss, watery eyes, small cysts.
- Brow lift: hair loss, nerve injury, numbness and itching, brow position, fixation points, visible scar.
- Fat transfer: resorption, lumps and fat necrosis, over- or under-correction, donor site, fat entering a blood vessel, hemosiderin staining, persistent swelling, more than one session, long-term changes. Fat entering a blood vessel is possible and can block blood flow, causing loss of skin (skin necrosis), blindness or loss of vision, or a stroke.
- Skin resurfacing: pain, redness, swelling, oozing and crusting, skin darkening, skin lightening, scarring of the treated skin, infection of the skin, cold sores, acne or milia, itching, tingling or numbness, burns, fire or eye injury, lower eyelid, lines of demarcation, more than one treatment, ointment rash, scarring on the neck.
Risks of any operation
- Bleeding. Bleeding during or after surgery is possible. A collection of blood under the skin (hematoma) may need drainage or a return to the operating room, and severe bleeding may need emergency treatment or a blood transfusion.
- Infection. Infection is possible and may need antibiotics, drainage or further surgery.
- Bruising and Swelling. Bruising and swelling are expected. They may last several weeks, and swelling or discoloration may persist longer.
- Scarring. Every incision or entry point leaves a permanent scar. A scar may be raised, widened, darker, lighter or more visible than expected, and takes at least 3 months to mature.
- Keloid or Raised Scar. Itching, thickening, pain or a growth along any incision can be the first sign of a keloid (a thick, raised scar). Let us know right away so it can be injected with a steroid to stop the keloid from forming. A keloid is more likely if you have had one before and may need further injections or treatment.
- Change in Skin Sensation. Numbness, tingling or a change in skin sensation around the treated areas is possible; it may be temporary or permanent.
- Delayed Healing. Delayed healing or separation of an incision is possible and much more likely with nicotine in any form.
- Allergic Reactions. Allergic reactions to tape, sutures, skin cleansers, latex or medications are possible.
- Blood Clots. Blood clots in the legs or lungs (deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism) are possible and more likely with longer surgery; your surgical team uses the clot-prevention plan chosen for you.
- Anesthesia. Risks of anesthesia and sedation are possible; the anesthesia provider reviews them with you separately.
- Pain. Pain after surgery is expected and should settle over several days; pain that lasts longer is possible.
- Result and Revision. A result that does not meet your expectations is possible: healing differs between people, no result is guaranteed, and a revision may be advised, with the fees described in your patient policy.
- Serious Complications. Serious complications, including death, are possible with any surgery or anesthesia.
- Heart and Lung Problems. Heart or lung problems, such as pneumonia or an irregular heartbeat, are possible after surgery and anesthesia.
- Medication Side Effects. Side effects of the medications used during and after surgery, such as nausea, vomiting, constipation, dizziness or trouble urinating, are possible.
- Injury to Deeper Structures. Injury to deeper structures, such as nerves, blood vessels, muscles or glands, is possible.
- Persistent Sutures. A deeper stitch may work its way to the surface and need to be removed.
How we keep you safe
- Surgery only in an AAAHC-accredited surgical center, with a board-certified anesthesiologist.
- Medical clearance, and blood-clot risk screening, before every Masterpiece Surgery™.
- No nicotine in any form for 3 weeks before surgery and 3 months after.
- A nurse with you the first night, and someone with you for the first 72 hours.
- Office visits on Days 1, 2, 3 and 7, and a direct line to the team the whole time.
When to call us right away · Before & after gallery · The Truesdale Facelift Technique · Request a consultation
The Masterpiece Surgery™ FAQ
Bring your own questions to consultation — Dr. Truesdale personally answers every one. Below are the questions patients ask most often about The Masterpiece Surgery™.
The strongest candidates have comprehensive facial aging across multiple zones (face, neck, eyes, volume, skin) that a single procedure can’t fully address. Dr. Truesdale evaluates you personally in consultation and only recommends the procedure when it will genuinely help. If a different approach would serve you better, he’ll tell you that too.
Most patients who are candidates for multiple procedures benefit from doing them in a single coordinated session. One anesthesia event, one recovery, harmonious results. The alternative — staged procedures over years — means multiple recoveries and faces that don’t always age proportionally. Dr. Truesdale only recommends The Masterpiece Surgery™ when the patient is genuinely a candidate for the full coordinated plan.
Most patients describe the discomfort as mild to moderate. Dr. Truesdale’s team is available throughout recovery — you are not managing discomfort on your own. See “What kind of anesthesia is used?” below for details on intra-operative comfort.
Our surgical procedures utilize a patient-focused anesthesia technique known as MAC (Monitored Anesthesia Care) and IV Sedation, ensuring your maximum comfort and safety. This method provides a level of gentle, deep sedation comparable to the comfortable experience many patients have during a colonoscopy, which we have found helps make patients less fearful. The anesthesia is administered intravenously and meticulously monitored by a hand-picked group of board-certified anesthesiologists, who are dedicated to your well-being throughout your entire procedure.
Plan on 14–21 days of social downtime. Expect swelling and bruising the first 10–14 days. Most patients are cleared for strenuous exercise at about three weeks, at a follow-up visit. Most out-of-town patients stay about a week — they fly home the day their sutures come out or the day after. Your follow-up appointments along the way are conducted by Dr. Truesdale and our physician assistant, with Dr. Truesdale seeing you personally at the key milestones.
