Eyelid Surgery: Stories

Well, I had my upper and lower Bleph along with a chemical peel under my eyes done on March 13 (two days ago at this writing) and so far I look horrible. The swelling on the upper lid is pretty severe and painful. I did the low salt diet and cut out all the foods and drugs that could possibly cause bleeding (berries, garlic, fish oil, vil E, aspirin, Motrin, etc) and started taking bromelain and eating fresh pineapple 2-3 weeks prior so I was hoping for a better outcome. I have also been taking Arnica Montana 3 x daily since 3 days prior, icing constantly, and sleeping in the recliner with my head elevated. I have read the 2-3 day is usually the worst for swelling. I hope tomorrow will be better. I will post pictures once I am feeling better.

Day 5 postop - got to keep reminding myself to be patient and to stay clear of mirrors. Went to the follow up appointment today and the sutures on the upper lid were removed. The nurse said the swelling should really start to dissipate. I certainly hop she is right!

Day 6 - 19 March 2013
The chemical peel finally peeled off last night and the bruises are starting to yellow. Having the sutures removed (yesterday) have really helped with the discomfort, but they still feel tight and a little painful from the swelling although the swelling is a lot less today. I am still icing a few times a day as it feels good. I am also still sleeping on the sofa recliner to keep my head elevated. I might try to move back to the bedroom tonight.

Day 7 - one week! Cabin fever is really setting in. I made my first venture out today (other than to the doctor's office). I went to an Ulta store to pick up some heavy duty cover up to hid the bruises and to buy some large "movie star" sun glasses. My eyes still burn and hurt a bit. Still icing and sleeping with head elevated.

Day 8 - slept in my bed for the first time in a week. Had to use extra pillows to elevate my head. I think hubby was starting to enjoy having the bed to himself. Swelling and bruising getting better everyday. Ventured out in my movie star glasses for lunch with a friend.

Day 9 - the bruising looks a little better today. My upper eyelids still feel a little tight and sore--especially at the outer corners. The incisions look sort of wide and uneven. If I look closely I can see the suture holes. I am starting to worry that they aren't healing all that well. I am considering using silicone scar tape but will wait until my next follow up next week to ask if this is advisable. Hopefully I am overreacting and everything is normal and will heal fine. I don't want to have Frankenstein eyelids!

Day 12 - I was planning on going back to work tomorrow but decided to take a few more days off until after my second follow up on Wednesday. I still have some bruising and swelling that isn't covered all that well without caking on the makeup and then I feel I look sort of freakish. My eyelids still feel a it swollen and numb. Plus, my eyes have been tearing a lot in the outer corners making it hard to keep make up in place. I still feel that my upper right eye incision line is not healing so well. The scar is thick and uneven in several places and is causing a double crease effect I don't care for. Additionally, the corner of ny right eye looks like he stitched too much making my eye look slightly smaller and slightly "tacked" up. It does not look as natural as my left eye. I hope that this will resolve over time.
I had started an Obagi blender with retin-a regimen after my follow up last week but have decided to stop until a later date as the peeling and flaking was making the cover up makeup look horrible. I only need one problem at a time thank you!

Day 14 I had my two week follow up appointment this afternoon. The doctor assured me that everything is healing as it should and the uneven scars are still healing and once the swelling is gone should look much better. The stich marks should go away in time and if they don't, there are a few things he can do in the office. Hopefully it won't get to that point! He told me to come back for a followup in 3 weeks. I just need to be patient I guess! All in all, I feel my eyes look so much better, even with the scars on the lids.

So...I decided to start posting pictures of my recovery on a weekly maybe bimonthly basis. However, I found the really cool site that answered a lot of my recovery questions and issues and thought I would share the link. Lately I have been stressing about the unevenness of my upper lid scars and little white dots where the suture were. http://www.drmeronk.com/insidersguide/35.html

Day 22 the bruising is almost all gone, but still have some swelling, numbness, and tenderness at the outer corners of my eyes and along the suture line. The suture lines are still red, raised, and uneven.

18 April 2013 - day 36
I am very pleased with how I look so far but I am still concerned about scarring on the upper eyelids. It is easily camouflaged with make up. however, without makeup, i feel the scars are very noticeable. They are still red, raised and a little tender--especially at the outer corners. I have been using BioCorneum faithfully twice a day for about three weeks and I am not sure I am seeing much difference but I will continue as I figure it couldn't hurt. A word of warning if you ever use this product, be careful not to get it in your eyes as it really burns and you will end up having to flush your eyes for a few minutes.

26 April 13 - today is 6 weeks post op. I saw the doctor on Monday for a checkup. He noted that there is still some slight swelling under the eyes but he felt everything was healing well. I expressed my concern about the scars being raised and ropey in several places. He said I could start massaging those spots and that would help a lot.

Healing has gone well. I still have some slight numbness on the upper lids and corners of the lower lids. The incision site is still pink and the scar is ropey in spots. I have been using biocornium and massaging the scar daily in hopes that would help to flatten the scar. All in all the scars seem to be healing well and I just need to be patient. I am pleased with the results and have no regrets.