Eye Bags Gone, Snatched Jawline Secured: Rick’s Neck & Eyelid Transformation

Kerry: Hello, welcome to Once Upon a Surgery. I’m the host, Kerry Berlet, wife of world-renowned plastic surgeon Dr. Anthony Berlet. We’re here to bring you real stories, real transformations. Today, we’re going to spill the tea. Only today, that tea is tequila, over plastic surgery.

Kerry: So, welcome Rick. Let’s do a little toast. Cheers to you. Thank you for coming.

Rick: Oh, no problem. Thank you.

Kerry: I’m really interested to hear your story. I know Rick from our local restaurant, Luna Lou’s.

Rick: That is correct.

Kerry: And let’s face it, it’s filled with Tony’s patients.

Rick: That is true.

Kerry: And he obviously keeps it private. So I’m just interested to know, is he the first plastic surgeon you’ve ever been to? And what got you thinking that you might want to pay Tony, Dr. Berlet, a visit?

Rick: Well, I met him at the bar. I met many of the people that he has done at Luna Lou’s, and I looked at his work, and it looked like they were 10 years younger.

Kerry: So you would see the before and after?

Rick: I did. So I did see the before and after, and I approached him one day, and I said, “Hey, I would love to have you look at my eyes and see what you think.” And that’s how I met Tony.

Kerry: Interesting. And so the first thing was your eyes.

Rick: Yeah. I had my lower eyes done. And a lower neck liposuction, at one point.

Kerry: And were you nervous, or did you just feel confident because you had seen results?

Rick: Obviously everyone’s nervous going into that, but the results, I thought, are amazing.

Kerry: All right. Little stereotype: sometimes I hear that men tend to be babies. How are you as a patient?

Rick: Well, I remember when he was actually doing the surgery, he gave me pills. I didn’t go under. And I walked out, and I said, “Are we going to do this today?” And they all looked at me, like, give him another one. And then that was it. The recovery was two weeks out.

Kerry: And were you pretty bruised up?

Rick: A little bruised in the beginning, but it all went away pretty quick.

Kerry: And by the way, were you seeing anyone at the time?

Rick: I was.

Kerry: And what was her opinion about you doing this? Was she worried, or did she support it?

Rick: She lived far away, but she supported me 100%.

Kerry: Had she ever done any work?

Rick: She did, out in Indianapolis.

Kerry: Because I feel like sometimes, and by the way, a lot of men do plastic surgery, but you kind of have an opinion of the guy who does plastic surgery and what he might look like. I guess we have a lot of friends who have been to Dr. Berlet. But I would just think someone might be worried, because there are some men that look like freaks, right?

Rick: I did go to three different doctors for opinions, and I felt most comfortable with Dr. Berlet.

Kerry: And what season did you do it? Did you wear sunglasses?

Rick: I did wear sunglasses. I remember I went shopping the next day in New York City. And it was probably about 15 years ago. It was 15 years ago I did my lower eyes.

Kerry: Oh, really? I didn’t know it was that long ago. And how long had you known Tony before that?

Rick: I’m going to say probably maybe a year prior to that.

Kerry: Wow. So that was 15 years ago. That was the first thing. And when was your neck?

Rick: My neck was about 6 months ago.

Kerry: Oh, really? And had you lost weight?

Rick: I did lose weight. I’ve always wanted to stay in shape and stuff like that, but I could just never lose my neck.

Kerry: Well, certain parts of your body, unless you go under the knife, are just not going to change.

Rick: Right. So I decided to make that change.

Kerry: And what was that like? I have done liposuction on my body, but with your neck, is that painful?

Rick: I was nervous, but the pain was fine.

Kerry: So you’re just a man, you can take it. And you’re not under for that either, right?

Rick: No, I was all local.

Kerry: And did you do lipo in addition to a facelift?

Rick: No, just the lower neck.

Kerry: And is it immediately noticeable?

Rick: To me it was 100% noticeable right away. He still said the recovery time is about a year.

Kerry: Right. Because I did liposuction on my body, and he says that’s generally like 6 months. But I felt like I could see a difference right away. Maybe just because you’re aware of it, right?

Rick: And I get so many compliments, really, 100%. Everyone goes, look, you look 30 years old again. And I feel 30 years old, too.

Kerry: And that’s something about the neck. I think you just look heavier if you have that under your neck. And that’s this new trend right now. Everyone’s caring about the jawline. And do you know other men that have done that now?

Rick: No, but I have a lot of friends asking me, where could I go? I said, Tony.

