My Crease Re-fixation with Dr. Lee: Worth the Trip to Find the Surgeon That is an Expert... - Bryn Mawr, PA

Dr. Lee performed surgery on my right eyelid in February 2016, but my journey to Dr. Lee began two years ago. Approximately two years ago, I developed an annoying twitching in my right eye that made me more aware of persistent issues that I've had probably my entire life. My right eye always felt droopy and heavy but I felt it was getting worse. At times, it was difficult to keep it open to even read, especially when I was tired. Also, physically, my eyes looked very asymmetric too- my right eye appeared smaller and not as open especially in photos. During my annual eye exam, my ophthalmologist referred me to an eyelid surgeon - one of the best rated in New York. The doctor reviewed my situation and felt that I should leave the condition alone, as the surgery would be complicated, and may even require an eye brow lift.

So, after feeling disappointed by that consult but still wanting a resolution to my issue, I started researching options online. I came across Dr. Lee's website - which was the most comprehensive website I could find, in the entire US, for surgery specific to eyelids(both cosmetic and non-cosmetic). I decided to give Dr. Lee's office a call, and exchanged some pictures. Dr. Lee reviewed my pictures and said he thought that he could help, but I'd need to come in for a consultation because my case was a little complicated. The challenge was that Dr. Lee's office was nearly a 5 hours drive from my house. I live in Long Island, New York - Dr. Lee is just outside Philadelphia. With my busy job, and the distance there/back, getting to Dr. Lee's office wasn't an easy task.

However, on New Years Day, Dr. Lee had a VIP patient from Australia for surgery so he was open just for this patient's surgery. Given my time constraints and long trip, he carved out a slot to see me in the late morning of January 1, 2016! This timing was ideal as I was off from work for the holiday. During my consult, Dr. Lee presented 2 different surgery options. The first option was to operate just on my right upper lid. The surgery would remove some excess skin and fat on my right upper lid with an add'l procedure called a "crease re-fixation"(which is not a well known procedure since it's considered a more complicated eyelid procedure that is very popular with the Asian culture as I was told, basically, it's a modification of ones pre-existing eyelid crease). ***SEE PICS OF MY EYELIDS CLOSED BEFORE AND AFTER SURGERY- you will see that my natural right crease is much lower then my left before surgery and after surgery it's much more higher. Dr. Lee mentioned another option that included a right only brow lift along with the eyelid procedure. Dr. Lee steered me towards the simpler first option which only involved surgery on my right upper lid saying that I "may" be happy with just that procedure. He said he would raise my right crease higher and that it would involve some eyelid muscle work to create the higher new crease. While I was ready and leaning toward having the brow and eyelid combo surgeries to have the best result, Dr. Lee and his staff insisted I start with just the eyelid surgery to see if I could be satisfied with that outcome.

Being a naturally skeptical person, I wanted more opinions. I subsequently visited 3 other plastic surgeons in the tri-state area - including 2 in NYC. None of these doctors performed as many eyelids surgeries as Dr. Lee, and each one wanted to use general anesthesia- something I didn't want to do. At least 2 doctors wanted to perform a brow lift. After asking these doctors questions, it became apparent that none of these doctors had the knowledge of Dr. Lee or his staff. So, after visiting 3 other doctors, it became apparent that none of them were as experienced on eyelids as Dr. Lee. So, after literally dozens of phone calls and e-mails to Dr. Lee's office, I chose Dr. Lee for the surgery - choosing the simpler option as they suggested.

On surgery day, the procedure was painless. I was able to take the Amtrak train and a Uber from NYC, there and back. (However, I do suggest you travel with someone, I was brave in hindsight). The first week was really rough... It wasn't painful, but my eye remained swollen. I never took painkillers! What's frustrating with these surgeries was that some people will heal quickly, others take more time, it's really a roll of the dice. Ultimately, it took 3 months to completely heal, and about one month to look like there wasn't something wrong with my right eye. When it finally did heal, however, I was super satisfied with the result - it looked better than I expected. Not only did I choose the less invasive option, which saved me money and healing time, but I also avoided a brow lift (a painful procedure I would have to redo at some point in the future).

All in all, I'm very happy with Dr. Lee- see my AFTER surgery pictures and you will see why. My right eye doesn't feel heavy and tired and I look much more alert. He clearly is one of the best doctors in the U.S. in the field of eyelid surgery. He's also fair with his pricing, and his bedside manner is superb. If you are going to have surgery on your eyelids, I highly suggest you make the trip to Philadelphia and go with someone that truly knows his specialty - and won't make your hire a general anesthesiologist either. Incidentally, my sister will be visiting him soon (our condition is hereditary).