Day 51

So, Monday was 7 weeks post-op. I'm at the point where I'm only updating this blog weekly because there isn't a ton of change going on. However, there is still change. It's just slow.
So, here is my list of things that are still annoying me:

1. Skin- Shocking, right? Since that has been my main complaint since week 2. It is just so incredibly sensitive to everything, and it dries out so quickly. The good news here is that I can tell that it is getting better. The areas that were broken out are no longer technically broken out. Meaning it doesn't look like acne really anymore. There are just some red dots where acne had been, but it is clearly in the healing process. I'm trying to just be patient with that. I know from having acne when I was younger that when I had a bad breakout it took a while to fully heal even after I had gotten it under control. So, I'm trying to just pamper my skin every day to help with the healing. I've stopped using any kind of abrasive wash or acne medicine on my face because this seems to irritate things more than it helps. I was my face with baby moisturizing soap instead of regular soap or face wash. I bought a special facial moisturizer that has a tiny bit of acne medicine in it. I'm still using the prescription Dr. L originally gave me, because the cream the dermatologist gave me actually made things WAY worse. ( I woke up the day after I first used it, and my face had new break outs everywhere, was crazy oily, and insanely red. It took days to get that back under control.) However, I'm using smaller amounts of the prescription Dr. L gave me, because using a ton of it seemed to make things worse too. Everything I put on my skin I do in moderation now, because I learned the hard way that using too much medicine is just counter-productive. I'm hoping that very soon things with my skin will clear up. The steroids the dermatologist gave me seem to have helped a little, because over the past few days every time I wake up in the morning I can tell my skin has improved some. So, I'm crossing my fingers that I will look more like me and less like a 12 year old with acne soon :P

2. My lips STILL don't meet at rest. However, it is getting easier to force them together. I would say at this point it only takes as much effort as it did before surgery (My lips have never met at rest because my overbite was so bad that my lips just didn't naturally cover them). This is something that has seemed to be improving this week though. I can tell by looking in the mirror that I still need to heal some in this area though, because forcing my lips to meet looks a little weird. This isn't a huge annoyance and I've read other blogs enough to know how much time it can take to get your lips to finally touch at rest. So, I'm just waiting it out. The only reason it bugs me is because I can't smile with my lips closed, and sometimes I still have food fall out of my mouth when I'm eating just because my lips don't come together to keep food in, haha. I'm sure other people just think I'm rude for always eating with my mouth open these days.

3. Still not thrilled with my new look, but I think I'm getting closer. My face still looks kind of tight to me in pictures..so I'm thinking there is still a little swelling going on. However, I was in a wedding on Friday night and there are actually some pictures of myself that I like! I haven't taken a picture of myself that I liked in at least 6-8 months since the braces made my overjet so much worse. I still think I looked kind of weird because my face was all red and broken out from the cream the dermo. gave me, but overall there were some pictures where I thought, "Hm, I actually don't look half bad" :) I'm counting this as definite progress.

So, overall I don't have a lot to complain about. I'm definitely not focusing on surgery the way I was a few weeks ago. I can go to restaurants and eat almost anything I want (within reason). I don't feel embarrassed or self-conscious in public. I do still have the tiniest bit of a lisp hanging around, but I think I am the only one who notices and it will go completely away eventually when I regain feeling of the gums behind my front teeth. So, at 7 weeks post-op life is almost back to normal. I still think about jaw surgery every day, but it is no longer my main focus and I'm looking forward to the day when I can say I'm completely happy with the results. I'm sure it's just around the corner.

Here are some regular pictures from the wedding that I was in on Friday. That would have been day 46. Try to ignore how red my face is :P I'll post real before and after pictures when I get back to my Mom's.