Woman, 66, Gets 9 Cosmetic Procedures During 6-Hour Plastic Surgery. Her Transformation Is Jaw-Dropping (Exclusive)

• Lisa VerMeer got a deep plane facelift, deep necklift, browlift, upper and lower blepharoplasty, fat transfer, lip lift, earlobe reduction and CO2 laser resurfacing done with Dr. Mike Nayak in St. Louis, Mo.

• She tells PEOPLE her turning point came after she looked in the mirror one night and didn't recognize herself anymore

• VerMeer says 10 months post-op, she feels like she got her "mojo" back

Lisa VerMeer always knew she was going to get plastic surgery. And When she hit her 60s, she decided to take the plunge.

"I've always said from my 30s even, when the bloom's off the rose, I'm going under the knife," she tells PEOPLE with a bit of a laugh. "I just knew I would. I just always knew that. I've always kind of looked young for my age, so I could really push it off for a long time. But finally, when I got to be 60, it was time to really figure out and make a decision."

VerMeer says the turning point in her decision came after one evening of looking in the mirror and not recognizing who was looking back at her.

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VerMeer recruited one of her daughters to help her find a surgeon. The mom of three admits she thought she'd have to travel from her home state of Iowa to Los Angeles to find the best of the best.

Her daughter pointed her in the direction of Dr. Laxmeesh Mike Nayak of Nayak Plastic Surgery in St. Louis, Mo., whom she'd been following on social media.

"I loved that he was in the Midwest like me," VerMeer says of her initial reaction to Dr. Nayak. And once she looked at his before-and-afters, she was pretty much sold. She sent over her information and did a Zoom call but says she had a moment of hesitation, questioning if she'd follow through. But she says she had a "gut feeling" about Dr. Nayak and knew the timing was right, the doctor was right and everything else would fall into place.

But then she had to wait a year on Dr. Nayak's famous waiting list. She was also considering the price, which many people inquire about on Dr. Nayak's social media channels. His pricing is displayed transparently on his website, with deep plane facelifts starting at $150K. This is the most expensive procedure he offers, and all of the other procedures fall in line after that. However, pricing is tailored to each patient and can be discussed through a consultation.

Related: Sami Sheen, 21, Reveals Every Cosmetic Procedure She’s Had Done After Recent Nose Job — Including the 'Worst' One

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VerMeer, who is 66 now but was 65 when she got her surgery done in June 2024, traveled to St. Louis for the procedure, which is where she met Dr. Nayak for the first time in person.

Her procedures included a deep plane facelift, deep necklift, browlift, upper and lower blepharoplasty, fat transfer, lip lift, earlobe reduction and CO2 laser resurfacing. All of the procedures are done in one go, and Dr. Nayak says VerMeer’s surgery took around six hours. He did the lasering during the surgery as well, because that way the patients can “capitalize” on recovery time.

"What Lisa looked like before had nothing to do with who Lisa was because she just looked contracted like everything had come, not just down, but forward into her face," Dr. Nayak tells PEOPLE. "All her features looked smaller and she looked a little bottom-heavy and closed in the face. Part two was her skin had things you think of as aging changes, so wrinkles and brown spots and coarseness."

One thing Dr. Nayak notes about facelifts is that people often assume that the skin is being pulled upward, but that's not always the case. The skin is being pulled whichever direction is best for each patient. For VerMeer, it was up but also outward so that her face could be more open. This also allowed Dr. Nayak to reveal her cheekbones and jawline.

"She has fantastic cheekbone and jawbone structure," he says. "All I had to do was just reveal, not even augment or improve her cheekbone and jawbone structure, just reveal it so the lower face neck lift was just to show what's there."

Related: Mom, 47, Gets Breast Augmentation and Tummy Tuck. Now, She's 'Overwhelmed' by Her 'Mommy Makeover' (Exclusive)

Related: Months After Getting $11K Nose Job, TikToker Reveals New Dramatic Change to Her Life (Exclusive)

Patients are the most fragile (and most vulnerable) right after the surgery, and Dr. Nayak tells them they’re not “presentable” for two to three weeks. They spend most of that time in St. Louis at his facility so he and his team can keep an eye on the healing process.

VerMeer says that actually her recovery while in St. Louis was a breeze, despite how much her body had been through.

"Your face is swollen, you're bruised, you're [experiencing] highs and lows emotionally, but never any pain whatsoever, and people can't believe that," she says. "I had nine procedures done on my face. I was in surgery for over six hours, so you would think there's got to be pain. None. Some discomfort, but no pain."

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Patients are then sent home to finish healing with instructions to continue maintenance, including with skin care and sun care.

VerMeer says she's a big fan of skin care (and has grown even more fond in recent months) and loves to take care of the work that Dr. Nayak did. She and her husband spend half of the year in the Florida Keys, and she is extra careful in the sun now — so much more than before.

"We're big on offshore fishing, so I'm like, 'What am I going to do? I love to fish. I don't want to give that up.' So I ended up getting this apparatus where I look absolutely ridiculous, but I am covered completely, and I go out fishing, and it hasn't affected that at all," she says with a laugh. "But it's quite a scene to see me get on the boat!"

She says she's going to do "everything she can" to protect the "work" that Dr. Nayak did!

Related: Jax Taylor Shuts Down Speculation He Got ‘All Those Nose Jobs’ Because of 'Cocaine Use'

As she has healed from her surgery, VerMeer says the reaction to her procedures has been overwhelmingly positive from her husband and daughters. They've been in her corner cheering her on the whole time, knowing how much it meant to her to do this for her own confidence.

She adds, though, that it's been funny to see how friends — and non-friends — have reacted to seeing her new face.

VerMeer says she's run into a few people recently who have been brazen enough to ask her how old she is and if she's had work done. She says the topic always comes up at cocktail parties (always from people she doesn't know) and after they've had a few drinks and are brave enough to ask. But because she doesn't think plastic surgery should be a taboo topic, she's always happy to answer.

"I don't mind. I am not offended at all," she says. "I'm more than happy to answer. I'm not ashamed of what I did. I just think it's funny the way they ask."

VerMeer recently made a visit to Dr. Nayak's facility for a 10-month check-in, where the doctor did add "a tiny drop of filler in the right cheek because it's real life, and building materials are imperfect," he says. But beyond that, VerMeer is thrilled with the results of Dr. Nayak's work.

"My self-esteem and confidence have come back," she shares. "I tell you what happens. I think women kind of become invisible after 50, really. We do. I got my mojo back. I guess that's the best way to put it."

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