POSTED UNDER Eyelid Surgery Reviews
Sunken Right Eye After Lower Transconjunctival Blepharoplasty - Northern California
UPDATED FROM JessieR
Well, at 5.5 weeks post op, things are only...
JessieRFebruary 21, 2012
$4,800
Well, at 5.5 weeks post op, things are only getting worse. I have already set up 5 consultations - 3 with oculoplastic surgeons and 2 with other board certified surgeons. I just want to get well rounded opinions.
The asymmetry between the right and left eyes is painfully obvious. The right eye (left in pictures) is still sunken worse than the left.
Emotionally, the pain I feel is beyond words. I had to seek emergency mental health care. I now take anti-anxiety medication daily. I actually wouldn't mind getting a drug addiction out of this ordeal - at least it would give me something else to focus on :(
Here is my advice to any prospective eye surgery patients:
1. The average cost of this surgery is between 4 and 5k. Instead of using that money on surgery, use it on therapy. Work with someone who will help ease you through the aging process.
2. Please be warned - it is much easier to live with God given flaws than flaws you inflicted upon yourself with a ridiculous surgery. It is so much easier to say, "God, why do I have these puffy eyes?" than to say, "I hate myself for this stupid decision that has destroyed my looks".
3. If you do opt for surgery, don't do it in secret. I had some downtime and thought I would get a "little work done" and no one would ever know. They would just think I looked refreshed after my downtime. It is much less embarrassing to tell friends and family beforehand, "Hey, I'm thinking of getting some work done" than to tell them after the fact, "My face has been maimed because I had a stupid and unnecessary cosmetic procedure". If you discuss it beforehand, they will probably reassure you that you look fine. We tend to exaggerate our own flaws and sometimes the negative perception is all in our heads.
4. It is much easier to use concealer on dark circles under puffy eyes than it is to use concealer on sunken eyes.
I have posted new pictures showing where I'm at 5.5 weeks after surgery. Each second of each day I wish I could wake up from this nightmare. I pray for each of you who is suffering this pain as well.
The asymmetry between the right and left eyes is painfully obvious. The right eye (left in pictures) is still sunken worse than the left.
Emotionally, the pain I feel is beyond words. I had to seek emergency mental health care. I now take anti-anxiety medication daily. I actually wouldn't mind getting a drug addiction out of this ordeal - at least it would give me something else to focus on :(
Here is my advice to any prospective eye surgery patients:
1. The average cost of this surgery is between 4 and 5k. Instead of using that money on surgery, use it on therapy. Work with someone who will help ease you through the aging process.
2. Please be warned - it is much easier to live with God given flaws than flaws you inflicted upon yourself with a ridiculous surgery. It is so much easier to say, "God, why do I have these puffy eyes?" than to say, "I hate myself for this stupid decision that has destroyed my looks".
3. If you do opt for surgery, don't do it in secret. I had some downtime and thought I would get a "little work done" and no one would ever know. They would just think I looked refreshed after my downtime. It is much less embarrassing to tell friends and family beforehand, "Hey, I'm thinking of getting some work done" than to tell them after the fact, "My face has been maimed because I had a stupid and unnecessary cosmetic procedure". If you discuss it beforehand, they will probably reassure you that you look fine. We tend to exaggerate our own flaws and sometimes the negative perception is all in our heads.
4. It is much easier to use concealer on dark circles under puffy eyes than it is to use concealer on sunken eyes.
I have posted new pictures showing where I'm at 5.5 weeks after surgery. Each second of each day I wish I could wake up from this nightmare. I pray for each of you who is suffering this pain as well.
UPDATED FROM JessieR
I forgot to add number 5 to the list above. 5...
JessieRFebruary 21, 2012
I forgot to add number 5 to the list above.
5. Eyelid surgery will not give you back your former non-puffy eyes. All it will do is change the look of your eyes. Best case scenario, the new look will be well suited to your face and you will be pleased with the result. Worst case scenario, the new look will NOT be well suited to your face and you will have a lifetime of regret. You will also end up spending 100x more money on consultations for revision, lifetime filler treatment and/or expensive revision surgery, therapy costs, and co-pays for anti-depressant and anti-anxiety medication.
