POSTED UNDER Eyelid Surgery Reviews
Mid-30s RN, Tear Trough Deformity - Lower Blepharoplasty with Tear Trough Implants/ Fat Redraping
UPDATED FROM BranscCS
6 months post
5 months later...
WORTH IT$3,800
Alrighty, ladies and gents!
Here they are-- my eyes, with tear troughs, a little under 6 months after the fact:
The hemosiderin staining is drastically reduced, most of the swelling is gone, and I do have two small areas of tingling within the nasolabial folds at the very base of each side of my nose. Otherwise, the feeling has returned to both cheeks, above the upper lip, and there is no pain-- just intermittent odd sensations as the nerves continue healing at the edges of my nose. Hope these photos help!
Much love to all of you, and many recommendations for Dr. Apostalakis.
Here they are-- my eyes, with tear troughs, a little under 6 months after the fact:
The hemosiderin staining is drastically reduced, most of the swelling is gone, and I do have two small areas of tingling within the nasolabial folds at the very base of each side of my nose. Otherwise, the feeling has returned to both cheeks, above the upper lip, and there is no pain-- just intermittent odd sensations as the nerves continue healing at the edges of my nose. Hope these photos help!
Much love to all of you, and many recommendations for Dr. Apostalakis.
BranscCS's provider
UPDATED FROM BranscCS
1 month post
6 Weeks Post-operative
Hi guys,
Just wanted to drop a few more pics of my progress:
First of all, the feeling has come back to the majority of my face! You WILL go through an itchy period, and a round of uncomfortable sensations (burning, stabbing-- especially if you're smiling or laughing a lot!), but as of now, I can feel both cheeks, pretty much everything except one ~1cm spot above my top lip, and a large portion of my nose (nostrils and tip are still fairly numb).
A lot of the swelling has gone down, and black eyes subsided, but now I have bruise-like rings under my eyes. I'm a nurse and talked to a couple of folks-- my understanding is it's a fairly common side effect in lighter-skinned individuals when they use blood product for facial/ dermatological procedures. What I was told was the blood components oxidize in place, effectively causing a bruise effect that's more visible (through your skin) the lighter your skin tone is. Dr. A explained this does occur in "fairer skinned" patients sometimes, but everything I've read or heard suggests it should begin to fade at about 3-4 mths post-operation.
Lastly, the attached pics are in natural lighting, with no makeup excepting brow filler and lip base/ liner. This is where I am with things right now-- hoping for some more formal pics when things progress another few weeks along.
Hope this helps!! XOX
Just wanted to drop a few more pics of my progress:
First of all, the feeling has come back to the majority of my face! You WILL go through an itchy period, and a round of uncomfortable sensations (burning, stabbing-- especially if you're smiling or laughing a lot!), but as of now, I can feel both cheeks, pretty much everything except one ~1cm spot above my top lip, and a large portion of my nose (nostrils and tip are still fairly numb).
A lot of the swelling has gone down, and black eyes subsided, but now I have bruise-like rings under my eyes. I'm a nurse and talked to a couple of folks-- my understanding is it's a fairly common side effect in lighter-skinned individuals when they use blood product for facial/ dermatological procedures. What I was told was the blood components oxidize in place, effectively causing a bruise effect that's more visible (through your skin) the lighter your skin tone is. Dr. A explained this does occur in "fairer skinned" patients sometimes, but everything I've read or heard suggests it should begin to fade at about 3-4 mths post-operation.
Lastly, the attached pics are in natural lighting, with no makeup excepting brow filler and lip base/ liner. This is where I am with things right now-- hoping for some more formal pics when things progress another few weeks along.
Hope this helps!! XOX
Replies (5)
November 21, 2016
Your results are great! The hemosiderin staining under your eyes will take some time to go away. I flew to Austin and went to doctor A. last year (November) and had the same procedure done. My results are amazing, the only down side is after a year, I still have some remaining hemosiderin staining still under both eyes. I can cover it with concealer with no problem, but before surgery, I only would wear makeup for occasions, but due to the staining I wear concealer everyday now. I still have a slightly area of numbness in the upper left corner of my top lip as well. Everything else is back to normal as far as sensation goes. I know he mentioned that the staining can take up to a year or longer to fully resolve. My staining has gotten better, so I'm holding out hope that it will completely dissolve.
Since it's been a year, I love my implant results, I look well rested even when I only get 3 hours sleep.
Since it's been a year, I love my implant results, I look well rested even when I only get 3 hours sleep.
February 21, 2017
Are you happy with your results? Do you still have staining under the eyes?
April 22, 2018
Hi, I had this done and my cheeks are still noticeably swelled after 4 weeks, were yours like that too?
February 6, 2022
My face is still swollen after 6 weeks. It's better than before and I never had any bruise. I hope this swelling will go down more soon.
UPDATED FROM BranscCS
20 days post
3 Weeks Post-Op
Hi folks!
Well, I'm at week 3... was going to wait until week 4 to post again, but thought I'd throw a picture up here after having worked a full day, with no makeup, to give a better idea of the healing process! I'm still a little puffy in the cheeks, and admittedly slightly bruised, but even though I'm dead tired right now, don't think I *look* as tired as I did pre-surgery.
