I wanted a procedure that would address the hollowness of my underlying area and that would restore the position of the surrounding muscle and tissue to its original position. Being 32 and having been assumed I'm in my 40s since I was 24 was really starting to affect my self esteem. In addition, facial fillers are not a good idea to consistently get around the eyes. You risk the chance of filler being placed in a blood vessel, fillers can't go in every place around your eye and too much filler makes you look fake and like a blown up balloon. Dr. Tower was understanding of what outcome I was looking for, took my concerns seriously and helped to find a solution that would fit my need best. Pros are that a surgical intervention has longer lasting effects and you don't end up wasting money on fillers or time with providers wasting your money trying to sell snake venom as a solution to your issue. Cons are there is swelling and you look like an alien directly after the procedure. Also, a traditional blephoroplasty is not going to address what a SOOF lift addresses because a blephoroplasty does not lift the fat pad that meets the orbital bone. In fact a blephoroplasty doesn't even address the descended fat pad at all. A SOOF lift however does. Stop wasting money on fillers that make you look like a balloon and don't even address what it is your wanting fixed. Updated on 29 Jan 2022: On day one and two I had to ice my eyes 20 minutes on and 20 minutes off throughout the day. In addition throughout recovery I have to sleep on my back with my head elevated. What I have experienced so far is sensitivity to light as well as a clear gooey film that has accumulated more on my left eye than right. There is some itchiness which the doctor says is due to the antibacterial cream placed on the incisions around my eye. Today on day 4 my right eye has gone down in swelling significantly but my left eye has not. I have been told swelling will be asymmetrical in healing but I am a little averse to how different my underlying area of my left eye is compared to my right. I'm looking forward to the end result. Updated on 30 Jan 2022: Eyes are now feeling crusty and a bit itchy. I have also been having headaches, but that's likely due to pressure from swelling as well as the drainage of fluid. After day two from icing 20 minutes on and off, I was directed to use heat packs on my eyes to help drainage of fluid through lymphatic system in my face. Swelling has gone down, just not significantly. I am feeling some small amount of sadness, mostly from the changed appearance if my face from the swelling. In my experience this passes, and is part of the process of any surgical intervention. I experienced similar when I had gotten a mini facelift and after the swelling from that procedure went down I felt happy about the results. I have no doubt that I will be happy with the end result of this procedure. Updated on 31 Jan 2022: Hey day five is looking better. Or just could be a better camera angle? No more icing as it is not helpful at this point in the decrease of swelling. As directed I am using heat pads throughout the day for about 5 minutes at a time. This helps to decrease the puffiness and drain it away. I cannot let the top of my lids get wet for two weeks, or the bottom of my lids for three weeks. So to bath I take a bath and keep a dry washcloth over my eyes when I wash my hair. My left eye is itchy in the corner of it and there is alot of gunk on my eye that is irritating me. Wish I could clean it all off. I do have a week follow up in two days so I will ask my surgeon how I can clean this all up then. I'm grateful for the opportunity to have such a skilled oculofacial plastic surgeon near where I live. Not many surgeons perform soof lifts. Updated on 1 Feb 2022: Hey all. So my right eye is going down but my left eye is still puffy. The right undereye area looks like there's a pool of fluid trying to drain. The left under eye area just looks puffy and having a difficult time draining. There is still crusty things along my eyelashes I don't know if I should take off or just wait for the doctor to examine and possibly he can clean it off. The area is itchy around. Again I have had a Brow pexy in addition to having an upper belphoroplasty and soof lift lower blephoroplasty. I am hoping all the swelling goes away as the reason I got this procedure was to address the very harsh tired appearance of my under eye area. Updated on 3 Feb 2022: I have been using heat on my eye area to help the swelling and fluid under my eye go away. I am reminding myself that this is not the end result of the procedure. Today I am feeling unhappy with what I