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POSTED UNDER Eyelid Surgery REVIEWS

Still unhappy after 2 years of recovery

ORIGINAL POST

Still Unhappy After 2 Years of Recovery

Paula43957March 28, 2021

I went to see Dr. Almonte and after a very brief consultation I decided to schedule my surgery. I had upper and lower blepharoplasty along with a fat transfer. The whole office staff was so nice and helpful and Dr. Almonte is a really nice Dr. Unfortunately the results were mixed. I was happy with portions of the fat transfer but unhappy with the upper and lower eyelid surgery.

My incisions on my upper lids were uneven resulting in one eye appearing smaller than the other and the other one having a more rounded shape. And my upper lids were REALLY HOLLOW looking. My eyes looked OLDER after the surgery! My lower lids were droopy and it caused severe dry eyes. I was devastated. I have had to spend tens of thousands of dollars trying to fix my eyes.

I got filler in upper and lower lids which helped a lot but was only a temporary fix. I had reconstructive surgery on my lower lids which also helped a lot and I am scheduled to have reconstructive surgery on my upper lids this coming June. The whole experience was extremely upsetting and sent me into a deep depression for many months.

My fat transfer went OK but he dramatically over filled my lips and cheeks - which would have been fine if I knew what to expect but I was never told that would be the case prior to surgery. When I told the Dr my concerns about my lips after surgery Dr. Almonte was nice but pretty dismissive. I just wish I would have been better prepared on what to expect!

I have a very public job and I lost out on a lot of work because I looked so odd. Fortunately I found several great Dr.'s in Beverly Hills that have been able to fix what was damaged but there isn't a day that goes by that I don't struggle with my looks. I am hoping that my upcoming surgery will correct the hollow upper lids once and for all.

In the meantime I would strongly recommend NOT getting surgery from Dr Almonte. My experience was disappointing and traumatic.

Paula43957's provider

Arnold Almonte, DO

Arnold Almonte, DO

Board Certified Plastic Surgeon

4.8 | 80 Reviews
PROFILE

Paula43957 rating for Dr. Almonte:

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Answered my questions
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Replies (15)

Amanda33790
April 5, 2021
May I ask who you went to in Beverly Hills that was able to fix your eyes? I had an upper bleph in 2014 and my eyes are now hollow and sunk in causing me tolook older. My eyes look similar to your after picture. I Believe pearl fat grafting may help me, but I can’t find anyone that will do it to the upper ocular area as it seems to be an outdated procedure. Just curious if you don’t mind sharing.
Paula43957
July 22, 2021
I went to see Kenneth Steinsapir. He did an amazing job of putting me back together again.
Michael69887
July 21, 2021
I think it's so outrageous that people expect even results when everyone knows that each side of the face is uneven by nature. Doctors should NOT be held responsible for the way each patient heals. As a patient you sign to the fact that there are inherent risks. It's completely irresponsible for a patient to sign up & accept the inherent risk & then deny any responsibility when things completely out of the surgeons control inevitably occur. It's time for people to grow up, life doesn't work that way.
Corinne80
July 21, 2021
Doctors are not responsible for the way a patient heals, it's true, but they are responsible to find the best approach for each patient and not use outdated techniques which are well-known to cause serious problems. There are the ones who have medical training and we patients put our trust in their expertise. Issue here is that he used an outdated technique (outside approach to her lower lids) which caused a lot of problems -- both cosmetically and functionally. It is well documented that this technique is to be avoided (imo should be outlawed). Primum non nocere : first do no harm. We have to stop blaming the patient when surgeons make blatant mistakes like this...
Independent344241
July 22, 2021
Wow, that's pretty harsh. I don't think the patient was looking for a miracle, just improvement and symmetry. She paid good money to have a good result, which is not unrealistic.
Paula43957
July 22, 2021
Wow - that was pretty harsh. This wasn't a matter of healing weird, this was a matter of a total botch job. Just as an FYI - it took my surgeon five hours to repair all the damage that was done to my upper lids by Dr Almonte, including reattaching severed tendons and more. This wasn't just an esthetic issue, this was a matter of damaging the function of my eyelids which caused me to suffer significant discomfort daily because of it. I hope that clears things up for you.
Paula43957
July 22, 2021
Thank you. You are absolutely right about antiquated techniques! He also removed quite a bit of fat from upper and lower lids which gave me a skeletonized look AND caused issues of ectropion on the lower lids. The amount of work that has had to be done to make my eyes feel better has been unbelievable and expensive as you can imagine.
After what I've learned about the intricacies of the function of upper and lower eyelids I believe only oculoplastic surgeons are qualified to deal with this very delicate part of the face. It is one thing to have an untoward result of any other part of the face but the eyes are so delicate and intricate that when you are the victim of bad surgery it causes extreme daily discomfort. I could tell from the very first day that something was horribly wrong.
Paula43957
July 22, 2021
Thank you for your understanding! I am not an unreasonable person and I wasn't looking for perfection but what I ended up with was bad enough that I felt it necessary to warn people to be careful when scheduling surgery with Dr Almonte. I felt like I gave him a fair and balanced review. I appreciate you defending my position.
eyesore
September 25, 2022
True patients heal differently. A surgeon should know the expected outcome of the procedures they are performing on a patient and should not be aggressive causing physical and aesthetic harm. How rude of you to say a patient should grow up. A surgeon should remember their oath of “ do no harm” and take care and responsibility once they accept a patient for surgery. They should only do a procedure that will improve a patient’s results not cause more damage.
Plucky963543
May 1, 2023
jia786
February 1, 2024
Wow, it's easy to say stuff when it's not your face. She is 100% correct that this doctor does not know current, modern techniques. What he does is basic, outdated techniques and I am speaking from experience. He is the problem, not her
mustanggirll
July 24, 2021
I also had similar experience with this doctor. Avoid if you love your eyes
Plucky963543
May 1, 2023
U should Post ur Story with pictures to help others.
Farah M.
May 1, 2023
Luv true reviews like this. Thanks Paula.
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