A few weeks ago, a woman named Michelle Wood began documenting her facelift journey in Guadalajara, Mexico. Her series of videos have been going viral on TikTok, with her first one accumulating well over 21 million views. She begins, "I am down here to look more refreshed and feel more refreshed. I am 50 years old, almost 51. I decided to get a full facelift, forehead lift, upper bleph, lower bleph, and lip lift, as well as a mini chin implant to help my profile. The forehead lift is really to address my uneven brows..."
Michelle goes on to talk about how her surgeon is Dr. Maribel Belmontes Castillo. "The people of Guadalajara are so friendly. And I hope to bring you along with my journey and let you see the good, the bad, the ugly. I chose this surgeon based on reviews. She's very, very conservative in her approach. I did not want to look 20. I just want to look like I slept for 30 years. So I've lost 130 pounds twice in my life, and I think it's just done a number on my skin, particularly my neck. I'm a single mom to two kids that are 17 and a half, and I am choosing to do this for me, and everybody is fully supportive," she concludes, and shows some photos of the hospital.
She shared this photo of herself a day after her procedures:
Right away, people said they could see immediate results:
And on day three she admited that she felt like a Bratz Doll, although she did say she "turned a corner" and was feeling better.
Again, people were quick to express just how much younger they thought Michelle looked:
Here is Michelle on day five. "I think the hardest part that no one tells you about is that it is hard to just sit still and do nothing. Like, it really is. I think as adults we are on the go so much in our lives, but to just sit still and not move for 10 days is tough — really tough," she expressed.
At this point people were claiming it was the best facial work they'd ever seen done:
Here are some closeups of the incisions that were made:
And these are Michelle's results 10 days post op:
Clearly, everyone was thinking the same thing at this point:
On day 15, Michelle was still in Guadalajara and still a bit swollen and tired, but overall, she said she was doing very well.
After a few weeks, Michelle returned to the US and, as the days went on, each video she posted continued to rack up hundreds of thousands of views with people genuinely in awe of the results.
Most of the swelling was down by day 24, when Michelle broke down the cost. It converts to about $14,000 for all six procedures and an additional $1,000 for the recovery home that included food, transportation to and from appointments, and 24/7 nursing care. Michelle didn't specify how long she was in the recovery home, but judging from the dates on her videos, she appeared to be there for two to three weeks.
To compare these prices to those in the US, Michelle saved TENS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS. Here is an example of a pricing structure breakdown in America:
Michelle also shared that she felt comfortable getting the surgeries done out of the country because she had a good experience getting skin removal surgery in Mexico before. She also said she found Dr. Maribel Belmontes Castillo through her own research, and vetting reviews from others.
Michelle is currently a couple of months post op, so here are some before and after photos to give you an idea of what she is looking like now:
BEFORE:
AFTER:
BEFORE:
AFTER:
