This interview is based on a conversation with Carolyn Rudoph, 73, retired Army personnel and postal supervisor, from Louisville, Kentucky. It has been edited for length and clarity.
I always kept myself in shape by going to the gym, maintaining a size 6, and having a pretty good figure.
However, when I reached 63, people would walk behind me on the street, walk past, and look back. There was no mistaking the look of surprise when they saw my face.
I looked after other people
Co-workers would often ask if I was OK, as if I seemed sad. I’d go into the bathroom, look in the mirror, and think, “You know what? I do seem sad when I’m not smiling.”
I had drooping marionette lines and undereye bags. You couldn’t see my upper teeth because everything was sagging. They made me look like I was ready to cry any moment, though I wasn’t.
Then, in 2022, my husband, Max, died of brain cancer. I was in a state of mourning for two years, but kept myself busy doing stuff on the house and helping with my family.
My daughter remarked that I was always doing stuff for other people, not myself. “When are you going to do something for yourself?” she asked.
“You know what?” I said. “Ever since I was 63, I’ve wanted a facelift.” The problem was that I hadn’t been able to afford it. But now that I’d gotten some money from Max’s life insurance, I reconsidered.
“What the heck?” I thought. “Maybe I should do it.” I had a few consultations in my home city of Louisville, but didn’t think the surgeons were quite right.
I had a deep plane facial
In November 2024, I got in touch with Dr. Carl Truesdale in Los Angeles. We immediately clicked. By luck, he happened to have a cancellation, and I had surgery on December 4.
I had a forehead lift, a deep-plane facelift, a neck lift, upper and lower blepharoplasty, and a little fat injected at the bridge of my nose, where it had flattened.
Dr. Truesdale reassured me that I wouldn’t look artificial. He said he could take 30 years off me. It made me laugh because he put a photograph of me, at 44, above a piece of equipment in the operating room so he could check against it.
The seven-and-a-half-hour procedure wasn’t cheap at $102,000, but I wanted to be one-and-done as I was in my 70s, for goodness sake’s
I didn’t know what kind of surgeries I may need for my health in the future, so I didn’t want to have the cosmetic ones spread out over several years.
The difference was noticeable almost immediately. I looked in the mirror and felt more confident about my reflection. Some people commented that I look in my 40s, but I’d say mid-50s, which is perfect.
I might get married again
I cared about my appearance before, but now I wear more stylish clothes and makeup when I’m going to the store. It’s a sign of the society we live in, but I feel like people treat me with more respect.
A few men have asked me out for dinner, but I’ve always said no. But now, I’m thinking of dating. You never know, I might get married again.
I’ve been through a spiritual awakening during the last 18 months since I had the surgery. I’ve learned a lot and wish I could have afforded it a decade ago.
But it’s not a regret. I feel like I’m the best Carolyn that I could be at my age.
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