A mother and daughter from Australia's Sunshine Coast have taken family bonding to a new level by flying to South Korea for matching facelifts. Pia Marshall, 40, and her mother Marion, 69, said they had the "ultimate mother-daughter trip" when they decided to undergo twin surgeries.
The pair recovered side by side in matching compression bandages, documenting the swelling, bruising, and vomiting on Instagram. Pia, who works in marketing and content creation, decided to have surgery after noticing her face was sagging.
Finding the Right Surgeon
Pia said: "Forty felt like the right time because it looked like my face had quietly deflated. I wanted to look less tired and like I had eight hours sleep every night."
The content creator and her mother scoured Facebook facelift groups to find the right surgeon. They eventually chose Dr Youngjin Lee at Elite Plastic Surgery in South Korea to perform the procedures. Each was quoted £18,900 (AU$36,000) for their surgery package, with operations taking place one day apart.
The Procedures and Recovery
Marion underwent surgery first, having a deep-plane facelift, neck lift, lower blepharoplasty, endoscopic brow lift, and philtrum reduction. Her surgery lasted four hours and went smoothly. Pia joked that her mother looked as though she had "gone 12 rounds with Mike Tyson", despite insisting she felt "absolutely fantastic".
Pia underwent a deep-plane face and neck lift, revision brow lift, lower blepharoplasty, and philtrum reduction. She wanted to reduce the hooding around her eyes, which was hiding the winged eyeliner she has worn for more than 20 years. Her three-hour operation took place the following day, but she found the recovery process tough.
Documenting the Journey
Pia's swelling increased after her drainage tubes were removed, temporarily leaving her looking like "an alien from Avatar". She said: "After nine days of compression garments, bruising, swelling, ice packs, and questioning my new face, I was finally starting to look like myself. It felt like a turning point."
She added: "I've shared everything, the good, the bad, and the swollen, with no make-up, editing, or gatekeeping." The pair were able to explore Seoul before flying home. Pia is pleased with her natural-looking facelift.
She said: "Cosmetic surgery is often kept secret, but I don't believe people should lie about having help. Would I recommend a mother-and-daughter facelift holiday? Ten out of ten, although I'd suggest packing a little dignity."
