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POSTED UNDER Eyelid Surgery REVIEWS

Dumbest Thing I've Ever Done

ORIGINAL POST

I am 29 years old, and had upper and lower...

shenanigansMarch 11, 2009
$3,800

I am 29 years old, and had upper and lower blepharoplasty 13 days ago. I had bags under my eyes that run in my family. They were not fat, they were muscle.

My Dr. removed a small amount of skin from under my eyes in an attempt to make the bags less visible. He suggested I do my uppers at the same time. I do not have any issues with the uppers. Although, I am so focused on my new scars below my eyes and my eye size difference that I can't even begin to think about the uppers. My left eye now appears much larger than my right. It is not only my eyelid that is larger, but my actual eye opening. I have scars below my eye lashes that at this point, are impossible to cover with makeup.

I am so ashamed of myself for doing this. My issues with my eyes were nothing compared to what I am facing now. I can't imagine ever going in public again. It was very painful. I still have swelling, and mild bruising. However, after crying in my Dr.'s office yesterday, I am all but certain the size difference of my eyes will not change.

I would give ANYTHING to take it all back, and be right back where I was. I go back to work on March 30th, and at this point I am considering quitting all together. I cannot even imagine facing anyone after what i've done to myself. Before this I went to the gym five days a week, and loved to work out, and now I can't imagine stepping one foot in the door. I know it has not been long enough to know what my final result will be, but I do know that I will definitely have visible scars, and I am sure my eyes will remain two different sizes. Those things alone are enough to keep me hiding in my house.

Replies (31)

Hermosa
March 13, 2009
When I first did my upper eyelid (Jan 09), my left eye was much smaller than the right eye. Like you, I was worried it will be permanent but thank God, now they are same size. Give it some time to heal. I hope everything turns out fine for you
shenanigans
March 13, 2009
Thank you, that is comforting to know. They were different sizes as soon as I was done with the surgery. They have yet to change.
whydowedothis
March 14, 2009
As a doctor (research, not a plastic surgeon) I recommend that you continue to follow up with your surgeon. Give yourself proper time to heal and don't assume that what you see now is the final outcome. You should not lose your self confidence over this. Also, use the nurses in your surgeons office as your advocates if you feel she/he does not understand your concerns. Hope this helps.....
Minnie
March 17, 2009
How are you Daisy? Are things looking better the more time passes? I didn't think I would ever resemble my old self - but it's been 3 weeks now and I do look like the old me, but without my bags. I still have the scars under my eyes and on the "crows feet" area that, you are right, are impossible to cover. Being older than you, though, mine probably appear to be small wrinkles to people looking at me. I'm sure they will go away with more time - and won't be noticable at all on you. I keep thinking about you and hope that you are getting happier each day. Last week I went back to work and wore glasses (even though I had contacts in) because the frames and shadows kind of hid my bruising and scars. This week I don't care as much, as things seem to be improving. I usually wear eyeliner underneath and it just looks like I didn't do such a great job of applying it. Oh well.
shenanigans
March 18, 2009
I'm sorry to report that things aren't any better. My eyes are still different sizes, and I still have what I hope is swelling, creating large bags under my eyes. It still looks like i've been in a fight. The bruising is almost completely gone, but the swelling makes it look like I have gotten hit. I still can't imagine going back to work, or anywhere else for that matter. It will be three weeks tomorrow, and I haven't seen any noticeable improvement for about five or six days now. I'm VERY sad all the time. I try real hard not to keep crying to my husband about it, I know that has to be annoying. He was against it, and now he has to deal with me like this. It's all I can do to make it through a day without crying. Before I look in the mirror I tell myself it's not that bad, and then I see, and it IS that bad. I'm trying REAL hard to stay positive, but it gets harder every day. I know I can't live like this. I was already insecure about myself, which is probably why I did such a stupid thing, but I have made it MUCH worse now.
tingmm
March 18, 2009
Dear Daisy, please do not cry. Crying will slow down your recovery and make it worse. Give yourself some time.
Minnie
March 18, 2009
I agree with tingmm, please don't cry. Even before surgery, crying made my eyes look awful and swollen. I almost cried 3 days after surgery, when I looked in the mirror, and had to stop myself because I had read that you should not cry, sneeze, bend over or anything else that puts pressure to your head (lifting, pushing). Make sure you are not consuming too much sodium - I'm a salt lover, but I read that you should watch your sodium intake because of swelling. Today I had my 3 week appointment and the doctor said the swelling will get better as time passes. He told me to still watch my activity level. He said there might be days when I think things look great and then the swelling will appear - maybe from too much activity, sun, whatever. Do you have another appointment with your doctor soon?
shenanigans
March 18, 2009
I go back to my doctor on March 24th. I do try not to cry. Although, the last week has been the hardest because as time passes it is getting harder to tell myself it might get better. My doctor did say that it was not good to cry, though.
Minnie
March 18, 2009
http://www.drmeronk.com/insidersguide/34.html This is a link to the Meronk Eyelid Surgery website. Go to Chapter 34 of the eyelid surgery recovery. "Do not try to evaluate the success of your surgery during your early recovery. Imbalances between the two sides are common at first due to different degrees of swelling and variable rates of recovery. Full healing of any incision on the body can take six to nine months." I hope this helps.
intears
March 19, 2009
im curious...i had lower conj blep...and i have extra skin now...the scars???is that because he did a lower skin pinch...because im thinking of doing that to get rid of the excessive skin???anyone?
shenanigans
March 19, 2009
Yes, that is what the scars are from. However, I had a transcutaneous bleph. I'm not quite sure if that is the same thing as just a skin pinch, or not because my whole lower lid was done through that incision. I have read though that if you're not removing fat and muscle, but just skin, it is easier to heal from. I don't know if that is true or not.
0123
July 17, 2011
So it's 2011. Can you give us an update on your eyes? Do they look close to normal?

Thanks,
Anna
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