Great gran Toni, 80, has facelift despite risk of paralysis or death – saying: ‘I’ll look good in my coffin’

GREAT-gran Toni Goldenberg shows off the results of a facelift that doctors warned could paralyse or even kill her. Toni, 80, got rid of her “turkey neck” in a 3½-hour op. She began saving her pension five years ago for the £10,000 procedure. Doctors warned Toni that her age posed greater risks but she said: […]

GREAT-gran Toni Goldenberg shows off the results of a facelift that doctors warned could paralyse or even kill her.

Toni, 80, got rid of her “turkey neck” in a 3½-hour op.

SWNS:South West News Service

After the op: Toni, 80, after she got rid of her ‘turkey neck’ in a 3½-hour op[/caption]

SWNS:South West News Service

Before the op: Toni said: ‘My neck and jowls made me look cross and miserable but now I look fresh and happy’[/caption]

She began saving her pension five years ago for the £10,000 procedure.

Doctors warned Toni that her age posed greater risks but she said: “At least I’d look good in my coffin.”

She now wants a £6,000 upper facelift around her eyes and forehead.

Toni, of Wallington, South London, said: “The old woman has gone and I hope she doesn’t come back.”

SWNS:South West News Service

Toni was warned she risked paralysis or flesh-eating complications after the cosmetic op[/caption]

SWNS:South West News Service

Toni is saving up for an ‘upper facelift’ by stashing her pension in a giant Coca Cola bottle[/caption]

“When I look in the mirror, I thought I looked like a completely different person.

“But now I just see me and I forget what I looked like before.

“My neck and jowls made me look cross and miserable but now I look fresh and happy.

“You could not ask for anything better, especially at my age.”

Toni, who was widowed 46 years ago, had to undergo extensive tests to evaluate if she was suitable for surgery.

She faced a risk of poor wound healing and even tissue necrosis – where skin cells break down and die.

The boost to her self-confidence has even convinced her to start yoga and gym classes.

SWNS:South West News Service

Toni pictured in the Venice during the 1990s[/caption]

SWNS:South West News Service

Toni with her surgeon Hagen Schumacher after the facelift[/caption]

Toni, who has worked since the age of 14 in various roles, including on a farm and as a waitress, said: “I think it will help me to put myself out there and meet new people.

Toni began saving up in a giant Coca Cola bottle

“As you get older, you become less attractive and you can feel as though you are invisible.

“People talk over you and they are not interested in you anymore – it can feel terribly lonely a lot of the time.

“Surgery isn’t for everybody but I feel this will give me a new lease of life and boost my confidence to meet new friends.

The great-grandma of two, has been dreaming of getting a nip and tuck since she was in her twenties.

---

• GOT a story? RING The Sun on 0207 782 4104 or WHATSAPP on 07423720250 or EMAIL exclusive@the-sun.co.uk

---