5. Eyelid surgery will not give you back your former non-puffy eyes. All it will do is change the look of your eyes. Best case scenario, the new look will be well suited to your face and you will be pleased with the result. Worst case scenario, the new look will NOT be well suited to your face and you will have a lifetime of regret. You will also end up spending 100x more money on consultations for revision, lifetime filler treatment and/or expensive revision surgery, therapy costs, and co-pays for anti-depressant and anti-anxiety medication.
Replies (5)
February 23, 2012
OH, I had my ZOOM "on", so I turned it back to 100% and can see your lowers now. My lowers turned out OK> New Dr. said they were not a problem...it was the SHORT eye lids, that prevented my eyes from closing, and the swelling in my lids keeps the eyelids shorter than they should be. But my BAGS are gone..I had horrible, horrible "puffy bags" and dark , dark, sunken circles for years...even as a baby, child, teen...they were always there. Hereditary. Some people come out "so good", and then others can NOT see, have severe dry eyes, scars, uneven eyes, lids, wrongly distributed fat ...etc. etc.
Have u been to ANY other doctor yet for a consult of what went wrong, and what can be done now?
Have u been to ANY other doctor yet for a consult of what went wrong, and what can be done now?
February 28, 2012
Jessie, man i really just don't know how to go about this, im so torn on what to say to u...i mean the most important person that need to like this surgery is you but at the same time when i look at you i really don't see that its that bad of a problem and btw i noticed u posted new pics, thank u...even though when i still blow up the pics to see it better it gets blurry on me anywho, u should be happy with this and im so sorry that ur not, i have yet to have the surgery but i want it desperately, may i ask what town u did this surgery in? i see it was in northern cali...where i am.
March 25, 2012
Hi Santa Rosa,
I sent you a personal message with the city and the name of the doc. Did you get it?
JessieR
I sent you a personal message with the city and the name of the doc. Did you get it?
JessieR
June 6, 2012
hi Jessie, I'm so sorry i haven't written you back yet, i have just been threw a move and haven't been on my email in a while, and I'm sorry but i don't think i did get your message about who the surgeon was if u sent it to my email, if you could send it again i would really appreciate it. How are you doing since i checked in last?
March 18, 2012
Jessie,
I agree with Santa Rosa4223 - I HONESTLY don't see this horrible catastrophe you speak of. I wouldn't have taken the time to create an account and post if I did see a problem. One thing you wrote does ring true in plastic surgery - when you have something altered - you don't look QUITE like yourself anymore. You look like a slightly different version of yourself and I think the mind has a hard time integrating the new look of you at first as it has known only your previous look for however old you are.
I am going to be brutally honest with you - you need to STOP obsessing about your eye. You are wasting time, money and emotional pain on something that no one else can see or notices but you. At least live with the comforting knowledge that it is something that YOU notice - but I seriously doubt anyone else will. Especially if you have posters here who are telling you there is nothing that WE can see.
What I DO see is an improvement on how your under eyes look. Very slight but noticable.
You look good, girl! Enjoy it!
I agree with Santa Rosa4223 - I HONESTLY don't see this horrible catastrophe you speak of. I wouldn't have taken the time to create an account and post if I did see a problem. One thing you wrote does ring true in plastic surgery - when you have something altered - you don't look QUITE like yourself anymore. You look like a slightly different version of yourself and I think the mind has a hard time integrating the new look of you at first as it has known only your previous look for however old you are.
I am going to be brutally honest with you - you need to STOP obsessing about your eye. You are wasting time, money and emotional pain on something that no one else can see or notices but you. At least live with the comforting knowledge that it is something that YOU notice - but I seriously doubt anyone else will. Especially if you have posters here who are telling you there is nothing that WE can see.
What I DO see is an improvement on how your under eyes look. Very slight but noticable.
You look good, girl! Enjoy it!
March 25, 2012
Thank you for your comment, Honestly. I appreciate your willingness to respond.