That’s the entire standard Dr. Truesdale designs for. Results should read as a better version of you at 10, 20, or even 30 years younger — never as a collection of procedures. Every patient is evaluated in a seated, relaxed state beforehand so the target is based on your real anatomy — never on an idealized template.
Typically 10–15 years. Results hold for well over a decade before aging meaningfully resumes.
Yes. Dr. Truesdale is faculty and a live surgeon at the NYC Facelift & Rhinoplasty Master Course™, personally performing live full facial rejuvenation surgery to teach the technique to other practicing surgeons, and a repeat podium presenter at AAFPRS national conferences on facelift and neck lift technique. See his full speaking and teaching history.
Yes. A significant portion of Dr. Truesdale’s patients travel from across the United States and internationally. The process begins with a virtual consultation with Dr. Truesdale himself (not a coordinator), followed by in-person pre-procedure evaluation. Our patient-care coordinators help arrange travel, accommodations, and local transportation, and Dr. Truesdale’s team conducts virtual follow-ups after you return home.
Request a consultation through the form at the bottom of this page, email contact@doctortruesdale.com, or call (424) 363-4112. Our team responds within one business day to schedule either an in-person consultation at 150 S. Rodeo Drive, Suite 360, Beverly Hills, or a virtual consultation worldwide. Every consultation is conducted personally by Dr. Truesdale.
Most Masterpiece Surgery™ patients are between 50 and 70, though candidates range from late-40s patients with strong genetic aging patterns to patients in their early 80s seeking comprehensive rejuvenation. The right time isn’t dictated by a number — it’s when aging has occurred across multiple zones of the face that a single procedure can’t fully address.
The cost of The Masterpiece Surgery™ can vary based on the patient’s situation, including if it is a revision surgery and if this surgery will be combined with other surgeries or treatments. The total cost may include the surgeon’s fee, operating room fees, and anesthesia fees. At Truesdale Facial Plastic Surgery, we believe the surgeon’s philosophy and experience, and your comfort with him, are just as important as the final cost of the surgery. We can provide an approximate range for this procedure over the phone, and your patient care coordinator (PCC) will confirm the pricing for you after your consultation with Dr. Truesdale.
Its foundation is the deep plane face and neck lift. Dr. Truesdale adds only the procedures your face needs, most often upper and lower eyelid surgery, a brow lift, fat transfer and skin resurfacing, all in the same session. Your plan is set with him at your consultation, and each procedure has its own consent.
One of our nurses stays with you the first night. Your dressing comes off at your Day 1 visit, the hemostatic net comes off on Day 2, and drains (if placed) come out on Day 3 with our physician assistant; for men, drains usually come out on Day 5. Dr. Truesdale removes your sutures on Day 7.
On your back with your head raised on two to three pillows, a wedge pillow or a recliner, for the first two weeks. Don’t sleep flat, which increases swelling, and move your head and shoulders together while you heal.
The face and neck lift incisions are hidden in the hair of the temple, along the inside edge of the ear’s cartilage, behind the ears and in the shadow under the chin. Added procedures have their own incisions, described on their pages. Two days after your sutures come out you start silicone scar gel, twice a day for a month. If you notice thickness, pain or itching behind your ears, call us: an early steroid injection prevents a keloid.
Every Masterpiece Surgery™ takes place at our AAAHC-accredited surgical center, with a board-certified anesthesiologist watching you throughout. You have medical clearance and blood-clot risk screening first, because blood clots in the legs or lungs are possible and more likely with longer surgery, and your surgical team uses a clot-prevention plan chosen for you. Dr. Truesdale includes only the procedures your goals need, never the longest possible plan.
The face and neck lift consent lists these possible complications: a collection of blood under the skin (the most common early problem); weakness of the facial muscles and numbness, each of which may be temporary or permanent; skin necrosis; hair loss along the incisions; a keloid behind the ear; hemosiderin staining; asymmetry or loose skin that may need a revision; and, when part of a salivary gland is reduced, a dry mouth or a saliva collection. Each added procedure has its own consent and risks; with fat transfer, fat entering a blood vessel is possible and can cause loss of skin, blindness or a stroke. Every operation also carries risks such as infection, blood clots and the risks of anesthesia. Dr. Truesdale reviews each one with you. See Masterpiece risks and safety.
We stand behind every result.
Cosmetic surgery has inherent variability. Dr. Truesdale’s commitment to you is the same one he makes to every patient: technical excellence, candid communication, and a hands-on relationship through your full first year of healing — and beyond if needed.
If a revision is medically warranted within the first 12 months following surgery, Dr. Truesdale may waive his surgeon’s fee for that revision — evaluated case-by-case at your one-year follow-up.
Facial tissue continues to mature and settle for a full year. What looks suboptimal at Month 3 or 6 frequently resolves on its own. Operating prematurely on tissue that hasn’t reached its final state risks compounding the problem rather than solving it.
Read the full policy →Schedule your consultation for The Masterpiece Surgery™
A private, unhurried conversation with Dr. Truesdale personally — never a coordinator. Share your goals, review the plan, and begin the journey to your masterpiece. We respond same-day, Monday-Friday.
Book a Surgical Discovery Call online
After clicking the booking link, select “new patient” under Schedule Your Appointment and fill out the form to see our current availability for a Surgical Discovery Call with a Patient Care Coordinator and book immediately. Call us (424) 363-4112 for additional appointment times and information.All times are based on Los Angeles, Pacific Time (PT).
Book Discovery Call →Prefer to share details first? Submit the form and a Patient Care Coordinator will reach out the same business day (Monday–Friday).