Asian Eyelid Surgery: Stories

I've always had small eyes, but I honestly was never bothered by that until I gained 30 lbs and my entire face (including my eyelids) became extremely fat. My eyes also started drooping; there was so much fat that it looked like my eyes were closed all the time. I became extremely paranoid about this and began wearing heavy eye makeup to conceal the fat/drooping. I finally became tired of spending all that time & money (liquid eyeliner is not cheap...) and decided to look into surgery.

I found Dr. Chaboki on this website, and his office was nice enough to squeeze me in during my one week stay in the area. He gave me the option of having the procedure done at his office (for only $2000!) or at the hospital (for $3000). Obviously, I chose the lower-cost option. The procedure itself was not bad. I was given local anesthesia and steroid injections (I tend to scar even with the smallest injuries). My eyes are completely swollen (with one eye being much more swollen and enlarged than the other). Still, I can tell by the less-swollen eye that I'm going to like the results. Below is a picture I took 24 hours after surgery. I have to drive across the country for my thesis defense next week, so I'm hoping that my eyes are at least swelling evenly by then!

Recovery: the recovery period was quick but awkward. I experienced zero pain after the day of the surgery, so I didn't have to take any of the prescribed painkillers. A bruise formed under my eye for a few days before disappearing. I had two job interviews and finished my classes exactly five days after surgery, so that was REALLY awkward because one eye was so much larger than the other, and both were huge and swollen. I am prone to scarring, and a thick, white scar appeared on the incision line of my left eye after the first week. However, upon the doctor's advice of using Vaseline on the incision every day, the scar went down significantly (it's not visible at all when my eyes are open).

It's been three and a half weeks, and my right eye is pretty much back to normal. I'm *hoping* my left eye is still swollen, because it's still a little bigger than my right one. I haven't had time to go back to DC for a follow-up appointment yet, but will be doing that around the six-week mark. Overall, I'm pretty satisfied because my eyes look SO much less fat & droopy than before without makeup.