do see. I know there will be asymmetry, but looking at the pattern of the swelling under my right eye compared to my left makes me worried that what I wanted to be addressed was not actually addressed. . This will be my last update until week 4, and then I'll post another at the 3 month mark due to the final result not being visible until 3 months post op. Updated on 5 Feb 2022: The swelling has gone down, but not all the way. The lingering swelling under my eyes worries me as I am supposed to return to work by 3 weeks. If the swelling continues to appear this way I will not feel okay leaving even my house. I opted for this procedure to address hollows in my eyes that fillers could not address. Right now I look way older than I did before the surgery. I'm not a surgeon but it just doesn't look like the fat pad under my eyes was addressed at all. As it's returning to normal it literally looks like there was no lifting affect at all. Updated on 7 Feb 2022: It's starting to look alot better today. Still some swelling and bruising left but it's not looking as bad. Pretty slow on seeing results. I guess the lesson to learn from this procedure, when it comes to your eyes is that swelling and recovery is slow. I can however now see the subtle improvement to the under eye area I was hoping to gain. Not that it was too bad before anyway, but it was an area I needed to address. That being said, and this was not with doctor consent but I considered the fact that the majority of the swelling was due to the inflammatory response to the dissolvable stitches still intact. With any inflammatory response, antihistamines help to reduce those symptoms. So I have been daily taking one dose of alleve non drowsy. Updated on 8 Feb 2022: Swelling has gone down considerably. In lighting You can see slight bags under my eyes that are residual swelling from the stitches. I cannot give an accurate review pn results until month 3, but in my observation my eyes look exactly the same as they did prior to surgery except for there being slight swelling and incision/stitches. If anything, if the results show that my eyes look exactly the same after everything has healed, I'll hope that perhaps the procedure acts as a preventative aging tool for when I get much older. Updated on 15 Feb 2022: The swelling has gone down considerably. However, how much is left of it that is swelling, or if it is improperly moved tissue is beyond me at this point. I am currently unhappy with what I am seeing. I'll post an update at week's 4, 5, and 6 and then again at the 3 month mark. I am really hoping it turns out good. I spent alot of money for a procedure to address the very areas I am currently seeing still present and even worse than pr surgery. As pre surgery I did not have bags. What I had were hollows under my eyes. Updated on 17 Feb 2022: Here's just another photo of the under eye area. I realize it is week 3 post op, but to my understanding the results of the procedure will be mostly seen by week's 4 to 5. Prior to surgery, I already looked much older than my age. It's just something I've always had to deal with, looking much older than my actual age. To pursuit of this procedure was to address the fact I look older, I wanted the lower eyelid repositioned to where it used to be when I was younger (but looked the age I am now) and instead, the swelling under the eye appears to have aged me even more. So, I am hoping that by week 6 the swelling is gone. I spent alot of money for this to be addressed, and if the swelling continues to be there, I will feel really unhappy considering the money I spent and am paying back on could have been spent on a cheek lift instead. Updated on 17 Feb 2022: Here's is an example of what I mean by the worsened aged appearance under the eye. And I think somethings off with the right eye. I don't know if I did something wrong with it. I also feel bad for reaching out to my surgeon because I'm not trying to cause issues or be viewed as one of thise problematic patients. But going kut of the house or to work, looking this way is a problem. Updated on 19 Feb 2022: My doctor seen me this week to take a look at my eyes. My right eye is having some issues, and is not the same shape as my left eye. The under eye area is pulling downward. So at this time we are waiting and watching to see if it gets worse or if it will improve. If it gets worse or does not improve he will address it by completing a revision to my right eye. This is a huge struggle for me. I wanted to address this part of my face which has bothered me for a very long time, only to try to address it and the problem still be present and even made worse. Updated on 27 Feb 2022: I feel that I look much older than I did prior, due to the residual swelling. My right eye lower lid is pulled down slightly and may need correction. At this point I am regretting I did this procedure. Perhaps it will look much better later on. I was actually told the swelling really sticks around for 12 weeks, not 6 weeks. 