James Oestreicher, MD

Exceptionally skilled surgeon. He specializes in eyes. I had botched surgery by another doctor which had left me with lower lid retraction. Dr. Oestreicher fixed it. He is highly ethical. Does not try to sell you a procedure. Most plastic surgeons aggressively try to sell you procedures just to make money and they never tell you the risk of you ending up deformed. Not Dr. Oestreicher. He is a very honest and caring person.

I really hate how my upper eyelid surgery turned out. Dr. Ostreicher performs an aggressive form of upper bleph.
He removed far too much fat from eyes and now I look completely different. I think great cosmetic surgery should just produce a better you unless you are looking for a different look. My eyes are now very round-looking and it's the same cookie-cutter look he gives all of his patients. There is simply no artistry let alone skill to what he does. He cut so much skin out of my eyelid area that my eyebrows look far lower than before surgery. I also have a kind of hawk like look. Run in the opposite direction. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't regret having this procedure done by him. #glassesforever

Once upon a time I was on realself looking around and eyelid doctors ... at this time I was inexperienced and didn't know what to look for. I was basically looking for the cheapest doctor in the gta because I thought making eyelid incisions isn't hard. I would sit at home and make my own crease where I would want it to be and I thought a doctor would just have to make a cut there and then my eyes would have a higher crease. Kind of like having eyelid glue or eyelid tape there to keep the crease there. But anyways I was considering going to Korea but I never traveled there and it seemed like too much work and too much planning. I never experienced this type of procedure or knew anyone who could tell me anything so I decided its better to goto a Canadian doctor. After searching on realself I found a dr in Barrie who offered it for $2000 I was happy and saw a review from some old lady she looked like she got butchered but her eyes turned out ok. My mistake was that I should have compared more characteristics between me and her. I was nothing like her, I was young and had different eye anatomy and skin. Long story short I went through with the procedure and was sweating buckets. This guy couldn't find the muscle he was looking for in my eye and was telling me while he was digging in my eye and I started to bleed over to my other eye and it erased his operative markings. So he ended up eyeballing the crease for the second eye and kind of rushed everything because he literally took like 4 hours. This doctor used ancient epicanthral methods and gave me nasty scars between my eyes. And uneven eyelids. I guess you get what you pay for. I feel like no matter how much research u think you've done, and then you've made your decision to the best of your ability, sometimes it's not enough. Because at that time I thought I spent countless nights scouring realself and looking around before making a decision but this was the outcome of my decision. After this I had a long recovery full of emotional distress and depression. Asking myself why I did this to myself. In the end I lived with it for few years and finally decided I'm now brave enough to maybe try it again (the surgery is so scary) and I'm hoping I don't turn out worse then what I am now. I have great confidence in my surgeon. (Even though he's not Asian... I just don't feel comfortable flying to Asia and having translators talking to me or someone not understanding me and they're all up in my face trying to fix me and I'm just stuck with finding out how it turned out after). Luckily the first surgeon gave me a partial refund back for his botched work. I really wanted to make a review on him but it's not worth it to remember such a time in my life.

I hope this doctor fixes my wrinkly uneven eyes!

Updated on 9 Jan 2017:
Hoping I just get normal looking eyelids and not come out looking worse then my original situation. Not looking forward to the long waiting process to see the final results (up to one year)

I defiantly came out with very noticeable uneven eyelids in the first surgery (and the doctor says to wait to see final results... yup still uneven) so hopefully my incisions for this surgery are more even with each other.

Still don't quite understand why they have to open your eye up and play around with the muscles inside... I'm so scared. At this point I already have eyelids maybe just making it have no wrinkles is my number one priority.

One eye looks more natural Asian the other eye has a higher crease ... I was left with having the best of both worlds but I do prefer the natural lower crease.

Doing this surgery awake and sitting in a chair while they cut into your eyes was so much anxiety. I came in very brave and not expecting to be scared... but I was sweating buckets and couldn't even talk to the first doctor while he jokes about nonsense. I rather have a serious doctor... just joke around w me after when you don't have a knife in my eye.

Updated on 15 Jan 2017:
Sad results... only reason they came out uneven was because the first eye he was working on started to bleed heavily, he had trouble finding the muscle he needed. The blood oozed over to the other side and he wiped away his markings.

Really dislike it when a doctor would say wait for the final results.. when you can clearly tell as soon as the operation is over that it's gone wrong.

Updated on 15 Jan 2017:
Hopefully more even and the hide the new and old scars well

Def not looking forward to healing process all over again ... and the dreadful waiting for the end results. 1 year only flys by when you have wonderful results... and seems like decades when it's ugly af

Updated on 18 Jan 2017:
Surgery was a breeze I thought it would take 4 hours like my first surgery but this was less that an hour probably. The experience is totally different when you goto a specialist. He has all the equipment and everything to make you feel comfortable I wasn't even anxious or scared at all.

-meet up to talk about what I want exactly again, showed him my wish pic
-paid for my procedure
-went into operating room changed into operating shirt and laid on the table
-got hooked up to heart monitors and blood pressure machine ... it was at 70
-not quite sure the order of what happened next but the doctor came in to inject the iv in my arm for light sedation
-marked my eyes, put on surgical face cover which had tape all around my face and then eye blockers in your eye (this really helped with anxiety, u don't get to see a thing so it's not scary)
-from here you can hear snipping and hear the stitching and once in a while he'll tell you to blink or open your eyes
-after stitching he rips the all around face tape, n iv and all the monitor stickers
-get dressed and the lady walks you back to the office for a sit down
-she gives you extra strength Tylenol and the doc talks to you for a bit ... but I totally forget what he said because I'm freezing and kinda loopy
-they put ointment in your eye so you don't even get to see your results right after (guess it's better so you don't complain or freak out when you see your face)
-this is what I looked like right after the procedure before leaving

-both eyes are different (expected because both eyes were diff to begin with)
-I noticed my right eye had trouble opening during the operation when he asked me to open them it felt like it was struggling... so it came out kind of droopy/lazy
-the other eye has eyelashes over projected sticking out

Pain: it was painless, you could feel like restrictions like can't move ur lids or face and why would u want to you can split ur stitches open or something, you can feel soreness later when it gets more swollen.

