My Upper Bleph Journey

I had an upper Blepharoplasty by Dr. Liebertz at Yarrow Bay Plastic Surgery. It’s something I’ve been considering for quite some time.After turning 40, I started to notice my eyes looking more tired with each passing year. Botox would help give me a little lift but that only lasted for so long and it stopped working as my eyes continued to age. I first saw Dr. Liebertz in 2017 for submental liposuction around the jaw line and chin area. I was very pleased with the results and knew I’d be equally pleased with his work on my eyes. I highly recommend Dr. Liebertz. The Yarrow Bay team is also amazing. A top notch experience all around. I’m sharing my before and daily after photos for the first week and will also post weekly pics along the way. I experienced a lot of swelling and it took three full weeks before my eyes settled and started looking normal again. For anyone considering or preparing for an upper blepharoplasty, here’s what I learned along the way: 1. The surgery itself isn’t painful. The initial injection to numb the lids was about the only uncomfortable part of the surgery. I didn’t feel anything.2. It’s a quick procedure. I’d estimate I was in the surgery room for about 30 minutes. Total time from pre to post-surgery was approximately 1.5 hours.3. You’ll need a driver to take you home. This is because of the Valium given before surgery and your vision may be slightly blurry afterward. 4. Get lots of rest and sleep elevated on your back the first week. It will help with swelling and bruising. 5. Keep your incisions moist with Aquaphor or Vaseline. I used Vaseline religiously each day. Apply with a Qtip two or three times a day. Try to carefully remove any dried blood. I was told it would reduce the itchiness. It took me several days to remove it all.6. Buy a couple of packages of peas to use for swelling. I purchased ice packs and an eye masks but found a bag of peas worked the best. I did place them in smaller ziplock bags to reduce the heaviness of them. Wrap ice in a napkin or paper towel.7. Take time off from work. I’d recommend at least a week because of the swelling, bruising and dry eyes. I took 10 days off.8. Stock up on groceries. You won’t feel like going out the first couple of days. I made sure the fridge was stocked.9. Plan to take an arnica supplement if your doctor doesn’t provide them. I started taking them four days prior to my procedure. Stop all supplements and alcohol at least a week before and after. I started reducing my alcohol intake two weeks prior. 10. Buy dry eye drops in case your eyes dry out easily. Mine started to dry out as soon as I became more active. Try to rest your eyes throughout the day. I found this helped. It took a good two weeks before my eyes didn’t feel so dry.11. Take before and after photos and one each day for the first week. It’s helpful to track your improvement each day. My swelling and bruising was the worst on day 2 and 3. 12. Expect mixed emotions for the first few weeks. My eyes were really swollen and there were times I didn’t like how I looked in the mirror. The swelling really does distort things. One of my eyes was quite a bit smaller and asymmetrical due to swelling. That changed at the three week mark.This coming Thursday will mark one month since my surgery. I’ll post more pics in the coming days.