My Eyes Were Disappearing into my Head - Chicago, IL

My right eye swelling has all but disappeared. I started using Arnicare gel a few days ago for some stubborn bruising. I hate icing and thought it couldn't hurt to try it. Although I've read some mixed reviews on it, I swear by it now! I didn't even buy it for swelling but figured I might as well give it a shot. I applied around that eye a few times a day and it worked amazingly. Best $11 I ever spent! My eyes are totally symmetrical now and I am really thrilled with the results.

At 54 my eyes seemed to be sinking into my head. I was having trouble even wearing eye makeup. Eyeliner would smear all over unless I sat with my eyes closed for a few minutes after applying. I set up an appointment for Botox with a dermatologist. She told me we could try it, but due to the excess skin on my eyelids, she didn't think it would give me the result I wanted. She was right, so in a few months I set up a consultation with Dr. Christopoulos.

After examining my face and talking for a bit, she recommended a brow lift, upper lower bleth, and a fat transfer to my cheeks.

I thought that I would only have upper eyelid work done, but after she explained the different outcomes, I decided to go with her recommendation. I'm really glad that I did. Turns out most of the issue was my brows drooping and I think I would have been very disappointed if I only had upper eyelids done.

The brow lift took the most of the recovery time. The first few days afterwards, i just stayed in bed, reclined but not laying flat. It was uncomfortable as opposed to painful. You have stitches on both sides of your head and staples that stay in for 2 weeks.. I could wash my hair after 3 days but your scalp is very numb and you can't get all the dried blood out around the incisions, so that was kind of a pain. My eyes swelled pretty bad, but never to the point where I couldn't open them at all. I was wrapped all around the head and under the neck for 24 hours and was so relived when I could take the bandages off the next day. After 10 days I could leave the house with a hat and sunglasses. It's winter, so people all bundled up doesn't draw a lot of attention. I still had major under eye.cheek bruising, but due to weather could cover it well enough, After 2 weeks when the stitches and staples come out, you feel like a new person. Being able to wash your hair well and style it does wonders!

I'm sure everyone goes through at least a moment or two of "What did I do?" while they are healing, but now that it's over I'm so glad I did it. Every day gets better and that first time you look in the mirror and smile, makes it worth the aggravation.

I am at the 5 week mark now and feeling great. I have had a few minor issues. One of my eyes is swollen in the morning and looks smaller. It improves as the day goes on. I have asked other people and am assured it's nothing someone else would notice. So i am hopeful, this will resolve itself as I fully heal. My eyes are dry and I use drops a lot. On my right eye, a few bumps have developed at the far corner of my right eye. They just popped up a week ago, She looked at them and thinks they will go away. i have an appointment in 4 weeks for her to check.

Will update after my next appointment.