See Former Real Housewives of Orange County Star Jeana Keough's Before and After Facelift Photos

When Jeana Keough left the Real Housewife of Orange County in 2009, she says everything was going great in her life. Her three kids were happy, and her business was booming — but she wasn’t loving the way she looked.

“I went through menopause, I had gained weight, I looked terrible and I didn’t date for years,” says Keough, 62.

Eventually, she’d had enough of feeling miserable. She got back into shape, but was then left with excess skin on her neck that she didn’t like.

The real estate agent decided to get a facelift with renowned plastic surgeon Dr. T.Y. Steven Ip in Newport Beach — and filmed the entire procedure for a PeopleTV special.

“I want to look 15 years younger because I like guys that are 15 years younger,” she jokingly says of to go under the knife.

Still, she had some trepidation about the process.

“I was nervous,” Keough admits of undergoing the seven-hour operation. “I was worried about the downtime. I didn’t want to look like bloody, swollen Tales From the Crypt for a week.”

• For more on Jeana Keough, pick up this week’s issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday

But the procedure went smoothly and after a total six-week recovery, Keough was ready to reveal “the new me” to her girlfriends.

“I don’t know how they’ll feel about it, but I think I look great,” she admits. “And that’s all the really matters.”