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*Treatment results may vary
PROCEDURE: Upper eye lid lift (to correct...
PROCEDURE:
Upper eye lid lift (to correct sagging lids), facial fat grafting to under eyes (for wrinkles), lips, cheeks, temples and forehead.
GOAL:
To look refreshed and not have the 'resting [RS bleep] face' that my kids and employees are telling me I have developed. I am 45 years old.
TIME OFF:
I took 2 weeks off of work which I was told prior would be enough time. Since then, due to massive swelling my Dr told me I would definitely not be ready to return to work... however, like most, I don't have the luxury of taking additional time off.
HEALING TIME:
The healing time for facial fat transfer is much longer than what this forum suggests or many Dr's state.
I am 15 days post op, had to return to work looking like Joan Rivers. It is obvious I have had work done and now Im being told it may take 3 months to heal? HUMILIATING. I pray this is all worth it in the end. I also had upper eye lid lift which is also swollen but healing.
WHAT TO EXPECT DURING PROCEDURE:
1. The procedure itself is long. I was awake during the procedure which took 4.5 hours.
2. Fat grafting is painful. I must have had well over 30 injections to my stomach and face to numb the area. I was told my metabolism was fast so the injections wore off quickly. I would experience excruciating pain mid procedure. The Dr kept having to re inject my face and stomach.
3. You will look like a monster after the procedure. It is very important to take arnica, drink lots of fluid ( I drank pineapple infused water). Ice for at least 4 days, do not eat beef, shellfish or anything salty as this will aggravate swelling (I found out the hard way!) Do not go out in public for as long as you can.
4. When showering, let the water hit your face indirectly. You do not want to open sutures or displace fat.
5. Do not apply moisturizer until the puncture wounds heal.
6. The place where the fat is taken from will be extremely sore. As stated, Im 15 days out and my stomach is still sore and my incisions are still red.
7. Don't expect to have sex any time soon. Prepare your partner for this. You wont be able to kiss for at least a week (if you had fat transfer to lips). Your body will be to sore for weeks. Also, I still look like Joan Rivers. Very swollen and plastic looking.. not really feeling all that sexy!
In conclusion, I am still undecided if fat grafting is worth it. When I smile my eyes close. My cheeks extend to my eyes which make my eyes look deep set ~ that's how swollen I still am under my eyes. My right eye seems to be healing slower than the left.
The eye lid lift is still swollen but I can kind of see that its healing nicely and symmetrically. I'm still debating if I want to post pictures for privacy reasons but want to help others on the forum. The pics Ive seen havent been very helpful. Not many pics of under eye fat transfer.
Upper eye lid lift (to correct sagging lids), facial fat grafting to under eyes (for wrinkles), lips, cheeks, temples and forehead.
GOAL:
To look refreshed and not have the 'resting [RS bleep] face' that my kids and employees are telling me I have developed. I am 45 years old.
TIME OFF:
I took 2 weeks off of work which I was told prior would be enough time. Since then, due to massive swelling my Dr told me I would definitely not be ready to return to work... however, like most, I don't have the luxury of taking additional time off.
HEALING TIME:
The healing time for facial fat transfer is much longer than what this forum suggests or many Dr's state.
I am 15 days post op, had to return to work looking like Joan Rivers. It is obvious I have had work done and now Im being told it may take 3 months to heal? HUMILIATING. I pray this is all worth it in the end. I also had upper eye lid lift which is also swollen but healing.
WHAT TO EXPECT DURING PROCEDURE:
1. The procedure itself is long. I was awake during the procedure which took 4.5 hours.
2. Fat grafting is painful. I must have had well over 30 injections to my stomach and face to numb the area. I was told my metabolism was fast so the injections wore off quickly. I would experience excruciating pain mid procedure. The Dr kept having to re inject my face and stomach.
3. You will look like a monster after the procedure. It is very important to take arnica, drink lots of fluid ( I drank pineapple infused water). Ice for at least 4 days, do not eat beef, shellfish or anything salty as this will aggravate swelling (I found out the hard way!) Do not go out in public for as long as you can.
4. When showering, let the water hit your face indirectly. You do not want to open sutures or displace fat.
5. Do not apply moisturizer until the puncture wounds heal.
6. The place where the fat is taken from will be extremely sore. As stated, Im 15 days out and my stomach is still sore and my incisions are still red.
7. Don't expect to have sex any time soon. Prepare your partner for this. You wont be able to kiss for at least a week (if you had fat transfer to lips). Your body will be to sore for weeks. Also, I still look like Joan Rivers. Very swollen and plastic looking.. not really feeling all that sexy!
In conclusion, I am still undecided if fat grafting is worth it. When I smile my eyes close. My cheeks extend to my eyes which make my eyes look deep set ~ that's how swollen I still am under my eyes. My right eye seems to be healing slower than the left.
The eye lid lift is still swollen but I can kind of see that its healing nicely and symmetrically. I'm still debating if I want to post pictures for privacy reasons but want to help others on the forum. The pics Ive seen havent been very helpful. Not many pics of under eye fat transfer.
16 days post op
Just thought I would throw a quick update on real self to let the community know that while in the healing process don't loose all hope. Its a long process, discouraging and challenging. But I can see improvement daily. I pray it continues! Seems like the left side of my face is healing a lot quicker than the right side... so today, I look like Joan Rivers on the right side of my face only. lol.. se la ve!
What to expect the first week!
Your face will morf the first week. You should expect some improvement by 1 week. Progress after this is a bit slow. I'll post more pix later.
Provider Review
Dr. Lay is kind, professional, experienced and reasonable. I went to 3 surgeons, 2 of which recommended several procedures I feel I did not need. Both were rated as top surgeons but I felt they were overly aggressive and motivated by money rather than what was best for the patient. In the end Dr. Lay gave good explanation as to why he felt I didn't need the extra procedures and I agreed. He specializes in Asian eyes and fat grafting and is rated 5 stars on real self. He was also recommended by a friend who did the same procedures (and more) and looks great at 57! I am confident that if I am unhappy with the end results he will do his best to help me achieve my goals. I would highly recommend Dr. Lay.