Eyelid Surgery Disaster - Please Read if Considering This Surgery - Calgary, AB

13. Ask what they do for post-op. There are surgeons that will call you at home to make sure you are alright and then have follow ups in person a day after; a week after; a month after; six months after, etc. These surgeons care about how the results are and how you feel about the results. If they don't do this, you don't go there for surgery.

14. Go to surgeons that try to offer non-surgical solutions first. I heard after that perhaps botox could have helped me by raising my eyebrows. I don't know if this would have worked for the long term but I could have tried with a surgeon and then said - yes this is how I want my eyelids to look - or no this is not what I want. It ensures you are on the same page and shows that the surgeon wants to get the best results for you. Someone who offers surgery in the first couple of minutes may not be the best choice.

8. A lot of surgeons performing this surgery should not be because they do not seem to have a full understanding of how this area works. On my operation report one part stated 50% muscle removal from one portion of my eyelid. I was told after the fact that they did this so I would have a deep eyelid crease. Ok - I never wanted a deep eyelid crease and would prefer to have the muscle so my eyes could blink/close properly. Again this description was completely different than what was told to be during my pre-op. Make sure you go to someone who understands that leaving tissue/muscle/fat and having eyelids that function properly is more important than a "deep eyelid crease" or how a surgeon thinks an "eyelid" should look.

9. Be aware of template/cookie cutter surgeons. I would avoid at all costs. Everyone has different features and what looks good on one person will not look good on another person. Some surgeons believe that their "template" is "beautiful" and the ideal way a women eyelid should look. Guess what not everyone has the same idea of what is attractive - a surgeon should be trying to find your ideal not stamping his ideal permanently on your face. I tried so hard to avoid a template surgeon and would never believe that a nurse/surgeon would mislead me - after reading more reviews on real self I have found that I'm not the only patient who felt misled. This is why I would recommend contacting happy patients on realself who did not have a template look and finding out who their surgeon was and asking that surgeon if they could do the same thing for you. This might mean travel but if things go wrong you will be willing to travel anywhere to get it fixed.

10. When things go wrong and you are not happy - some surgeons don't really care - they have moved on to the next patient. You can see this on negative reviews on realself that you will be told "give it more time", "it looks really good", "you are impatient". I was told "maybe you will learn to like you're new look" - I didn't ask for a new look. You may also get blamed for the results - I was told that I asked for this or I should have provided better communication. The surgeon is the professional in this case and should know the steps to take - if I did something like this in my profession - I would be held responsible as it is my profession and I should know what questions to ask and how to communicate properly. Also, if you think you can get your money back - good luck!

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11. You can't get away from a it if it goes bad. Usually if something bad happens in your life you can take a vacation, it goes away, you forget about it, etc. If this surgery goes bad it stays with you - it follows you on vacation, goes with you to work, the mall, etc. Its there when you go to bed at night and there when you get up in the morning. Look at the negative reviews - its pure torture for the people that end up in this category.

12. All pre-op and post-op appointments should be with the surgeon. There is no excuse for a surgeon not to do this. If you find part of a pre-op or post-op is with an nurse and not the surgeon - go somewhere else. This causes communication issues and details get left out. It is more likely this is a template surgeon and a sign that the surgeon is more concerned with making money than patient satisfaction.

13. When the surgeon is marking where the incisions will be - ask to see where lines have been drawn. A lot of surgeons even want you to see to ensure you will be happy. I wish I did. You can make sure the new crease is where your old crease was. If the surgeon doesn't want to tell or show you - leave - even if you are seconds away from the surgery. I would rather be out the cost of the surgery than be where I am now.