So Happy I Finally Did This! - Albany, NY

Thanks Jill, the surgery was just what I needed to feel confident again.

Hi. I would say the swelling decreased a lot after the first week and by day 10. It is very difficult to see the swelling to the point that you almost become obsessed. By 2 weeks out I had very little swelling and minimal bruising. I limited any salty foods, I slept on 3 or 4 pillows for a month and kept up on the bromaline and pineapple religiously. I can't stress enough that you will see changes for the better everyday. You will go through feelings of doubt and question why you did this, but in the end, you will be so happy you did it. I am happy every day, and have no regrets. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask.

I didn't have any sebaceous cyst myself, but I have seen a few other people on this site

Yes I did...and it stayed for 3 1/2 months. It's finally going down now...thank goodness!!!

Hi mike. Thank you so much. I feel that this minimal procedure made me look like my old self, how I pictured myself. Before surgery I looked tired and sad, or in a bad mood. I wasn't any of those things. Now I'm back to feeling confident and I feel like my eyes are open where before I felt so puffy and swollen. Hope you had great results too. Believe it or not, you will continue to see changes even in the next 3 months.

hi again - I know what you feel about now looking how you 'imagined' yourself to look like - sometimes I only saw the 'good me' in an occassional picture but in a lot of unexpected photos I thought I looked quite bad - but now I see photos from holiday etc and I think I now look like I 'pictured' myself to look in my mind - which is 'OK' :) Isn't it weird how you kind of feel like you have a kind of affinity with other people who have done this? It's such a stressful thing to have done, that only those who've done it know what it's like - then you kind of feel like only those who've been through it really 'get it' - you feel like you risked having a disaster for the rest of your life - but you hold tight and take the plunge because it feels like the risk is worth it - then if it turns out ok you feel ecstatic - but at the same time feeling bad/sorry for anyone who has not been happy with their results - it's a very stressful experience all round.

Hi mike. That's exactly how I feel. No one understands how it felt to stare in the mirror every 10 minutes after surgery, thinking that u made a mistake, or will u ever look like what you hoped. Even six months out you still think about it, not as the first couple of months, but it's still there. It is a gamble when you get your results. I remember going into surgery praying I would have one of those good results. I was confident, but still was scared. We were lucky, and can only pass on things to help the others who are scared and not sure about their time of their journey.

Good description Mike. I too had a lower & upper bleph after a TON of research...I felt iron-clad confidence in my surgeon going into it...but after reading all the stories and being rather neurotic in general, obsessed after the fact. I had a lot of swelling up to 3 months post-op and felt a general loss of identity - I drove myself (and probably my wonderful surgeon!) nuts. I think it had to do with the fact that it's the eyes - the window to the soul. We ALL look at each others' eyes when we talk. Neck work, body work, etc is different because those parts are not focused on during communication. Eyes are critical - not just for sight (which is the most important aspect!) but for connection amongst one another. I am very happy with my surgery but I'm not smug. I did a LOT of research and got (what I feel) is one of the best surgeons in the business. But then I read that other people thought the same, and the results were less than optimal. It seems to be the luck of the draw.

That's so nice of you. Thank you.

Your welcome. The good advice I received reading other people's journeys before my surgery helped me. I wanted to pay it forward.

Thank you mark.. No redness in my incision area. All it looks like is a faint brown eyeliner in my lash line. Any redness faded several weeks ago. I'm confident in facing the world now, and that makes me very happy. Wishing u the best.

Thanks Lindsay. 2 months is a great indicator of recovery. You will feel pretty normal by one month, but 2, months is the key. I can't be happier. Any questions in the future, please feel free. I will be watching you and as always wishing u the best.

Hi there, I don't find reading a problem but I have found that if I`m watching tv etc when I`m eating or moving my jaw then my eyesight is a little blurry. Might be to do with moving the jaw which stretches the skin under the eyes.

Thank you. I was hoping to help people by putting my story out there. Wait another month and u will be surprised to see differences then. I actually am improving on my reading. The eyes still get tired, but better. Good luck on your jury picks. At this point you can face everyone with confidence and no one will be the wiser that you had any procedure.

Yeah. I do too. Dr. Said artificial tears eyedrops, recommended Refresh or Rephresh, something like that. Apparently a lot of us get dry eye after the surgery for a while. Mine don't feel dry, but the drops helped a lot with the blurry vision.

I will try that when I'm at work. I have some but didn't use it. Maybe when they feel real tired from being on a computer all day it will help. Thanks for the advice.

They probably were intimidated by your striking glare.