Kerry: Sure. So there is this phrase called looksmaxxing. I don’t know if you’ve heard about this. It’s this online self-improvement thing, known in manosphere type spaces. Basically, these men care about their grooming, their haircuts, all of that. Then fitness, like building muscle, losing fat, and then there’s fashion, cosmetic procedures, posture, body language. I think there used to be the phrase metrosexual, and it sounds to me like this is a similar thing. Look at how you’re dressed. Do you know that phrase, looksmaxxing?

Rick: I know metro for sure. I get that all the time.

Kerry: So people tell you you’re a metrosexual. And this was 15 years ago, so maybe before looksmaxxing was a phrase. But were you sort of overanalyzing your eyes, or what was it?

Rick: Yeah. So my eyes really bothered me, because it looked like I was always sleeping. I had black and blue underneath my eyes at all times. So I’d look in the mirror every day, and I’m like, that’s not me. I’ve got more energy than anything. So it really bothered me inside to live like that. And I said, “What could I do to get that taken care of?”

Rick: And I researched it, and you meet different people, you talk to them, and the one girl I was with, she was really into that kind of stuff. And she goes, “We should go see a doctor.” So we went to three different doctors, and I said, “I really like this guy in New Jersey, Tony.” I met him at the bar. He did this girl’s eyes that I know, and she was bruised for a day, 2 days, and she looked great.

Kerry: It depends on the person, I think.

Rick: So then I was like, you know what? Let me really look into this. It really bothered me, and I wanted to look more my age without looking old.

Kerry: It’s so funny that you say that, because I hear that a lot. As you age, you end up with this old looking face, but you don’t feel like you’re that old face. You seem young. So this was 15 years ago. How old were you?

Rick: Well, I’m 55 now.

Kerry: Wow. So we all age on different timelines. So it was particularly those under eyes, the black and blues every day; it just looked like you were sleeping. So doing the under eye surgery got rid of the black and blues?

Rick: He tightened them up, and then he used a little filler. Natural fat filler.

Kerry: So he used your own fat. So that’s fat grafting. And where did he take the fat from?

Rick: I think it was from my side.

Kerry: That’s where I’ve had it taken from, too.

Rick: And from that point on, I still think they look great. I haven’t had to do it again.

Kerry: I can’t see anything, right? No scars, nothing.

Rick: He just filled it in here. He said I didn’t need much. So that was it.

Kerry: Interesting. Amazing. And I see you’re into fashion.

Rick: I try.

Kerry: And working out, everything is healthy?

Rick: I do. I work out at least three, four times a week. I play paddle, I play pickleball, and I golf a lot.

Kerry: All right. So I think you’re a typical guy, but maybe a little braver, or just more aware.

Rick: I just felt like I want to take care of myself. I date a younger girl right now that I’ve been dating for 10 years. So I want to make sure that I look good.

Kerry: And you’ve got to keep up, right?

Rick: Keep up with the Joneses, they say.

Kerry: It’s maintenance.

Rick: Maintenance.

Kerry: So, Rick, wait. Tell me about the lower neck lift. Basically, it’s just taking a piece of your neck and then pulling it behind your ears. Is that what it is?

Rick: Yeah. So by working out, taking care of myself, I lost a couple pounds, 10 pounds. Still had that neck. Didn’t have a jawline. So I went back to Tony. I asked him what I could do. He says, “We really can’t do liposuction. There’s nothing there. You don’t have fat. You really just have a lot of loose skin.” So I said, “Okay, what’s my next step?” He goes, “You’re too young to do a full facelift. I don’t want to do that. You don’t need it.”

Rick: And then we talked further, and a couple years go by, and I said, “I need to do something.” He goes, “We can do a lower neck lift,” they call it. So that’s what I did about 6 months ago. I’m totally happy with the results. He said it’s only going to get better in the next 6 months. He said just under a year, you should get the total full effect of it.

Kerry: Now, did that stem from this obsession online with people and their jawlines? Or were you outside of that? This term, snatched, or whatever.

Rick: You know what it was? One day I went to go take a picture, and I was leaning downward, and I was like, “Wow, that is not me.” And now I can see my jawline.

Kerry: Excellent. And do you do any of the regular maintenance procedures?

Rick: Yeah. So maintenance-wise, now all I do is a little Botox around the eyes and the forehead. Every 3 months.

Kerry: That’s me, too.

Rick: So that’s the only maintenance I do right now.

Kerry: And you said your girlfriend’s younger, and you feel that you’re on par?

Rick: I think so. We’ve traveled all over the United States together, and not once has anyone ever questioned our difference in age.

Kerry: That’s not even that much. Tony and I have a 15-year age difference, and I think it works very well. So what do you think the next thing will be? How long do you think you’re good for? Because you said you were looking at your neck, and then was it 2 years before Tony said you were good to do it?

Rick: Well, he wanted me to get to a comfortable age where he wasn’t going to be doing something again on the same thing that we just did. I wanted to look more natural, so he felt like that was the best procedure.

