POSTED UNDER Eyelid Surgery REVIEWS
Simple, Straightforward and Super Successful Upper Blepharplasty + Tear Trough Fillers - Wellesley, MA
ORIGINAL POST
Okay, I'm 57 and never thought I would have...
Riverside3284February 26, 2014
WORTH IT$3,000
Okay, I'm 57 and never thought I would have something like this done. Honestly, I used to think only vain, shallow women or celebrities would opt for cosmetic surgery...but so much for foolish notions and my formerly judgmental self! Catching my very tired visage in department store mirrors, or worse, seeing me in candid photos my kids took, prompted me to scour RealSelf for what sort of 'refreshed look' was available and easily accessible to me. My initial thought was to try the tear trough injections, by a very experienced Doc that was expert in the eye area, having read numerous reviews that caution one to choose CAREFULLY, because the eyelid skin is very thin and placement of the injections is key re: the orbital rim etc. I was also curious as to what the Doc would say about upper blepharplasty.
Thanks to RealSelf's community of contributors (Hurray for Patients Reviews and Doctors Answers) I decided to make an appt. with Dr. Kapadia, who has excellent reviews, is an Ophthalmic Plastic Surgeon, is very experienced and conveniently located for where I live. I went with an open mind, provided both procedures (tear trough and bleph) as explained to me by the Doc, were in his estimation as simple and straightforward as I had read about on line.
It is exactly 3 weeks to the day that I had both procedures done, in his office, without any sort of general anesthesia; just local anesthetics or put simply, shots like the Dentist would give for any sort of Dental surgery. My appt. started at 1pm and I was in the car headed home at 2:30! My husband drove me and was also surprised at how easy the whole process was. I did as I was advised, keeping the ice on my eyes for the next 24 hours, taking arnica 30 4x a day and drinking pineapple juice, all to diminish swelling and assist with a quick recovery and eliminate the bruising. The first three days my eyes looked like hell, but with very little discomfort. I'm not kidding. The ointment that is prescribed kept the stitches from itching too much, but the whole eye area looked a mess, with a kaleidoscope of colors appearing over the course of the next 5 days (including beet red the first day after surgery.)
Then, it almost seemed overnight, that my eyes and the discoloration 'went back to normal.' By the 8th day after surgery you could barely tell that I had any surgery done...just that I looked more bright-eyed than I had in a very long time. No crazy 'surprised' look...no dramatic change in appearance...just the 'real me' rather than the scary one I kept seeing in those unexpected mirrors! The only tiny complaint that I could have had...but knew from what Dr. Kapadia had said at the time of my procedure that he would 'touch up' when I came back...was that one side of my under-eye area looked more pouchy, whereas the other side blended very well. Sure enough, when I went back today for my follow up, Dr. K.
injected the restylane he had stored/saved for me into that side, massaged it somewhat, and it now looks terrific, blending into my cheek area.
Thanks to RealSelf's community of contributors (Hurray for Patients Reviews and Doctors Answers) I decided to make an appt. with Dr. Kapadia, who has excellent reviews, is an Ophthalmic Plastic Surgeon, is very experienced and conveniently located for where I live. I went with an open mind, provided both procedures (tear trough and bleph) as explained to me by the Doc, were in his estimation as simple and straightforward as I had read about on line.
It is exactly 3 weeks to the day that I had both procedures done, in his office, without any sort of general anesthesia; just local anesthetics or put simply, shots like the Dentist would give for any sort of Dental surgery. My appt. started at 1pm and I was in the car headed home at 2:30! My husband drove me and was also surprised at how easy the whole process was. I did as I was advised, keeping the ice on my eyes for the next 24 hours, taking arnica 30 4x a day and drinking pineapple juice, all to diminish swelling and assist with a quick recovery and eliminate the bruising. The first three days my eyes looked like hell, but with very little discomfort. I'm not kidding. The ointment that is prescribed kept the stitches from itching too much, but the whole eye area looked a mess, with a kaleidoscope of colors appearing over the course of the next 5 days (including beet red the first day after surgery.)
