Upper blepharoplasty

I am a week away from my 47th birthday. Extra eyelid skin runs in my family. My dad had the upper bleph surgery in his 70s because it was impacting his vision. I noticed the change in my eyes (which had been my best and most complemented feature) in my late 30s/early 40’s and wanted to do something about it. I tried the CO2 laser on my eyes when I was 43. It didn’t lift the eyelid as I hoped for and realized surgery was the best option.
I had a paid consult with a well respected plastic surgeon in my area. I asked to see before and after photos of upper bleph’s she had done, and I wasn’t super impressed with the portfolio. I realized that while she is talented, this surgery was not her specialty. I did more research on Real Self and found Dr T who’s practice is in Denver (3.5 hour drive) but he visits an optometrist’s office in Vail (1 hour drive for me) quarterly. I scheduled a consult in Vail. He was confident, answered my questions, and I liked that he is an ocular plastic surgeon and has performed this specific surgery multiple times a day for years. He doesn’t do other types of plastic surgery, just eyes. He wrote a book about the eyelid lift and gave me a copy. I appreciated his expertise and scheduled the procedure in Denver. Here is a close up photo of my eyes pre surgery at rest and smiling. The ridges are what bothered me because it changed the shape of my eyes. Also the crinkles that formed on the lids when I smiled because of the extra skin. I decided to provide a review with photos (even though it’s scary) ; ) since other people’s reviews and photos were so helpful to me when trying to decide on doing the procedure.

I scheduled the appointment and everything was smooth as far as the communication, paperwork and payment with Dr T’s scheduler before the procedure. I was told to arrive at 10:45 and should expect to be picked up 3 hours later. I got to the office and was told they were running a little behind because an earlier surgery went longer than planned. One of the patients scheduled behind me was upset by the delay and was yelling at the staff. It was a little stressful and I started questioning if It was the right decision. Bree was my nurse who was really sweet and did my iv poke. She got it on the first try which I’m always happy about! Dr T came in and asked if I had any questions and marked my eyes before talking to the upset customer. The anesthesiologist came in to talk to me and answer questions. He had called me the night before as well which I appreciated. We decided on the iv anesthesia. The procedure was scheduled for 30 min. Next thing I knew, I woke up and it was done. My husband came to pick me up and even though they were running behind on the surgery, I was still in and out in three hours. I took half a pain pill and Bree walked me to the car and I was on my way. I didn’t need any pain meds after, not even Tylenol. The first night I slept sitting up and put the ointment cream on.

Feeling pretty good and slept ok sitting up. No pain meds needed. My husband drove me home from Denver (3 hr ride). I wasn’t sensitive to light as the post op said I might, but I found it better to keep my eyes closed because the traffic and stimulation was making them heavy. No pain though.