Lower Eyelid Blepharoplasty, 60 Year Old Female -New York, NY

I have excess droopy skin under my eyes, which makes me look tired all the time and older than my age. My intent is not to look younger, but better. After reading about the procedure, I decided to pursue this 10 year desire.

I went to Dr. Cangello for a consultation ($150). Prior to the procedure I had to get an EKG; blood work and see my eye doctor. Note: the costs associated with these pre-procedure tests are not included in my total cost of $6350. As my eyes were a little dry, I had to have a simple tear duct procedure done. A week or so before the procedure, I returned to Dr. Cangello's office for pre-op photos and was given prescriptions for pain, nausea and an antibiotic.

On the day of the procedure, I arrived at 8AM for a 9AM surgery. Prep consisted of the usual surgical attire: gown, booties and a hat. An assistant took my vitals: blood pressure, heart rate and weight. The anesthesiologist came in and confirmed our prior telephone conversation regarding eating, drinking, meds. Dr. Cangello came in and reviewed the procedure, aftercare and answered any last minute questions. We were ready to go.

Similar to most others’ stories, I have no recollection of the actual procedure. I thankfully “slept” through everything. When I woke up, I was a little disoriented, slightly nauseous, pain free and thirsty. I arrived home mid-afternoon and had a light lunch and immediately started after-care routine: cold compresses, eye drops, antibiotics. Happily still pain-free.

There was some swelling and skin discoloration but not nearly as bad as I anticipated. My vision was blurry, which may have been caused by ointment and swelling.

Dr. Cangello called in the evening to check-in and answer any questions.

Note: While you are required to have an escort to take you home, it is helpful to have someone with you through at least the first evening. Prior to the procedure, it is also a great help to have a few things ready: button down or zipper tops, loose fitting comfortable clothing, know where and how you will sleep, remove any tripping hazards in your home, have healthy ready-to-eat food available (cut fruit, soups, etc.) - nothing that requires chopping or much prep.

Day 2: The second day brought more swelling and discoloration. Happily, I remained pain free.

It is recommended to sleep on your back with your head raised. In order to limit my freedom, I chose to sleep on the couch. With the help of two Tylenol PM, I slept very well the first night (9 hours). I had the luxury of having my partner with me all day, which I found very helpful. My vision was limited which left me a bit disoriented; this was due to swelling and blurriness from a combination of ointment and drops.

The cold compresses throughout the day were a calming and cooling relief. I kept a stainless steel bowl of ice water in the refrigerator and used that for my compresses.

Day 3: Another good night of sleep thanks to Tylenol PM. The doctor thought it best not to strain my eyes, so Day 3 was much the same as day two - I listened to/watched a lot of TV. I felt good; relieved to be pain-free. Swelling was slightly reduced. The highlight of the day was taking a shower! Do your very best to keep soap and shampoo out of your eyes, as it stings terribly.

Day 4: Continued to progress; another good night of sleep. Boredom was starting to set in.

Day 5: A friend visited; I was grateful for the company. She said I looked like I was in a fight. Continued to get relief using cold compresses.

Day 6: First pre-op visit. Had the stitches removed. Doctor said everything looked good. He put tape on the corners of both eyes, to sort of guide the corners upward. Scheduled a one week follow-up visit. First day of driving. I'm still sleeping on the sofa to limit my movement - it has started to wear on me.

Days 7 - 10: Uneventful. Still slightly discolored and swollen. I notice an improvement! Started to resume normal activities - cooking, laundry, shopping, computer, etc., but sadly, it may be weeks before I can return to the gym. I'm feeling good.

Days 11 - 14: Still slightly swollen, but much improved. The only difficulty I am having is that my eyes are painfully dry in the morning when I wake up. I have found that if I put drops in my eyes in the middle of the night (often 2 times) it relieves the problem. I hope this is a temporary condition; will check with the doctor tomorrow.

I was remiss in washing my face properly days after the procedure, as my face was raw and swollen. My suggestion is to be diligent about proper facial cleansing, as I have developed several blackheads.

I found the procedure was far easier then I ever anticipated; I now wish I had done the upper eyelids at the same time. I am feeling good - I will include an updated photo after my visit with the doctor tomorrow.

During my second post-op visit, my doctor remained pleased with the recovery and result; everything is progressing well. I hadn't realized that the tape he had put on last time was to remain dry. As a result of it getting wet, it didn't hold the skin in place, so he re-taped the corners for another two weeks. He feels this will provide an improved result and help alleviate the dry eye problem. It in fact was a huge improvement, as last night I used Refresh drops once and this morning my eyes were fine.

I cannot return to the gym for at least another two weeks. My 3rd post-op visit is scheduled for February 6th.

I've attached another pre-op photo.