Bilateral Congenital Ptosis Repair

I was born with ptosis or 'droopy eyelids' and was made fun of my entire life, which hugely impacted my self esteem and sense of self. I never imagined that I could 'fix' this problem, but after seeing cosmetic surgery procedures on TV, I started researching eye-lift surgery. I posted a question here on realself about blepharoplasty and received some excellent advice from surgeons who quickly diagnosed ptosis from the images I shared. From here, I researched surgeons in the London area and found Sabrina Shah-Desai.

Sabrina quickly put mind at ease during my initial consultation in London (Harley Street). She took photos, performed various tests, gave me some magical eyedrops that instantly opened my eyes (and dilated my pupils ridiculously- I felt like an anime character), explained in detail the surgery I would require to correct the ptosis (informing me that I was a good candidate for internal repair) and laid out my options regarding costs, location of hospital, etc. My surgery was scheduled three weeks from the date of my first consultation.

On the day of the surgery, I travelled (with my mum) to the private Spire Hartswood hospital in Essex and was shown to my private room. Before the surgery, Sabrina visited me in the room to discuss the upcoming procedure, she took some more pictures pre-surgery that she later sent to me. She is very funny but professional and has a warm and friendly bedside manner. A lovely nurse came in to check blood pressure, etc, at numerous points before and after surgery- the care was very attentive from the whole team at the hospital.

The procedure was performed under local anaesthetic with sedation, which was great! I could feel the pressure of my eyelids being flipped, clamped, cut and stitched, but there was no pain. I watched A LOT of videos of the surgery before my own, so I knew what to expect.

I had dressings over both eyes that were shortly removed following surgery and I looked a bit like a demon from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. The initial (scary) swelling quickly subsided in the following hours. Sabrina visited me again before I left the hospital and continued follow-up via text message.

Swelling took a few days to go down and I had to use disgusting greasy eyedrops that I could taste in the back of my throat (THE WORST PART, BY FAR). I had to re-learn how to use my eyes. After using my forehead to hold my eyes open for such a long time, I was opening my eyes scarily wide at first but I eventually slipped out of this habit and now, over a year post-surgery, that habit is a distant memory. It was also really strange having to actively close my eyes, but again, it's now second nature.

Aside from the huge cosmetic improvement to my eyes, which is the main reason I explored the surgery, the lines in my forehead have pretty much disappeared and I no longer suffer tension headaches. The surgery was beyond worth it and I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Sabrina or the Spire Hartswood hospital to anyone.