Kerry: I know, because I’m always like, “What next, Tony? What next?”

Rick: It’s true. You always want to look at yourself and say, “Do I need anything else?”

Kerry: And do you have any sisters or brothers?

Rick: I have four brothers.

Kerry: And do they give you crap about this? Do they know?

Rick: They have no idea.

Kerry: Well, now they might know.

Rick: Which is the best thing. I think that’s the greatest compliment that you can give Tony, that nobody really knows what I did. I’m doing this for Tony, because I think he’s an amazing surgeon, and I love his work.

Kerry: That’s amazing. And so it’s almost like a test control situation. What’s the age difference with your brothers?

Rick: I have one brother that’s 20 years younger than me. And then I have one brother that’s older, and they’re about 5 to 7 years difference. My mother had her tubes tied two and a half years prior to my youngest brother.

Kerry: Oh, and she still got pregnant. Wow. Now that is interesting.

Rick: One is one year older. One is probably eight years younger, and then 10.

Kerry: And do they have the black and blue under their eyes?

Rick: It’s funny you say that. Yes, they do.

Kerry: Really? And do they ever ask you what face cream you use, or anything like that?

Rick: That’s one thing I do: I totally take care. I go for facials once a month, massages once a month. I pamper myself, but I take care of myself.

Kerry: Exactly. So I imagine there are a lot of guys out there that would like to do something cosmetically but don’t have the courage and have a lot of fear, because there are some freaks, right? We know some of these freaky celebrity men that have done too much, and you can tell. In terms of researching, you had been to three other plastic surgeons prior to Dr. Berlet. What was it about Dr. Berlet versus the others that made you feel comfortable?

Rick: Just his whole demeanor of talking with me and assuring me that we’re not going to do too much. “I never do too much.” And just making me feel very comfortable with everything. When I first got my procedure done, I had three close friends who were absolutely amazed, and I got them to do procedures themselves as well. Like you said, people get nervous. I was nervous when I first got it done. But when you see a friend that gets the procedure done, and he’s like, “Wow, look at the result,” they went and got it done.

Kerry: With Dr. Berlet, it’s all word of mouth, because he does work on one person and they look amazing, and then like 20 more people come as a result, because people are seeing the before and afters literally in real life. And with your partner, do you discuss it with her before you do anything else?

Rick: Well, we discussed getting the neck done, and she goes, “If you’re comfortable getting it done, I support you 100%.” And she did, and she thought it was a great look for me to get that done, like I needed it. So I’m totally happy with it.

Kerry: Excellent. And when you get something done, are you always thinking, “Okay, what’s the next procedure?”

Rick: Yeah, I do think about what I could do next. I would love to maybe do a little liposuction or something.

Kerry: That’s easy. Trust me. We’ll have to set that up then. I just had that done, where if you want more of a waist, it’s very easy. You would not be a candidate for a tummy tuck, I wouldn’t think.

Rick: No, I’m not.

Kerry: But that’s just how we are. And again, this whole looksmaxxing phenomenon, I don’t know if more men are just becoming more aware of this.

Rick: I think that’s a positive thing for anybody that wants to make themselves look better. Just look into it. Don’t be afraid. Find out about a lot of things. You see so much stuff on social media that you’re like, “Wow, is that really going to work?” I’m going to be honest. I bought some stupid stuff thinking it was going to work. It didn’t work.

Kerry: Like what? Skin creams?

Rick: Yeah. You spend hundreds of dollars on skin creams that do nothing. You find all these different gimmicks, and they just don’t work.

Kerry: And I do think it’s a good thing for a man to care about himself. I don’t think men should be ashamed of it at all. It’s a sign that you care about how you look, and it’s almost respectful to your partner that you don’t want to look like a slob, that you want to be your best you for her. So it’s not just pure vanity. Our partner is almost a reflection of ourselves. And especially when there’s an age difference, you’re just more aware, and just looking to maximize, optimize, I guess.

Rick: 100%.

Kerry: Clearly Rick is up for anything. We’re here with King Rick now. We’re going to celebrate the happy ending to Rick’s Once Upon a Surgery story. And maybe we’ve had a little too much tequila at this point, but we’re here to celebrate the success of Rick and his amazing appearance. And you look phenomenal, both fashion-wise and looks-wise. So, cheers to you.

Rick: Cheers to Dr. Berlet.

Kerry: Thanks for watching Once Upon a Surgery. This was an interesting and fun episode with Rick. I hope it inspired some of you men out there. Don’t be afraid. Look at those amazing results. And please remember to subscribe, and I’d love to hear any questions or comments you have. So see you next time on Once Upon a Surgery.