In retrospect, I have been having a "mid-thirties" crisis over the past year or so - like an early version of a mid-life crisis. Or, an actual mid-life crisis if I only live into my sixties ;) In 2011 I was planning some major life changes - leaving my very stressful although "good" job, giving up my nice apartment and moving out of a major metropolitan area in search of a slower pace of life. I was 95% certain these were changes I wanted to make, but with any major decisions, there was some doubt. I was also leaving a relationship with a guy I really cared about. All in all, 2011 was a really stressful year.
It was under these stressful circumstances that I began to feel self-conscience about my eyes. In hindsight, I was not in a good place to make any permanent decisions about my face. In all honesty, my "before" pictures were taken on mornings when my eyes looked really bad, before showering, and without any concealer. They weren't always that bad and the puffiness would generally subside throughout the day. Nevertheless, I was still very self-conscience about it.
I was really on the fence about having surgery. On one hand I said "Don't be crazy! The puffiness is probably stress related and will go away naturally when my life slows down." On the other hand I said "If the puffiness will be a chronic problem, the downtime between leaving my job and moving will probably be the best time to undergo a procedure."
Well, I pulled the trigger and had the surgery. And now I have a classic case of "buyer's remorse". It was the wrong thing to do in the middle of so many other life changes.
I was NOT prepared for the psychological impact of permanent changes to my appearance - even though the changes may be minor. The blow has been devastating. My mid-thirties crisis escalated into a full-blown nervous breakdown.
I'm glad you don't see a big change in my eyes. That is encouraging to me and I appreciate you saying it. I am starting therapy to help me get past the regret I feel. Although I don't look like a complete monster, I just regret that I had surgery at all. It was the wrong time in my life to do it, and with so many other changes, it would be comforting to see the old me in the mirror each day. I regret I didn't give myself a chance to improve the puffiness through a healthier, slower paced lifestyle. I jumped the gun by having surgery, and I can't go back.
My advice to everyone would be, DO NOT have plastic surgery in the midst of other big changes. If you are on the fence about it, even a little, then wait. Wait until your life is less stressful. DO NOT underestimate the psychological impact of even minor changes to your appearance, especially your face. Seek counseling before you do something permanent. Maybe you will find that your perceived "flaw" is being magnified in your mind by other stressful circumstances.
Thank you again for your feedback, it does help.
Best wishes - JessieR
In retrospect, I have been having a "mid-thirties" crisis over the past year or so - like an early version of a mid-life crisis. Or, an actual mid-life crisis if I only live into my sixties ;) In 2011 I was planning some major life changes - leaving my very stressful although "good" job, giving up my nice apartment and moving out of a major metropolitan area in search of a slower pace of life. I was 95% certain these were changes I wanted to make, but with any major decisions, there was some doubt. I was also leaving a relationship with a guy I really cared about. All in all, 2011 was a really stressful year.
It was under these stressful circumstances that I began to feel self-conscience about my eyes. In hindsight, I was not in a good place to make any permanent decisions about my face. In all honesty, my "before" pictures were taken on mornings when my eyes looked really bad, before showering, and without any concealer. They weren't always that bad and the puffiness would generally subside throughout the day. Nevertheless, I was still very self-conscience about it.
I was really on the fence about having surgery. On one hand I said "Don't be crazy! The puffiness is probably stress related and will go away naturally when my life slows down." On the other hand I said "If the puffiness will be a chronic problem, the downtime between leaving my job and moving will probably be the best time to undergo a procedure."
Well, I pulled the trigger and had the surgery. And now I have a classic case of "buyer's remorse". It was the wrong thing to do in the middle of so many other life changes.
I was NOT prepared for the psychological impact of permanent changes to my appearance - even though the changes may be minor. The blow has been devastating. My mid-thirties crisis escalated into a full-blown nervous breakdown.
