53 and Still Believe in Miracles… - Asheville, NC

Hello everyone. I am very excited to share great news …I can close my eyes completely now. I am so happy! My road to recovery was a little bit bumpy in the beginning but the results are totally worth it. Dr. Harley was very supportive and encouraging during that difficult time for me and I appreciate it so much.

Let me share some observations I made during my healing process. Any surgical intervention can leave scars. The key is locating scars in a place that are least noticeable and Dr. Harley placed his incisions within natural creases and made precise wound closures. My job was to provide an excellent care and follow the post op instructions to minimize scars. Scarring is a natural part of the healing process… every scar heals differently so some areas may require more attention than other. The scar formation on my right eyelid was more intense pulling the skin inward and preventing it from complete closure. Dr. Harley recommended daily massage to make the scar tissue softer and eliminate tightness. On the eyes, every millimeter counts. Fortunately, the skin of the eyelids is very thin and flexible so my persistent work was finally paid off.

In June, my husband and I spent two weeks in England and Wales visiting friends and family. I am not big fan of rains at all but that GB high humidity cool weather was perfect for my eyes, hair and skin. The day we came back I noticed the difference. High altitude, constant wind, air conditioner, and computer are the main reason of my dry eyes. I also noticed that make up irritates my eyes as well so I try to minimize it as much as possible. However, I feel much more comfortable without make up now…just lipstick and eyebrow pencil most of the time yet look fresh and rested even when I am tired. Just before vacation I was going to have Botox or maybe a filler to lift my eyebrows but didn’t have time…now I think I am OK without it for some time, my eyes look softer and natural. I am happy with results.

At tree months post op, I still feel some weird sensation in my chin and around my ears, but it’s much softer now and doesn’t bother me at all. Even there are more scars on my face, the Biltmore Lift was much easier to recover than blepharoplasty (I had both upper and lower eyelids done). However, I made the right decision to combine those procedures, saved time on recovery and look much younger. Thanks Dr. Harley.

Today I would like to talk about something the most people on this site would avoid: complications. I received a couple of private messages with questions and concerns, in addition I have my own…so I did some research and put it up for you here. I know some people are terrified of surgeries and I am not trying to scare them away but only inform, cause we can’t ignore this subject…

The giant quote below is a part of the article “Blepharoplasty 101: The Essential Patient Reference” by Dr. Meronk who is a retired plastic surgeon. I found it very easy to understand and informative, however, the full article must be purchased for $29, which I chose not to do as I am almost done with my recovery.

“Despite the extensive list that appears below, blepharoplasty is a relatively safe and effective surgery when compared to many more plastic and reconstructive surgeries. Complications in blepharoplasty are uncommon and, when they occur, they are usually mild and transient.