Oh, if you're considering this procedure, one of the hardest aspects of recovery is the loss of feeling in the lower half of your face afterwards (entirely normal). Initially, it will be both cheeks, your nose, and the upper lip area. At this point, I've regained feeling in both lips and both cheeks, but my nose and nasolabial area (smile lines) remain numb. It seems like the nerves are healing, though, as I do have intermittent itching, tingling, and occasional sharp burning sensations in my upper cheeks where the nerve exits the bone within the operative site. I've also struggled with an intermittent foreign body sensation under my right eye this week (in the conjunctiva, or pink part under the eye), but find it well-managed with OTC allergy meds (Zyrtec for me), allergy eye drops, and the lubricating gel provided by Dr. Apostalakis's office prior to surgery. If it persists, I'll email or call Dr. A's office again.
I will say, I've sent weekly photos down to Texas for review, and the office staff and/ or Dr. Apostalakis himself have both been highly responsive, usually providing feedback within half a day of my updates. I've been very happy with their attentiveness and follow up, and do plan to wait until 4 weeks to send my next check-in... unless my right eye keeps feeling a little dry and squirrelly.
Thank you again for all your kind words and compliments-- when you don't "look like" yourself for a while, it does start to weigh on your self-confidence a bit. :0)
Well, I'm at week 3... was going to wait until week 4 to post again, but thought I'd throw a picture up here after having worked a full day, with no makeup, to give a better idea of the healing process! I'm still a little puffy in the cheeks, and admittedly slightly bruised, but even though I'm dead tired right now, don't think I *look* as tired as I did pre-surgery.
Oh, if you're considering this procedure, one of the hardest aspects of recovery is the loss of feeling in the lower half of your face afterwards (entirely normal). Initially, it will be both cheeks, your nose, and the upper lip area. At this point, I've regained feeling in both lips and both cheeks, but my nose and nasolabial area (smile lines) remain numb. It seems like the nerves are healing, though, as I do have intermittent itching, tingling, and occasional sharp burning sensations in my upper cheeks where the nerve exits the bone within the operative site. I've also struggled with an intermittent foreign body sensation under my right eye this week (in the conjunctiva, or pink part under the eye), but find it well-managed with OTC allergy meds (Zyrtec for me), allergy eye drops, and the lubricating gel provided by Dr. Apostalakis's office prior to surgery. If it persists, I'll email or call Dr. A's office again.
I will say, I've sent weekly photos down to Texas for review, and the office staff and/ or Dr. Apostalakis himself have both been highly responsive, usually providing feedback within half a day of my updates. I've been very happy with their attentiveness and follow up, and do plan to wait until 4 weeks to send my next check-in... unless my right eye keeps feeling a little dry and squirrelly.
Thank you again for all your kind words and compliments-- when you don't "look like" yourself for a while, it does start to weigh on your self-confidence a bit. :0)
Replies (5)
October 4, 2016
How did Dr. A place your implants, I mean through your eye lids or through your mouth? Also did he anchor them with screws?
October 5, 2016
He places them transconjunctivally, which is underneath the eyes, within the pink mucosal tissue. The implant itself is inserted subperiosteally-- which is to say, a small slit is made in the sheath surrounding the orbital (eye socket) bone, and Dr. A slides the implant into the pocket, beneath the lining of the bone.
He does NOT use screws-- I'd had an ankle reconstruction in my teens, and rejected all of the hardware, with my healed tissues pushing the plates and pins back out of my leg (yes, it was brutal, LOL!). Dr. A didn't worry about it: rather than screws, he anchors the implant to the periosteum with one to two stitches, allowing the periosteum to heal with the implant inside it. The healed surgery become a part of your own structure with this approach, with minimal use of bioactive materials that may lead to a reaction or rejection.
He does NOT use screws-- I'd had an ankle reconstruction in my teens, and rejected all of the hardware, with my healed tissues pushing the plates and pins back out of my leg (yes, it was brutal, LOL!). Dr. A didn't worry about it: rather than screws, he anchors the implant to the periosteum with one to two stitches, allowing the periosteum to heal with the implant inside it. The healed surgery become a part of your own structure with this approach, with minimal use of bioactive materials that may lead to a reaction or rejection.
October 6, 2016
BranscCS, you look great btw!. I'm just curious why you decided to opt in to this procedure vs using fillers? Have you tried fillers and decided that it's not working it out for you?
I'm asking because I've had fillers before. I'm thinking about doing it again with another doc, but was considering this implant as well.
I'm asking because I've had fillers before. I'm thinking about doing it again with another doc, but was considering this implant as well.
October 29, 2016
Hey Ranny!
My family has bad allergies, and both my parents are of some degree of Native American descent (my mom more than dad), so especially watching my mom age over the years-- with higher ethnic bone structure and deeper-set eyes, I knew it was only an issue that would progress with age. Also, looking at price tags, I could do two rounds of Juvederm for just under what once set of implants would run, so in the end-- between desiring a more permanent outcome, and looking at cost-effectiveness over time, the implants were an easy decision!
Good luck to you, whichever way you choose. :0)
My family has bad allergies, and both my parents are of some degree of Native American descent (my mom more than dad), so especially watching my mom age over the years-- with higher ethnic bone structure and deeper-set eyes, I knew it was only an issue that would progress with age. Also, looking at price tags, I could do two rounds of Juvederm for just under what once set of implants would run, so in the end-- between desiring a more permanent outcome, and looking at cost-effectiveness over time, the implants were an easy decision!
Good luck to you, whichever way you choose. :0)
October 12, 2016
You are super cute, and looks like your procedure was a fantastic success! Enjoy going without makeup while your work young!
October 15, 2016
Hi! Thanks for your review. I'm thinking about tear trouph implants.
Can't wait to see another update and your thoughts :-)
Can't wait to see another update and your thoughts :-)
Replies (5)