I'm glad you don't see a big change in my eyes. That is encouraging to me and I appreciate you saying it. I am starting therapy to help me get past the regret I feel. Although I don't look like a complete monster, I just regret that I had surgery at all. It was the wrong time in my life to do it, and with so many other changes, it would be comforting to see the old me in the mirror each day. I regret I didn't give myself a chance to improve the puffiness through a healthier, slower paced lifestyle. I jumped the gun by having surgery, and I can't go back.
My advice to everyone would be, DO NOT have plastic surgery in the midst of other big changes. If you are on the fence about it, even a little, then wait. Wait until your life is less stressful. DO NOT underestimate the psychological impact of even minor changes to your appearance, especially your face. Seek counseling before you do something permanent. Maybe you will find that your perceived "flaw" is being magnified in your mind by other stressful circumstances.
Thank you again for your feedback, it does help.
Best wishes - JessieR
March 26, 2012
Hey Jesse I know exactly how you feel. I could've written your situation verbatim. Your pics are the same as mine. I had mine in 12/08. Were pretty close in age too. About the time you notice stuff like this too. My puffiness was the same as yours and the following hollowing was about the same too. Kind of puffy in the morning but usually gone by afternoon. Allot of what you saw was just fluid retention from things like high sodium, etc.
Anyways, looking at your pics it’s apparent that the doctor took out too much fat. You’re not an extreme case but you have hollowing all the same. Based on your before pics you should’ve never had fat removal in the first place or at the very least a VERY conservative amount removed.
I too thought of the filler solution before. Even had it scheduled. Just couldn’t get over the hurdle of adding something to reduce something philosophy. Well, now I know it comes from the natural volume loss we experience in the mid facial area. Not allot but just enough to make the eye fat more visible at times. Adding filler would actually be restoring your face.
When too much fat is removed it’s always noticed in the outer corners. Like someone pressing down with an eraser pencil. Pretty universal stuff.
“I was NOT prepared for the psychological impact of permanent changes to my appearance “Yeah, it’s pretty amazing isn’t it. You just don’t realize how bad it is till it happens. Not something you can even explain to someone. Although, your experience feels unique to you it’s very standard I hate to say.
Anyways, looking at your pics it’s apparent that the doctor took out too much fat. You’re not an extreme case but you have hollowing all the same. Based on your before pics you should’ve never had fat removal in the first place or at the very least a VERY conservative amount removed.
I too thought of the filler solution before. Even had it scheduled. Just couldn’t get over the hurdle of adding something to reduce something philosophy. Well, now I know it comes from the natural volume loss we experience in the mid facial area. Not allot but just enough to make the eye fat more visible at times. Adding filler would actually be restoring your face.
When too much fat is removed it’s always noticed in the outer corners. Like someone pressing down with an eraser pencil. Pretty universal stuff.
“I was NOT prepared for the psychological impact of permanent changes to my appearance “Yeah, it’s pretty amazing isn’t it. You just don’t realize how bad it is till it happens. Not something you can even explain to someone. Although, your experience feels unique to you it’s very standard I hate to say.
UPDATED FROM JessieR
In the last few days my right eye has sunken even...
JessieRFebruary 6, 2012
In the last few days my right eye has sunken even more. It literally looks like a bloodhound eye.
I am so depressed about this surgery. I don't recommend this surgery to anyone.
I am so depressed about this surgery. I don't recommend this surgery to anyone.
Replies (5)
February 8, 2012
I'm so sorry to hear about your results, Jessie. :( Please keep us posted and let us know what your doc says when you get back in to see him.
February 11, 2012
At 3 weeks the shadows are probably just blood and will disappear in a month. The eyes heal at different rates so you can expect some assymetry and uneveness until about the 4th or 5th month. As for the crater - what happens when they take out the fat is that the area where the upper cheek meets the under eye area looks different. Sometimes they recommend a cheek lift but I don't think you need one. Overall I think your eyes look pretty good for 3 weeks. I had upper and lower one year ago and it took five months for me to feel normal (no dry eye or aching). At one year I am happy with the results although I do think he could have taken a tiny bit more fat off my under right eye towards the ear. I'm just happy he wasn't over agressive. Please be patient and wait for a couple of months (I know it is hard!!) and don't jump in to something too quickly. It takes months to heal and a full year to see your final result...
