My Eyelid Tuck

For quite some time I was having trouble putting on eye liner. My upper eyelids were wrinkled and the skin was loose. It was annoying, but I chalked it up to another inconvenience that comes with aging. What I didn’t really notice was how my eyes were looking smaller. The lids were looking heavier. In general, I was losing my “bright-eyed, bushy-tailed” gaze. Somehow, it hadn’t occurred to me that it was time for surgery. Not until my sister-in-law had her eyelids done and I saw the difference in her. Suddenly, I wanted that look too.

Most of the cosmetic procedures I have had up to now have been non-surgical. After all, the philosophy at Enhancements is always, “regular small tweaks to achieve gradual but significant results over time”. Eyelid surgery seemed more invasive than usual for me. But I was motivated. What was involved?

Here’s what I learned:

Most upper eyelid surgery, or blepharoplasty, can be done in-office under local anesthesia. There is no at-home preparation needed beforehand. Just before surgery, a little topical numbing cream is applied to the area, followed by injection with a couple of tiny needles to completely prevent pain. Each eyelid takes about 1/2 hour. Clear, thin, self-dissolving stitches meant that the incisions would be nearly invisible. Afterward, there may be some swelling and bruising, usually not too much. The eyelids need to stay moisturized for a few days. Recovery takes 2-3 weeks but make-up can be applied to hide bruising after about a week. Best of all I was reassured there would be NO PAIN!

Here’s what I experienced:

On the day of surgery, just before we started I realized that I was a bit nervous and could use some mild anti-anxiety relief. A Xanax was quickly offered and helped me to relax and stay still for the entire procedure. Our surgical team, consisting of Peggy (our nurse) and Dr. Sackman, were reassuring. Chatty (to distract me), but professionally focused. Sympathetic to my needs, but clear about what they needed from me - which only involved turning my head from time to time. I expected to see some blood but was pleasantly surprised to learn that skillful technique would result in almost none; sure enough, there was barely a drop. I felt nothing except a slight tugging every once-in-a-while. It all happened smoothly, painlessly, quickly. Soothing ice packs were applied for several minutes. Before I knew it, I was sitting up (slowly for safety) and ready to drive myself home. Minor swelling didn’t impair my vision and I made it home with no problems.

A small vial of ointment was sent home with me and I was careful to reapply it several times a day. Once the vial was empty I was told to use Aquaphor Ointment to finish out the week. I needed to sleep with my head elevated for 3 nights, which turned out to be more comfortable than I expected. The nearly invisible stitches mostly dissolved by themselves in about a week, although there were some remnants. If I had wanted to be rid of them at that point, Dr. Sackman could have pulled them out. But I let them dissolve naturally and in another week they were gone. If I run my finger lightly over the eyelid I can feel a slight bumpiness on the skin. It’s invisible to the eye and will disappear entirely in a month or so. Everyone bruises differently and we all bruise to a greater or lesser extent at different times. For some reason, I happened to bruise more than most people so my eyes looked pretty beat up at first. I easily dealt with the problem by wearing sunglasses. No one gave me a second look and I’m quite sure that no one could see the black-and-blue under the glasses. The fun part was waking up every morning to smaller and smaller bruises. The healing was so quick I could see improvement from morning to night. By week 2 I disguised the bruises with my usual concealing cream. By week 3 there was nothing left to hide, not even the faintest scar. As promised, I had experienced NO PAIN throughout.

My Before and After pictures are amazing. I had no idea beforehand how effectively a subtle eye tuck could perk up the impression I made, without any drastic change. Enhancements has done it again. I appear refreshed, not re-made. Just another day in the life of Dr. Sackman.

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