Then, it almost seemed overnight, that my eyes and the discoloration 'went back to normal.' By the 8th day after surgery you could barely tell that I had any surgery done...just that I looked more bright-eyed than I had in a very long time. No crazy 'surprised' look...no dramatic change in appearance...just the 'real me' rather than the scary one I kept seeing in those unexpected mirrors! The only tiny complaint that I could have had...but knew from what Dr. Kapadia had said at the time of my procedure that he would 'touch up' when I came back...was that one side of my under-eye area looked more pouchy, whereas the other side blended very well. Sure enough, when I went back today for my follow up, Dr. K.
injected the restylane he had stored/saved for me into that side, massaged it somewhat, and it now looks terrific, blending into my cheek area.
Riverside3284's provider
UPDATED FROM Riverside3284
22 days post
Forget to include additional cost of Tear Trough injections
Riverside3284February 27, 2014
In addition to the $3,000 cost for the Upper Bleph, I also paid $1,500 for the restylane used (3 vials) for the tear trough injections. Yes, I had mega bags/dark circles under my eyes so Dr. K used most for the initial injections and saved the remaining for any touch up needed. He used the remainder yesterday doing the touch up, by correcting the pouchy side w/more filler where the cheek merges/abuts the lower eyelid. Looks great and barely a bruise (and I have a very light complexion.)
Replies (14)
February 28, 2014
Thanks so much for sharing! Did you consider having a lower blepharoplasty instead of the under eye fillers? Just curious. I can totally relate to being caught off guard to candid photos or of your reflection.
March 1, 2014
No, I didn't considered the lower bleph because I knew that it would involve going to a medical center and having general anesthesia. Having never had any cosmetic surgery, I was not ready for that step. Thought the injections would be a good start. Now, I think I may consider that as a future option, but time will tell. Thanks for the question.
March 1, 2014
That makes sense. I like that the injections can give you a good idea of what to expect too, should you ever do the lower bleph. I had a lower bleph and at the time I didn't even know fillers were an option to correct the issue, although I'm not sure it would have looked good because my under eye bags were so big. I hope you keep us posted on your continued healing :)
March 6, 2014
I had an appointment with Dr. Kapadia yesterday and he said I needed lower surgery which involves a hospital and anesthesia. I didn't think to ask him about filler but my bags are puffy, not dark circles so maybe filler won't work for me? Did you have any puffiness under your eyes before surgery or hollowness? How is your vision and are your eyes dry?
March 6, 2014
I had dark circles primarily with a little puffiness. If you are unsure, I suggest giving Donna, Dr. Kapadia's Office Manager, a call and asking her to ask Dr. Kapadia if tear trough injections would be a suitable alternative to lower bleph surgery. I am sure they will welcome your phone call. My vision is fine and I do not have dry eyes at all. I understand your reluctance, however, now that I have had my own personal experience with Dr. Kapadia, my inclination is to trust his final recommendation. Of course that is easy for me to say, and you should do what makes you most comfortable. Just fyi, the tear trough injections basically fill up the dark circles, so the lower lid is raised somewhat. If the puffiness is pronounced all the way around the lower lid, there may not be a way the injections can disguise that. Good luck!
March 6, 2014
Thank you for your vote of confidence in Dr. Kapadia. I'll upload pics of myself so you can see the puffiness. If you just had circles then you are lucky. I will ask if I can get away just injections anyway just so I know.
March 13, 2014
have you figured out how to upload pics yet? i'd love to see dr. kapadia's handy work. he doesn't have a lot of photos on his website.
March 17, 2014
Here is our Help guide on how to upload pictures to your review. Hope that helps!
March 24, 2014
Just re reading your review and saw you had 1 lid more collapsed than the other, so do I. Are they both symmetrical now?
March 25, 2014
Yes, both eyes have the same amount of upper eyelid showing now. It is amazing how quickly I have gotten used to the change. He really did a good job.
March 25, 2014
i have 1 eye opened more than the other, like one is a little bigger, so i'm not sure if it's the same thing you describe. i hope the outcome can be as good as yours.
Replies (0)