External Lower Eyelid Surgery for Baggy Eyes - Vancouver, BC

After a lifetime of having bags under my eyes, I finally decided to do something about it. I have continually been told that I look tired, and every time I look in the mirror all I can see are the bags under my eyes. I may be full of energy, but the look I see staring back at me from the mirror is one of a very tired guy. I hate it! I thought about fillers, and after reading how temporary they are and how the results can be unpredictable, I decided to check out lower eyelid surgery. I didn't know where to start looking, so I began by googling cosmetic surgery Vancouver. I found 8 West Cosmetic Surgery on near Broadway and Granville in Vancouver, BC after comparing four other cosmetic surgeons. The price of $4000 plus tax was much better than many of the others, and after reading the online testimonials of others on Real Self regarding Dr. Buonassisi I was impressed by patient's testimonials. I have never considered face lifts or cosmetic surgery before, and I had no idea where to look. After phoning and speaking with the staff from four other cosmetic surgeons, I called 8 West Cosmetic Surgery and booked an appointment for a consultation, which I just had two days ago. When I arrived at the office, I was welcomed warmly. A few photos of me were taken, and I was ushered in to Dr. Buonassisi's office with zero delay. He explained everything that I wanted to know, and was very realistic about what the lower eyelid surgery would do, or not do, for the bags under my eyes. He showed me before and after photos of other patients, and we examined my photos where he was realistic about what I will expect after surgery.

After 20 minutes of discussion, I felt fully informed and I booked my appointment for surgery in May. The surgery is called blepharoplasty, and I will be awake during the procedure. I am really looking forward to my lower eyelid surgery. I know the first week after the procedure will not be pleasant, but in the long run it will be so good to get ride of my baggy eyes. I am looking forward to not being told how tired I look. I will update you once the surgery is done along with some before and after photos.

I had the surgery done five days ago (May 2012). The lower eyelid surgery, or blepharoplasty, was about a one hour procedure once things actually got started. Here is how the event unfolded.

I arrived at Dr. Buonassisi's office, 8 West Cosmetic Surgery in Vancouver, and was immediately ushered into the treatment room by Katie. She explained what was about to happen and her kindness helped put my very anxious mind at ease. Within five minutes Dr. Buonassisi arrived in the room, shook my hand, and gave me a full explanation of the procedure. He is a kind and compassionate man, but doesn't waste time with idle chatter of fluff which is just fine with me. He listened to my concerns and answered my questions thoughfully. Since I elected to stay awake for my lower eyelid surgery to remove baggy eyes, he gave me two Ativan pills to relax me. He then asked me to hold an ice pack under my eyes for five minutes which would help make the local anesthetic injections more comfortable. Five minutes later he began a series of injections under both eyes that froze the skin from any feeling. The injections were easy to take...especially for a guy who hates needles. Minutes later, the actual procedure began.

During the procedure, I had to keep checking myself because I found that I was tensing my entire body. I had to will myself to relax numerous times. It felt very similar to a dentist visit. It is never fun to have someone working on your face, but Dr. Bounassisi did a great job with the blepharoplasty surgery. During the surgery, there were a few times when the procedure began to hurt. Dr. Buonassisi was able to read my body language because he asked me numerous times if I could feel any pain, and when I replied that I could, he gave me more local anesthetic injections which immediately took away the pain. The procedure was not fun, but given what was happening it went as well as I can expect.

After the procedure I had a chat with Dr. Buonassisi about recovery advice and then I put on my sunglasses and was driven home by my wife. The incisions began hurting on the first night, so I took some painkillers that Dr. Buonassisi prescribed for me. I only ended up taking the painkillers twice over the next two days, and regular tylenol one other time. My incisions did not hurt much but they felt tight. When I opened my mouth wide it would pull down on the lower eyelid skin causing a tight feeling, but this is normal immediately after lower eyelid surgery, or lower blepharoplasty.

In the four days following the blepharoplasty surgery my eyes looked pretty much the same. My eyes looked moderately swollen both above and below the eyes. There is a line of dark stitches closing the incision below the eyes which extended out beyond the corner of the eyes by about one centimeter. This gives me a look as if I am wearing eyeliner. On day five the swelling noticeably declined and I began looking much better. This is where I am at today. I have taken ten days off work (six work days plus two weekends) and my recovery appears to be well within the norm for lower blepharoplasty. My stitches will be removed in two days and I can't wait to get them out. The sooner the better.

I will post additional updates as my healing progresses, but from what I see so far Dr. Buonassisi is a highly competent doctor for cosmetic surgery in Vancouver.

It has been five weeks since my lower eyelid surgery. The big event was at seven days when I went back to see Dr. Buonassisi to have the stiches removed. He was finished in five minutes but took the time to check on my progress and answer my questions.

I went back to work after ten days. I was still somewhat swollen looking the the incisions were red, but I put a very small amount of concealer on them and no one at work asked me any questions.

Now at five weeks since surgery I am becoming more and more happy with the results. There is still a tiny amount of swelling under the eyes but nothing much. I have researched healing times after cosmetic surgery at length and I have learned that you have to count on a full three months before all swelling is gone. In rare cases it can be longer. I also have some redness along the incisions that are just a couple of millimeters below the lower lashes. This is not a concern for me because I know that over the next month or so it will disappear fully. Also, when I open my mouth fully I can feel tighness under the eyes. This is also something that will go away over time.

I am very happy so far with my healing process since getting the surgery. I wish I was 100% healed but I know I just have to be patient.