Undergoing an operation is not a decision to be taken lightly. My experience was a very intense one. After some painful tribulations, of the type that bruise the soul, I had neglected myself somewhat. Can you imagine, going up from size 38 to 52, for someone like me who, as the owner of an elegant fashion boutique, had spent many years dressing other women? I could no longer find garments to fit me. Also, I was no longer this dynamic, sparkling lady who was so full of life. I couldn’t go on like this! So I got things under control and solved first of all my weight problem.
One bright summer’s day I met the woman who had been a witness at my wedding. As she hadn’t seen me for a while, she thought I had aged a great deal. Without hesitating, she said to me: "Why don’t you go and see an aesthetic surgeon?" The idea of entrusting myself to a surgeon’s hands wasn’t easy to swallow … and how should I choose one in the first place? My girlfriend, who has been managing the famous Beauty Care Centre of the Grand Hotel in Evian-les-Bains for many years, told me to see Dr. Burki in Geneva. She said: "I’ve seen so many excellent results in customers who’ve had a facial rejuvenation operation performed by this surgeon that I’m totally convinced about his work. He’s a magician!" Of course, after thirty years in the fashion trade, I've seen people who've had face lifts … some of them were not very natural and harmonious. If I was to have a face lift, it shouldn't look like an operation being done, more like having been on a long holiday. I wanted to know more about the work of Dr. Burki and met a few women on whom he had performed a face lift. It was splendid work. Nothing could have convinced me more than these extraordinary results.
During the first consultation with Dr. Burki at his beautiful private Clinic, I immediately gained confidence in him. The confidence one has in one’s surgeon is an essential part of the patient-doctor relationship. He said to me: "Mrs. Rolli, you’re a woman who is brimming with energy, and that’s what your face should reflect." Dr. Burki handed me some extensive documentation which enabled me to prepare for the operation, to ask him further questions during the next consultation so as to understand fully the solutions suggested by him and designed to restore the harmony of my face.
The operation was a fresh start in my life, a genuine rebirth which would never have been possible without this superb face lift. I regained my "joie de vivre" and my optimism. I can once again marvel at little things and enjoy life again to the full. For me, it’s very important to admit openly that I have had a facelift. How else should I answer the question that I was asked time and time again: "But what have you done, Maité? You look splendid." One day I was contacted by a journalist from a Geneva daily. He wanted me to report on my face lift. I took this opportunity without hesitation and with great joy, because I felt the need to share my experiences with as many women as possible and to give courage to all those who were afraid of an aesthetic operation for some reason or another. I was concerned to tell the future patients how important it is to go to an experienced, well-trained aesthetic surgeon. Ultimately, the success of an aesthetic operation depends entirely on him. Exchanging your personal experiences with other people gives you strength and also reinforces your self-esteem and self-confidence.
When I had the honour of being invited to attend the facelift Dr. Burki was performing in a concert hall in the presence of TV cameras, I went and sat in the front row straight away because it doesn't bother me if people know. Many friends and relatives and even some doctors phoned me afterwards because they'd seen me on TV and wanted to know more.
It's a pity I didn't have the idea of arranging for the operation to be performed in the open air. I would have loved to look up at the soothing blue of the sky during my rejuvenation surgery, breathed the sweet scent of the flowers and listened to the twittering of the birds and the trickling of the water … What a great experience!
Mrs. Marie-Thérèse Rolli, Evian (France)