6 weeks is optimal healing. If this is how my eyes will generally look going forward, I am not going to be happy. I'm experiencing symptoms of depression from it. The eyes are the most important part of one's face. I am worried that I spent 12k on something to address an issue that didn't address it and in fact worsened the original complaint all together. I am aware I could be viewing this healing very pessimistically, but it is a valid worry. This affects relationships I have, romantic and with friends. It affects my view of myself. I've had other procedures which I am happy on the results from. For example I have had a mini facelift which did address the concern of lax skin and an aged appearance that came prematurely. I thought a soof lift and blephoraplasty would help with the aged appearance of my eyes. As it stands, they look significantly worse. Updated on 28 Mar 2022: So my eyes are looking alot better. I would say this procedure is worth it. Also keep in mind that although a soof lift can lift part of your cheeks, which it did for me, it does not count as an actual cheek lift so, there is improvement, especially in my lower eye area. The swelling has gone away, what is left are suture bumps on the outside edges of my eyes. Eyes are very sensitive, and the skin is very thin, so I'm foreseeing the slight bumps being there for likely several more month until completely dissolved. There was asymetry in the healing process, at this point I feel it has improved and I don't really see it at all. I did however had to take several photos to get one presentable enough to place here today. In the future I am going to be getting a full cheek lift/midfacelift to improve my cheek and midface area and I think that along with the results of this procedure will make for a very beautiful end result. I thought in my healing process I'd be candid and honest so that others pursuing it can know what to expect. My surgeon is board certified and was personally trained in this procedure, so please do not go to a provider that is not specialized in soof lift, brow pexy, and upper/lower blephoroplasty. Updated on 19 Aug 2022: Dr Tower did a spectacular job. Understand that soof lift as a blephoroplasty option is optimal because it addresses the juncture of the lower eye and upper cheek but that this alone will not restore descending of your cheeks. I believe this procedure would be optimal in combination with an upper midface cheek lift. My eyes look wonderful, and unfortunately because I have not also had a cheek lift, I still appear the same exact age as I did prior to all other surgeries I have had. In the past two years I have had a lower mini face-lift, a brow pexy/lateral brow lift from another surgeon. And with Dr. Tower I have had the soof lift, upper blephorplasty and another brow pexy. In addition I have had bellafill injections by another provider 3 years ago and recently botox and juvederm/rystaline placed in my temples and cheeks. I look improved, and my eyes look great, and it's quite clear that cosmetic surgery is a process. In the states, you cannot find a provider that does every single procedure in one setting. You will find providers who are so used to working on older patients that when a "younger," one arrives, their bias prevents them from even considering trying a procedure on said patient. I am not quite to the result I am wanting, I am not even looking for perfection, what I am looking for is my face to be restored closer to how it appeared even just 5 or 6 years ago. I am not able yet to find a provider willing to lift my cheeks to where they originally were, and its likely because surgeons are used to older women seeking these procedures, that they are expecting significant descent of cheeks. Anyway, sorry for the rant. This is not a reflection of Dr. Tower's work, he is quite talented and I thought I'd share an update so you can see what to expect. It's beautiful in my opinion.
I tried Botox with a friend at age 33. 10 years later there still isn’t one wrinkle on my forehead and I always feel good with it! I can’t imagine not getting this a couple times a year. I starte with just between my eyebrows and a few pokes around my forehead. Now in my 40’s, I’m getting a little at my crows feet. But you don’t have want to get too much and look frozen. A skilled dr is worth the cost!