Infection: Infection is a risk with any and all surgery. Because of the eyelid's good blood circulation, however, elective surgery performed under sterile conditions seldom results in serious infection.
• Bleeding: Continued bleeding after blepharoplasty may require reopening of the eyelid wound and either cauterization of the bleeding vessel and/or evacuation of the clot ("hematoma"). The most common sites of bleeding are the fat pockets and the orbicularis muscle.
• Wound separation: The edges of the eyelid skin closure may separate, especially in the first day or two after suture removal. A small separation may close spontaneously or with the help of supporting tape. A larger separation may require suturing. Generally, treated wound separations have minimal permanent effect on the final result.
• Suture cysts: Tiny white cysts (milia) may develop in the suture line. While most disappear without treatment, removal of a resistant cyst is simple and quick.
• Asymmetry: Eyelids that look good individually may not match as a pair, and such asymmetry introduced by surgery may be cosmetically disturbing. Asymmetries can involve the height and shape of the upper eyelid crease, excursion of the lower eyelid margin, residual skin or fat, and so on. If noticeable asymmetry persists past a reasonable waiting period of time (usually three to six months), your surgeon may suggest re-operation.
• Insufficient skin removal: While blepharoplasty undercorrection is always preferable to overcorrection, an objectionable amount of undercorrection may call for a "touch-up" operation. Be aware that what sometimes appears to be an undercorrection may, in fact, represent a basic and inherent limitation of blepharoplasty surgery in that particular patient. For instance, mild hooding of upper eyelid skin on the side closest the temple may be secondary to a mild downward droop of a patient's eyebrow. Likewise, skin excess in the medial canthus towards the nose may be more related more to a patient's forehead droop than an underaggressive blepharoplasty. Remember two things: (1) blepharoplasty is an operation on the eyelids alone and can accomplish only so much for the face, and (2) attempting to leave eyelid skin "bone tight" in either the upper or lower eyelids is courting disaster.
• Excessive skin removal: Excessive removal of upper eyelid skin may interfere with proper closure of the eyelids ("lagophthalmos") during blinking or especially when sleeping. Extreme shortage may distort the eyelid margin and create a widening of the palpebral fissure (opening between the eyelids) that is both cosmetically and functionally objectionable ("eyelid retraction"). Excessive removal of lower eyelid skin may cause the eyelid margin to pull away from the eye surface ("ectropion"). When mild, the main symptom may be overflow tearing due to the pulling away of the tear drain opening from the surface of the eye ("punctal eversion"). If more severe, the entire lid may be pulled downward. Problems resulting from skin overcorrection are annoying at best and dangerous at worst; almost all such complications require surgical intervention.
• Insufficient fat removal: When insufficient fat removal creates a noticeable or asymmetric blemish, further removal may be indicated.
• Excessive fat removal: Fat removal from the upper eyelid may create a lid crease that appears too high and deep ("superior sulcus defect"). Fat removal in the lower eyelids may create a hollowed-out appearance ("inferior sulcus defect"). Hollowness may develop either immediately or years after surgery.
• Excessive muscle removal: Aggressive removal of orbicularis muscle from the upper eyelid may hollow the superior sulcus and in the lower eyelid may lead to weakened eyelid closure and support.
• Excessive internal scarring: Internal scarring ("fibrosis") or shrinkage of the internal eyelid layers below the skin may cause distortion, limitation of movement, and retraction. Massage may help in mild cases, but surgery may be needed to improve appearance and function.
• Excessive external scarring: Visible scarring on the skin may be aggravated by poor healing in damaged or sensitive skin, suboptimal placement of incisions (too high in the upper eyelid; too low in the lower eyelid), delayed suture removal, prolonged fragility with laser incisions, failure to follow postoperative instructions, and other factors.
• Inappropriate crease: An upper crease placed too high tends to "feminize" the male eyelid. An overly high or arched upper crease in an Asian eyelid may "round the eye" and make it appear inconsistent with the rest of the face. Excessive upper skin removal and/or failure to fixate the crease during suture closure may allow the final scar to migrate higher and be visible.
• Rounding at the lateral commissure: Rounding of the acute angle where the outer upper and eyelids come together may be caused by excess skin and/or muscle resection or a result of canthoplasty - canthopexy. If subtle, the deformity is best ignored; if more noticeable, surgical revision may be undertaken.
• Drooping upper eyelid: Blepharoplasty may "unveil" a pre-existing but unrecognized drooping upper eyelid (that is, not a baggy lid but one that rides too low), a condition known as "ptosis". Less commonly, injury to the levator muscle and tendon (aponeurosis) may cause ptosis to appear in a previously healthy levator system. Mild ptosis after blepharoplasty is not rare and may persist for several weeks to months. If the condition does not resolve with time, exploratory surgery may be indicated.
• Fat necrosis: Due to surgical manipulation, pea-sized ares of fat may die over the first few weeks, turn hard or rubbery, and become tender to touch. Massage may hasten resolution but only if healing if far enough along and the manuever has been approved by your surgeon.
• Swelling on the eyeball surface: Collection of post-surgical inflammatory fluid (edema) or temporary disruption of lymphatic drainage (chemosis) may cause swelling on the eye surface that is uncomfortable and cosmetically frustrating. It is not rare and has been reported in over 10% of patients undergoing skin-incision lower blepharoplasty. Nearly all cases resolve within three weeks to three months. Chronic chemosis persisting six months or more may occur rarely and is of unknown cause. Lubrication, medicated eye drops, patching, and passing time are generally curative.
• Injury to the lacrimal system: If the main tear-producing gland is injured, prolonged swelling in the outer portion of upper eyelid may persist for several weeks. No additional surgery is required. Injury to the drainage canal ("canalicular laceration") is rare but requires immediate repair by an ophthalmologist.
• Double vision: If the muscles that move the eyeball are injured or scarring occurs in the fat surrounding the eye muscles, temporary or permanent double vision may result. The most vulnerable muscles are the superior and inferior oblique muscles and the inferior rectus muscle, all of which course within or near the fat of the eyelids. Attempt at correction of any resulting double vision ("diplopia") may require the services of an ophthalmologist specializing in eye muscle surgery ("strabismus surgery specialist")
• Loss of vision: Very mild reduction of vision following blepharoplasty is not uncommon and is usually due to swelling, excessive tearing and mucus production, and/or secondary to ointments or drops used after surgery. “

If you select a very well trained an experienced plastic surgeon and the procedure is performed in an accredited facility, you will greatly reduce the possibility of complications, but unfortunately cannot eliminate it completely. I don’t want to sound pessimistic but rather realistic. It is life. Everything in life has tradeoffs. You have to consider what you will gain and what you will loose. I personally, had to consider a possible dry eye complication, as at this time I was the most familiar of. Currently, I have dry eyes and incomplete eye closure. The first one is taken care with eye drops. The second…I waited for almost three weeks to contact Dr. H as I hoped it would have resolved bu itself and finally I emailed him about my issues. He called me back the very next day. We had a long conversation about my recovery and what should I do to improve it. One of the advices is massaging scars at least 5-10 min a couple of times daily in addition to slight stretching. Dr.H assured me that it is a transient complication and it will be resolved with time. I believe it’s just a matter of time… If you have any concerns, don't hesitate to contact Dr. H as he is a very caring person.
I will keep you posted about my progress. I am going to upload a few pics from my iPhone as well