Upper Eyelid Surgery at 54

Just thought I would add a final update. Am I glad I had the surgery? Absolutely! I recommend it to anyone who has the upper eyelid issue. I would highly recommend Dr. Joseph and his staff for this procedure.

Well, it has been eleven days, and every day I see an improvement. I still have some swelling, but the itchiness and tightness has diminished significantly. My family was supportive of the decision. My husband didn't think I needed it yet, but he was supportive and understood the issue when he remembered my issue with heredity and how it would look if left untreated. Although it is recommend to take two weeks off, I am planning on returning to work tomorrow. I was disappointed to learn that I have to wait three weeks until I can work out again, but the time will pass quickly (I hope!) At this point, I am really happy with the results and am looking forward to the day when I can wear makeup again.

My eyelids haven't been an issue until the last few years. Both of my parents have the issue, and it affects their vision, so I could see where it would end up if I didn't address the problem. I contemplated having both eyelids done, but I don't have noticeably large eye bags. I do have lower eyelid wrinkles, but I was told a lower bleph would not fix that. It would tighten the loose skin, but it wouldn't eliminate the wrinkles. There are some things I can do to temporarily camouflage the lowers, but there was nothing that could be done about the uppers except surgery. I was never a beauty queen, but I knew at an early age that I would use what resources I could afford as I aged, and my eyelids were a problem that couldn't be hidden with makeup or creams or other gimmicks on the market.
My surgery was scheduled for 1:45, so no eating or drinking before the procedure. It was the day before Thanksgiving, so I got up early baked the turkey and pies. After slicing the turkey and putting it in the fridge until tomorrow, I went to the surgery center. The surgery before me ran several hours longer than expected, and it seemed like no matter which channel I watched in pre-op displayed delicious food. The hardest part was to quelch my hunger! It did pass, and I went in to surgery around 5:45. I awoke with an eye mask packed with ice, and soon I was home. I wasn't hungry and went to bed.
I normally sleep on my stomach, so sleeping was a challenge. The next day wasn't bad. Swelling had not peaked, and I had no issues finishing the thanksgiving cooking. I wore sunglasses to cover the bruising and swelling. The swelling peaked on the third day. The pain was minimal. Sleeping continued to be difficult, and I had blurry vision during times. It felt as if something was poking at my right eye. The eyelids felt tight and itchy, but I would describe it as mild discomfort. Around the fifth day, the bruising was bad and the swelling made me look like I had been in a bad fight. I was starting to doubt my decision. What if it didn't improve? I looked worse than before I had the surgery. I am happy to say that I had the stitches out this morning, and I am more than happy with the results. I still have a ways to go, but I can see improvement and can envision how they will look a month from now. I still have some swelling, but the natural shape of my eyes are no longer hidden by the extra skin.