Eyelid Surgery: Stories

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Overcorrection and Slanted Eye from Unecessary Canthopexy on Right Eye - Houston, TX

My girlfriend had upper and lower bleph and...

  • 14 Sep 2009

My girlfriend had upper and lower bleph and canthopexy performed on both eyes 4 weeks ago. She mistakingly, requested to have both eyes performed with canthopexy, when she only needed her left eye fixed. The PS created an incision from her brow to the bottom of her eye (about 2.5 inches long) to take skin up to make room for the unnecessary canthopexy. Now her right eye is slanted.

The cons were that a canthopexy surgery was performed when the PS said only the left eye needed, but since she insisted before surgery, both eyes had canthopexy, and her right eye had excess skin removed to slant the eye up.

Would skin grafting and a canthopexy release restore her right eye to what it would looked like had this not happened?

Altough the healing time took longer than average...

  • 3 Mar 2011
Altough the healing time took longer than average (about 4-6 months to heal vs. 1-2 months) the surgery and results are so much better than we could have hoped for. The end result looks nothing like the post operation and she looks and feels like a supermodel. Most importantly is that she healed, had no side affects, and Dr. Mentz and his staff were comforting and supportive throughout the healing process. The longer healing time was more than likely individual to her case and is not something that would not normally happen. Dr. Mentz removed the canthopexy from the eye he discoraged her from having about 2 months post operation for free. After the canthopexy was removed both eyes healed fine and the result is natural and looks perfect.

Great review?
Henry Mentz, MD

My Doctor: Henry Mentz, MD

My rating:

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Dr. Mentz is a wonderful plastic surgeon and very friendly and compassionate doctor. He is a professional who strives to make continious improvements and feels very conected to his patients. His facility is luxerious, comfortable, and welcoming.

Comments (12)

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chicalatina 21 Nov 2011
52??? Congratulations! I hope I look like that at 52.
0123 6 Jul 2011
Can you post an update picture of your new eyes? In your current picture at 4 weeks post op, your eyelids look odd and not natural.

How does it look now?
sweetpea2 1 May 2011
Overcorrect,
Please respond to this post. I am looking for my adopted sister and her name is Lori and the picture I have of her is 30 years old but I can't help seeing similarities. Does Lori have a problem with her tear ducts?
Kathy
Overcorrected Canthopexy Concern 6 Jul 2011
Hi Kathy,