Updated on 18 Jan 2017:
Swelling looks more even eyelids look like sausages

After care is very tedious : putting cold compress on it all the time for 3 days straight, putting ointment in your eye and on the incision 3 times a day for 7 days, makes you blind for 7 days. Definitely cannot see anything... spending most of my time listening to shows. Def need someone helping you there's no way you can put ointment in your eye yourself. Visibility is like looking thru extremely stained glass (can only see blobs and colours)

Updated on 18 Jan 2017:
Incisions def look more even can't wait for final results

Updated on 26 Jan 2017:
1 week later - remove stitches but one eye wasn't healing well so had to keep them on for another two days

Today was removal of stitches and was getting concerned because it looked like I was getting suture tracks (the dots that turn into scars) .. same troublesome eye is also not closing while blinking only (closes when I do close them) and because of not completing a blink; its dry. But doctor says it will continue to get better n turn back to normal - better not be spreading around hopes and dreams. The other eye has flared out lashes because he tried to lower the crease so I guess that needs a lot of skin n etc idk. So I'm left w flared lashes ... hoping that calms down I do not want uneven eyelashes too.

Waiting to take the stitches out was long, now waiting for it to heal will feel like decades

Doctor advised to continue using the ointment on and in my eye for another week .... omg! Great...

Updated on 26 Jan 2017:
Looking better then before

Updated on 29 Jan 2018:
Now

I finally decided to do something about my heavy eyelids. I have had these all my life thanks to my dad and they are getting worse as I age. I have been getting botox on my forehead above my brows to give me a bit of a lift but was getting tired of paying for that. I researched many PS thanks to this site! I found an Oculoplastic Surgeon who only does eyes. I waited three months for the consultation and it was this morning.
I quite liked him. He did a test for dry eye and tearing and I was good for both.
He explained my options and I agreed, so I booked for May 30th at 2:30!
A little anxious but will be glad to get it done.
I have been lurking on this site for the past year!
I am having an upper and lower Bleph with CO2 laser on the bottom lids to tighten things up and get rid of the crepiness.
I will keep you all posted after the surgery!
Thanks to all for sharing their experiences.

Updated on 23 Feb 2016:
My Dr. didn't give me a list of stuff to take and do prior to surgery. I understand from a friend from a different dr. no alcohol for 3 weeks prior, take arnica but not sure what the dose is, bromelian, (again what dose) Any help in advance would be appreciated ladies and gents. Also, I am having mild sedation. Can I take a loramepain before to calm myself? I can ask but was wondering.

Updated on 30 May 2016:
So I am having my last food and drink before I head downtown for my surgery. Meds all packed up to go, sunglasses and my bed is ready with everything I need by my bedside table. Pillows propped up. I plan on sleeping at night in the basement in a lazy boy chair with pillows and an airline pillow. I normally sleep on my side. Pretty nervous, but I'm told it will be over before I know it. Just worried about the after care a little bit. Keep you posted! Thanks to this site and all the folks that helped me with my decision to go forward! Will post photos in due course.

Updated on 20 Jun 2016:
It has been 3 weeks today since my surgery. I saw the surgeon this morning and he is pleased with the results this far.

Day of surgery:
Not nervous at all. And I am usually a nervous person. My husband drove me downtown and we arrived at 2 pm for 2:30 surgery. He paid and the nurse took me to the surgery suite. Changed into a gown and then climbed up into what looked like a dentist chair. He gave me a bunch of local needles which didn't hurt. So gentle.

It took an hour and a half and he talked his way through it. It felt like 5 minutes. The local was starting to wear off when he was stitching me up so he added a bit more.

Went home and started the cold compresses the entire time I was awake. I slept sitting up propped by pillows and used an airline neck pillow so I wouldn't turn on my side.
I was in no pain at all but looked pretty beat up.

I had a bit of an issue with my left eye being irritated. That lasted a good 2 weeks. That is why I am only posting now. I was using an antibiotic cream in my eyes so I couldn't see. I was so bored I was going out of my mind. I wasn't supposed to watch tv for a few days so I just sat on the couch with my head back and listed to some talk shows on TV.

I went the next day after surgery for him to take a look and he said moderate swelling. I didn't have one bruise. That's because he uses laser surgery.

He took the stitches out the following Monday. Didn't hurt at all just felt a little odd. Still using the cream and now on prednisone because my left bottom eyelid started to droop and there was swelling. That cleared up in about 4 days and then he weaned me off the prednisone.

When he saw me this morning, he told me to get some Vitamin E oil and start massaging the stitch/laser line. I can now start wearing makeup so I am happy about that. I will try it out in the morning.

It is still improving every day so I will post more photos as it improves. Everyone at work who knows loves the results and is pleased for me.

Happy to respond to any questions!

Laura

Updated on 27 Jul 2016:
This is at one month.

Updated on 27 Jan 2017:
Hi all. Some people have asked for some before photos so here they are. Be kind lol.