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The Risk is High, and if It Goes Even a Little Wrong...- Seattle, WA

UPDATED FROM river2012

It has been more than a year of healing and it looks awful

river2012
$3,000
I had the first surgery in September of 2012, then two more by January 2013. One to fix a messy incision and the third to remove a cyst that had formed under the incision.
It has been more than a year, and I think it looks terrible. Attached are some pictures, in varying degrees of makeup. You can see that not only does my eyelid line look messy (for lack of a better word) where the incision was, there is a second plane of my eyelid now (not just a crease) and an awkward/obvious scar line that pulls from my middle lid down to the corner of my eye. There is also a tiny bit too much fat left in there, so it puckers every so slightly, and a very subtle uplift of my eyelashes, so the underside of my eyelid beneath my eyelashes is every so slightly more visible than the other one now.
I am upset and self-conscious about the unnatural appearance of all of this every day.
I would really like to talk to a surgeon who can give me some objective feedback about my options. I know surgeons generally promote more surgery, but I am hoping someone can give me a truly objective assessment as to whether surgery can improve how this looks or if this is as good as it is going to get. As you might imagine, I am very worried about making it worse, or changing my eyes even more so they "appear" like I've "had some work done." I don't want the plastic cat lady eyes, stretched back and obviously not natural. My wish is there is way to just make this better and I have to believe that if I were a Hollywood celebrity or someone in an accident, there would be surgeons with the skills to make my eye look normal again.
I look forward to your thoughts.

river2012's provider

Frank Isik, MD (retired)

Frank Isik, MD (retired)

Board Certified Plastic Surgeon

river2012 rating for Dr. Isik:

Overall rating
Doctor's bedside manner
Answered my questions
After care follow-up
Time spent with me
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Staff professionalism & courtesy
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Replies (4)

February 7, 2015
I believe you need to put that in the Drs. Question section. I would definitely look into an Occuloplastic Dr. this time though.
February 10, 2015
Thanks. I will see how it evolves in the next couple of years. I'm afraid to make it worse at this point.
December 11, 2017
did you go to a top OCCULAR SURGEON?? or just plastic surgeon?? were you sup to have alot of skin removed or just alittle?? do you know anyone else that went to him or got the surgery that it went okay?
December 11, 2017
Hi - I’m not sure if he was an occular surgeon and I don’t know anyone else who went to him. But he was referred by my dermatologist. I was only removing a little.
May 6, 2017
Do you have any before pics? A little unfair for people to be commenting when they havnt seen what your eyes looked like before.
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December 29, 2017
Did you ask the doctors on this site? They are very good at answering and when they do, please put their answers in your next post so we can see what they say, too. Be sure to put up your photos. I'm sorry you didn't get the results you wanted and I hope there is a way to fix it. Good luck.
October 16, 2019
Hi there, I'm sorry the surgery didn't turn out the way you wanted to. Have you found a doctor to fix your problem or are you still searching? I can relate I had similar issues after ptosis correction surgery. I wish I never had it done.
UPDATED FROM river2012

I was on of the unlucky ones

river2012
One of my best features has always been my eyes. But at 44 years old I felt I had too much skin drooping, and based on my family's lids, it would only be getting worse.

I've had three surgeries on my right eye by one of the top-rated surgeons in Seattle. The first one went wrong. He cut too high and you could see the incision well above the crease. He wanted to do to again to fix it, so after about 3 months I had surgery again. This time he brought the incision down so it is less visible.

Unfortunately, with all the new scar tissues and who knows what else, a cyst formed under the incision and I had to undergo a third surgery to remove the cyst.

That was last January or February. There isn't a day that doesn't go by where I don't stress over my eye and how it looks. Hiding the still visible scar tissue and unnatural skin pulling with makeup. Hoping the jagged ski along my lid isn't noticeable, despite the fact that I see it every time I look in the mirror. That the fat pockets in the corner aren't too noticeable -- or should I have them removed as he suggested, which would require general anesthesia and both eyes again.

I'm tormented and sad that my procedure would be the exception to so many success stories, but I'm not sure what to do now. Afraid of making it worse. I'm inclined to wait a few years and visit a new doctor to start all over. Meanwhile I live each day looking at my eyes and believing that on some level people are looking at me wondering what is isn't *just quite right.*

I've said before: if you want this you better really have something to change be because these are your EYES, and there's really no going back.

Replies (1)

October 24, 2013
I don't know how to revise my rating but for all the stress I've suffered the last year, I would not do this again until I was older and had a top surgeon recommended by many friends. I am afraid to try to make it look better and instead make it look worse, but it is my eye. So I'm stuck until I decide. I Wouldn't do it again unless my lids were much worst. Which, ironically, they may be again now in a few years. We'll see.
October 24, 2013

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March 2, 2014
Hi River2012! I'm so sorry you had such a bad experience. I just had an upper eyelids done 7 weeks ago by a top plastics in Chicago. Don't know yet how to feels about the results as everybody tells me to wait. You are correct, it's the eyes that we are talking about. Do you have any new photos you can post? I trust that after the third surgery things have improved physically and emotionally. Thank you for sharing and best of luck.
September 17, 2014
who did your surgery Journey2014?
UPDATED FROM river2012

Four months after the first surgery, and two...

river2012
Four months after the first surgery, and two months after the second surgery, I've had a third minor surgery to remove a small cyst that formed in my incision area. When my surgeon cut it open, thinking it would be a scar tissue cluster, it disappeared -- apparently actually a fluid cyst. Two sutures and out, and for the first time I look in the mirror and can actually imagine that I am going to look normal soon. It has been a lot of stress, and I have been an "outlier" case for sure, but I am looking forward to the stitches coming out in a couple of days and being back to "normal" soon. I actually believe it might be the case this time. Phew.

Replies (1)

October 1, 2013

Hello if I leave my email could you let me know the doctor I would like Asian eyelid surgery and am now afraid!