WATERLOO -- Aging is inevitable. So are the gray hairs and wrinkles that come with it.

But Linda Mogray, 60, refused to take growing old lying down. Unsatisfied with how time had treated her appearance, she made a decision to fight back.

Last March she underwent several cosmetic surgery that turned the clock back about 20 years.

"It's unbelievable, the difference," Mogray said in a phone interview from her Webster, N.Y., home.

Mogray's dramatic transformation was at the hands of surgeon, Dr. David Congdon, who recently opened the Cedar Valley Center for Facial Plastic Surgery.

Located at United Medical Park, the surgery center features state-of-the-art technology and comfortable surroundings to make every patient who enters feel instantly at ease. And there have been plenty of patients since the center opened Dec. 1.

"Before now, patients were sent to Iowa City and Cedar Rapids," Congdon said. "Now they can get treatment in their own community."

In the past, cosmetic surgery had a sort of surprise element -- patients couldn't get a good picture of their results until the bandages were removed after surgery. With computer software and a professional-grade photo studio, Congdon is able to show patients on a computer screen what they will look like after surgery.

"We get pretty close to what we get in the end," Congdon explains. "It's a very valuable tool for patients."

Mogray, who had her surgery done in New York when Congdon was completing a fellowship there, was convinced that cosmetic surgery was the right way to go when she saw her new and improve image on the computer.

"It really gives you an idea of what you're going to look like, and I liked what I saw," she said.

Mogray underwent rhinoplasty, upper and lower lid lifts, a forehead lift, lower face lift and midface lift. Most of the surgery was done through endoscopes inserted into small incisions in her scalp.

"It used to be an incision on the scalp from ear to ear," Congdon said.

Mogray took about two weeks to recover. The average recovery time for most patients is 10 days to two weeks.

"That's when the bruising and swelling are gone, and they can get back out in circulation," Congdon noted.

A patient at the Facial Plastic Surgery Center is seen first for a consultation, discussing with Congdon possible treatment options. That's when the pictures are taken and digitally altered on the computer.

Then, the financial side of their treatment is discussed. The center offers financing through Capitol One.

"It gives people a rock-solid number so they can budget for it," said Congdon. "People are always surprised, though, at how much less it costs than what they thought it would."

In 2002, the average cost of a facelift was $5,722, according to the American Society for Anesthetic Plastic Surgery. As with any service, the more you have done, the more it will cost.

Cost was not a deterrent for Mogray, who spent upward of $10,000. And she gives no thought to naysayers who think cosmetic surgery is for narcissists.

"A lot of people think you are vain to have it done and grow old naturally. I don't think it's vain. It's part of feeling good about yourself."

In addition to facial cosmetic and reconstructive surgery, the Center for Facial Plastic Surgery offers Botox injections, facial peels, dermabrasion, hair implants and laser treatments. For patients who prefer discretion, there is a private entrance on the south side of the building.