Thank you for your message. Lori just turned 52 in April (hard to believe) so she may not be the person you were looking for. She also does not habe a problem with her tear ducts (before or after the surgery).
SaraFina 29 Sep 2009
Are you certain this was only a bleph with canthopexy? Her midface appears advanced (lifted). Did she perhaps have some sort of filler injected also? I ask because, to me, something doesn't seem right here to me. (Then again, might be the camera's lens distortion). The cantho on the right eye appears "tight" (and I'd bet that eye is uncomfortable because of it). And, the lid on the left still is seated below her iris at the lateral aspect (which it was before the surgery) but that corner isn't hugging her eyeball. Still, it's early and all of this can change. Best advice I can give is for both you and she to fully accept the months of necessary waiting for the swelling to receed and tissues to settle into position (your friend is very swollen). Only then will anyone be able to safely judge how to proceed. Revision surgery before the time is right/optimal is an all bad idea.
Overcorrected Canthopexy Concern 30 Sep 2009
Hi Sara, Thank you very much for your kind response and support. You are correct, in that my gf Lori also had fat injections done to her cheeks, jaw line, and nasolobial folds and lips. The cantho in her right eye was not necessary as you can tell from her before photo and shrunk her eye to an unatural smaller shape. The PS mentioned that this eye did not need cantho but that the other eye did where the lower lid was sagging. Unfortunately, Lori asked the PS to have cantho on both eyes the day of the surgery. The great news, however, is that the PS just released the cantho in her small eye which did not need canthopexy and her eye is back to the original shape had the cantho not been performed at all. I was a little worried that the skin that was tucked under her eye for the canthopexy would recede or diminish over time, but it would take more than several months, or years for this to happen. The PS also suggested waiting till about 3 months to release the canthopexy to see if it needed to be released at all, but after seeing Lori at 6 weeks post op and knowing that the cantho did not need to be performed at all, decided to release (remove) the cantho from her small right eye. Now both eyes are symetrical and look as they origianally would, had the cantho for her small right eye not been performed at all. Releasing the canthopexy is a little different than revision surgery and I would definatly agree with you to wait many months before having revision surgery and hope others do the same thing. The effects will improve over time and patience is something that most people don't know about or see until they are going through the recovery process. The fat grafting in her face has also deminished to a more natural look and it too will recede over time (I would guess about 2 - 4 years) but already looks very nice. After 2 - 4 years she might decide to have a facelift. This time around, however, we will spend a much more significant time researching surgery and weighing the options. Even though I spent about 2 months researching, I think facail operations, especailly when the skin is removed is very critical to know about, since it will last a much, longer time.
fatterfromleftside 24 Sep 2009
I think she looks better after the surgery she looks younger and its almost impossible to notice the difference...
Overcorrected Canthopexy Concern 30 Sep 2009
Thank you for your nice compliment! The swelling in her face has deminished since the fat grafting to her cheeks, jawline, and nosolobial folds. The swelling from her fat injections should deminish to a more even look, I'm guessing 6 - 9 months post op. Also, remarkably, the PS removed (released) the canthopexy from her small right eye, and now both eyes are symetrical! I hope this information lets others know that had a canthopexy operation been performed, it can then later be released to return to the beginning state to where it would have been. Had the operation been a canthoplasty (where skin is cut) then the effect would have been very, very difficult to reverse.
Vickisue (RealFriend) 23 Sep 2009
Hello, I think it helped her appearance in a more youthful look. I can see the difference in eye shape,and unfortunately this may get worse over time. I had upper and lower with far worse results. Hollowed,Doll eye look. I had fat grafting (injections),in the upper lid area to regain fullness,try and even eyes, but it did not last and now looking to have orbital strip fat grafting on upper lids for fullness. I have one eye larger than other,and from what I've read this is common. Any fat grafting or multi grafting, whatever her surgeon wishes to call them, are not guaranteed to last. Some woman are better candidates then others. The area in which the fat is injected makes a difference as well as method of harvest and configuration. Did she have fat injections on lids or face? Her face looks fuller. It has changed her appearance. Not knowing what she looked like when younger,I cannot tell if it is a positive change. Some eye lid surgeries,as mine,can change your appearance so tremendously negative, your own family dose not recognize you. Your friend does not look bad at all,and notices these changes more than others. Beware,she could make it worse. Again,fat injections(grafting's)can absorb into your system over time. Only 20%-30% remains in most cases and more injections are continuously needed. This can become costly over time,and why more woman are opting for surgery in restoration.Others use another dermal filler type. All are short lasting and don't let anyone tell you differently. I'd say anywhere from 3-12 months, you'll need another filler injection and notice the difference where it was once full,and now deeper lines and folds, again appear. These fillers stretch out the skin over time also. Especially for fullness, where more filler is required. Cheek and face area. I actually had a plastic surgeon tell me it costs more for facial fillers than a face lift,in terms of fullness in face restoration and most end up getting the face lift over time. They are good for frown lines,small areas, etc. Invasive surgery is sometimes the only permanent fix, although I can relate to concerns. Only time will give you the best indications of what if anything can be done next.I honestly don't think the true results show for at least 6-9 months after surgery.Give it enough time to heal,settle and then go from that point. Good Luck
Overcorrected Canthopexy Concern 30 Sep 2009
Hi, thank you for your message. I really appreciate all the comments I have received and am thankful for your support. My gf Lori, had upper and lower bleph with canthopexy in both eyes. Her right eye is sunken and did not need canthopexy (as the PS mentioned this) but since Lori insisted, the canthopexy made her sunken eye even smaller. Good news though, at 6 weeks post op, she saw her PS again and he released the canthopexy which was unecessary, and both of her eyes look symetrical! The swelling in her upper eye where the canthopexy was has gone done since the canthopexy was released. The results of the canthopexy are such that it did not interfere with the blepharoplasty. Therefore, with the release of the canthopexy in the eye that did not need it, now both eyes appear as if she had had originally only had canthopexy performed on one eye. I also appreciate your comment about the fat grafting, as this has deminished over time and will continue to deminish, to what I believe would be a more even appearance in about 9 - 12 months post op. For the doll-eyed look, I have conducted some basic research and found Dr. Meronk's web-site to be helpful with describing fat strips for the hollowed appearance. http://www.drmeronk.com/hollowed/beforeafter-upper.html He does mention that this fix is temporary, but I think it is a good option if it is hurting your well-being. I read your posting of your surgery and believe that any improvement would be worth it. For example, my gf Lori also goes to hair club for women, and pays about $350 per month or almost $4,000 per year, which I would estimate would be the cost of the fat grafting for the eyes and might last even longer. My gf and I aren't rich, but we sacrafice else where to make this happen. I think the trade-off for you would be worth it, but you will know better than I would.
Overcorrected Canthopexy Concern 18 Sep 2009
Thank you for your response! The more responses I receive the better it will be with helping my girlfriend Lori fix her eyes so that they are larger and look closer to normal. Although, we can't turn back time to make this happen, we are looking for opportunities to make improvements. Thank you again for your help.
candycane12 (unregistered guest) 15 Sep 2009
In my opinion, I didn't think she need any eyelid surgery at all. She just need her laugh line filled out with one of the available fillers on the market.

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