February 16, 2012
It looks like some bruising to me. Try not to panic just yet, Jessie.
February 16, 2012
Dear Jessie,
I had my uppers and lowers done 13 weeks ago, and they change dramatically from one month out, to three months out. Be careful about having anything "fixed", read Dr. Meronk's website, and all the posts here before you have more done. I can NOT go very long without ointment in my eyes and/or drops. My eyes ache and are so dry, it is so painful. I sleep with saran wrap, mask or tape every night to keep the eye lenses moist, and the eye lids. I massage them with vaseline or vitamin E oil many times a day. I couldnt drive for 6 weeks due to amount of ointment that HAD to be in my eyes so that I could even OPEN them without pain. Seek 3-4 opinions before you do ANYTHING to them....This was the WORST thing medically that has ever happened to me. A car accident that left me in hospital for ONE week and almost dead at age 23 was NOT as bad as NOT being able to SEE and being in pain 24/7 for 13 weeks. I dont't know if it was the LASER, the Doctor, or BOTH.
I had my uppers and lowers done 13 weeks ago, and they change dramatically from one month out, to three months out. Be careful about having anything "fixed", read Dr. Meronk's website, and all the posts here before you have more done. I can NOT go very long without ointment in my eyes and/or drops. My eyes ache and are so dry, it is so painful. I sleep with saran wrap, mask or tape every night to keep the eye lenses moist, and the eye lids. I massage them with vaseline or vitamin E oil many times a day. I couldnt drive for 6 weeks due to amount of ointment that HAD to be in my eyes so that I could even OPEN them without pain. Seek 3-4 opinions before you do ANYTHING to them....This was the WORST thing medically that has ever happened to me. A car accident that left me in hospital for ONE week and almost dead at age 23 was NOT as bad as NOT being able to SEE and being in pain 24/7 for 13 weeks. I dont't know if it was the LASER, the Doctor, or BOTH.
February 20, 2012
Dear Problems, Problems,
My heart goes out to you. I'm am so saddened that so many of us are dealing with these horror stories - and we thought we would end up looking better! I wish I could take away the pain you are going through.
Thank you for your advice to be cautious before doing any revisions. I have two consultations set up and plan to make a few more. It has been a little over five weeks now since my surgery - so it is probably too early for additional treatments. I have been reading RealSelf comments and doing research non-stop.
My right eye is a disaster. It is so sunken in that I can practically put my finger underneath my eyesocket bone. I've been experiencing serve panic, regret and despair. I had to make an emergency mental health appointment and was prescribed anxiety and depression medication. I am also going to find a therapist to help me through this. I pray for all of us who are suffering this pain.
Again, my heart goes out to you. You are in my thoughts and prayers.
My heart goes out to you. I'm am so saddened that so many of us are dealing with these horror stories - and we thought we would end up looking better! I wish I could take away the pain you are going through.
Thank you for your advice to be cautious before doing any revisions. I have two consultations set up and plan to make a few more. It has been a little over five weeks now since my surgery - so it is probably too early for additional treatments. I have been reading RealSelf comments and doing research non-stop.
My right eye is a disaster. It is so sunken in that I can practically put my finger underneath my eyesocket bone. I've been experiencing serve panic, regret and despair. I had to make an emergency mental health appointment and was prescribed anxiety and depression medication. I am also going to find a therapist to help me through this. I pray for all of us who are suffering this pain.
Again, my heart goes out to you. You are in my thoughts and prayers.
February 20, 2012
dear Jessie, although it is at the up-most important to be happy with your results, i have to be honest when i look at your before and after pictures i do see quite an improvement,especially when i see your 2.5 week mark compared to your before surgery view 1, and just remember two things one being that when your in dim or dull light that capture shadow it always makes things appear worse then they are in other lights, and although we all wish they could..plastic surgeons cant make miracle happen. remember this is just what i see in your pics but in the pictures that u posted some are blurry, so maybe im just not able in the pics see what u see..can u post a few different pictures?
Replies (2)