I know how much it's helped to look at all of these sites before I made my decision so I thought I'd post mine. I have categorized my review "not sure yet" because I'm right in the middle of healing. I am posting a before picture as well as photos in between. Next week I will update my photo eight days after the procedure. I have pretty good expectations about my face, obviously I'm 50 but I'm seeing lines under my eyes that just make me look more tired than I feel. I specifically went to a Doctor Who provides halo treatments but is also is a certified ophthalmologist and plastic surgeon. He was able to get closer to my eyes by putting corneal covers (black steel contacts) directly over my eyes during the procedure. Although I felt like I was in a Mad Max movie, he definitely got closer to my eyes than any other procedure has been able to do (I've had two Fraxels in five years). Needless to say it has created a lot of swelling. I will be homebound for the next few days for sure. Currently I'm on day three and beginning to peel. I will keep you posted! Updated on 16 Dec 2016: to go out today albeit incognito...you can't tell from photos but my face is super red and eyes are very swollen still. Getting a tad nervous as I travel next week. Will keep you posted. Updated on 16 Dec 2016: This is still the color of my skin. It is tight and puffy and still hurts a bit. Laying low today with Advil and lots of hydration!! Updated on 17 Dec 2016: Well, I've mostly peeled and my skin is definitely smoother underneath. I have some weeping underneath my eyes where I'm guessing we went a little bit more aggressive. Four days until I get on a plane, I hope the scabs under my eyes Goes away by then. I still have a little bit of swelling But the redness is definitely subsiding. I can tell that the small brown discoloration freckles on my face are gone, just wish recovery with a little faster. Updated on 19 Dec 2016: Today is definitely a day I feel like I could go out and not hide my face. My skin is much smoother, fine lines are gone. I'm still a little puffy under the eyes and still a little pink but so far I'm liking the results. I do have some residual bags under my eyes that I hope will resolve soon. I will continue to post updates. Updated on 20 Dec 2016: I'm going to say this treatment is worth it but you definitely need to schedule your downtime. This is day seven and I'm still putting ointment on my face and have some residual red patches. Otherwise, my skin is smooth as a babies bottom ! Updated on 23 Dec 2016: 10 days later and this is the first day I really put on make up. Not using the Aquaphor or any heavy greasy moisturizers at this time. Definitely feel like fine lines are diminished and my skin is very smooth. This ten days was Lots of work so I definitely will keep good SPF on in the future so I can keep my results as long as possible. Please send me any questions you might have!
It was one of the worst experiences of my life!!! When I arrived for my $7,000.00 eyelift surgery, I had to use the restroom, the nurse sent me out of the office and down the hall, the second time I had to use the restroom before the surgery, she let me use the one in the office and then ask me, if I was incontinent and told me that I couldn't pee in the chair. I was horrified, but figured that the doctor would be more professional and make me feel at ease, Dr. Tower didn't make me feel any better, it was like I was next in line for surgical practice. It took Dr. Tower less than an hour to do, what he told me would be 1 1/2 hour procedure and he was done by 10am, I know because I looked at my phone immediately after. The eyelift is bad, I've got lots of scarring especially on the right eye. When I shower my eyes gets water in them and they feel and look awful. When I went in for my stitches to be removed I went into a panic attack before I got into the building. The nurse escorted me to the exam room and then he popped in for a minute and said they were fine, well they are not fine and this journey is not stopping here. I waited 2 months to write this review in hopes that my eyes would look better. Then there would have only been the unprofessional behavior from the nurse the doctor. I'm a business woman and I've had to miss meetings and other functions because of his careless, rushed work. :( Updated on 24 Oct 2023: It was one of the worst experiences of my life!!! When I arrived for my $7,000.00 eyelift surgery, I had to use the restroom, the nurse sent me out of the office and down the hall, the second time I had to use the restroom before the surgery, she let me use the one in the office and then ask me, if I was incontinent and told me that I couldn't pee in the chair. I was horrified, but figured that the doctor would be more professional and make me feel at ease, Dr. Tower didn't make me feel any better, it was like I was next in line for surgical practice. It took Dr. Tower less than an hour to do, what he told me would be 1 1/2 hour procedure and he was done by 10am, I know because I looked at my phone immediately after. The eyelift is bad, I've got lots of scarring especially on the right eye. When I shower my eyes gets water in them and they feel and look awful. When I went in for my stitches to be removed I went into a panic attack before I got into the building. The nurse escorted me to the exam room and then he popped in for a minute and said they were fine, well they are not fine and this journey is not stopping here. I waited 2 months to write this review in hopes that my eyes would look better. Then there would have only been the unprofessional behavior from the nurse the doctor. I'm a business woman and I've had to miss meetings and other functions because of his careless, rushed work. :(
