<before 1><before 2><day of surgery><the next day after surgery - when I woke up, the swelling got worse><post-op day 4 - the swelling started going down again from day 3 to day 4><day the stitches were removed, day 7 - the swelling went down quickly after the stitches were removed>after<two days after the stitches were removed, around day 9 - once the stitches came out, it really went down quickly..><1.5 months later (now) 1><1.5 months later (now) 2>1. Why I decided to have the surgery
I had been suffering from ptosis and the resulting inverted lashes (entropion), so after being recommended by an ophthalmology clinic, I decided to get double eyelid surgery. Anyway, I did it for functional reasons, but I still couldn't ignore the cosmetic side, so I looked into a plastic surgery clinic.
2. My wishes before surgery!!
Relief of ptosis and entropion. An in-out line. The double eyelid line should look even from the front to the outer corner. (Personally, I didn't like double eyelids that bulged thickly only at the outer corner.) (A slightly wide interbrow distance and an epicanthic fold) epicanthoplasty. A very, very natural result that isn't flashy. I wanted to do it with buried sutures as much as possible.
Since it was my first cosmetic procedure, I was worried that my image might change too much or that I'd end up with overly dramatic eyes that didn't suit my facial features. My facial features are on the understated side, so I didn't want anything flashy; I wanted it to be harmonious and as natural as possible.
3. Consultation process
I had consultations at three clinics in total, and at every clinic they told me that buried sutures were absolutely impossible for my eyes and that I had to do full incision surgery. I was sad, but I accepted it.
At the first clinic I visited, they recommended (full incision + epicanthoplasty + ptosis correction + upper blepharoplasty), and at the second, they recommended (full incision + epicanthoplasty + ptosis correction + fat removal + excision of eyelid skin).
Both places said the eyelid skin would need to be excised! One place even said upper blepharoplasty would have to be added, so I was very unsettled... Since it was my first surgery, I worried whether they were doing too much to my eyes, whether it was too excessive, and above all, I felt uncomfortable with the idea of cutting away perfectly healthy tissue.
Because there were so many things that would need to be done, of course the cost was also very high. It's hard to say exactly, but for a first surgery, they were quoting me the kind of price other people pay for revision surgery......;;;
Finally, I consulted at Iwabaek, and only there did I hear the opinion that eyelid skin excision was not necessary. They said it wasn't really needed, and that if skin were excised now, it could cause problems later if I ever needed revision surgery because there might not be enough tissue left. Since I didn't want to have too much done for my first surgery, I agreed with what the director said.
Also, I have uneven eyes, and while other places didn't mention that at all, I was glad that this place noticed the asymmetry.
After consulting at those three places, I decided on Iwabaek.
First, it was the only clinic that said eyelid skin excision wasn't necessary (because I didn't want overly aggressive surgery); second, I could feel that the director was confident about my eyes; third, the price was reasonable compared with other clinics in Gangnam; and lastly, it wasn't a factory-style clinic, and among the three, I liked the before-and-after photos there the most.
Those four reasons led me to make my decision.
4. Surgery
Before surgery, the director designed the line first, and after considering 6 mm and 7 mm, they made it 7 mm. They said it wasn't too thick and was a very normal height.
Before the design, I already had a lot of worries and thoughts swirling around in my head, and I was trying to ramble on about them, but the director looked confident, so I just shut up and decided to follow the expert ㅎㅎ
The surgery was done under local anesthesia, and I was really, really scared because they said they would inject anesthetic into the eyelids! But the needle looked extremely, extremely thin, and I couldn't really feel it going in! Anyway, it seemed different from a regular injection. It doesn't hurt that much, so don't worry! And the nurse held my hand, which helped a lot. Thank you again, really, sob sob
During the surgery too, the director was very meticulous and carefully paid attention to every little detail of the lighting, worked hard, and explained at each stage what step we were on, so I felt very reassured.
5. Post-op care
My impression right after surgery, when I looked in the mirror, was that my eyes had become too big and the distance between my eyes had gotten closer, so I was a bit shocked. It felt so unfamiliar, even to me ㅋㅋ I was surprised that there wasn't much swelling on the day of surgery. But starting the very next day, my eyes swelled up!! Days 2-3 were, as expected, when the swelling was the worst.
At home, I applied ophthalmic ointment with a cotton swab every day. Starting the day after surgery, a ton of watery eye discharge was building up at the inner corners of my eyes. I think I struggled with that watery discharge for 3-4 days. If I left it alone and it seemed too severe, I never touched the stitches or the skin; I would gently roll away only the discharge with a cotton swab and remove it. And I applied a thin layer of ophthalmic ointment whenever needed. They said I could receive swelling-laser treatment whenever I wanted after surgery, but because of work I only got it on the day the stitches were removed ㅜㅜ But as you can see from the photos, the swelling went down incredibly quickly even without the help of swelling-laser treatment. Oh, I also drank pumpkin juice, but I only drank it diligently for the first week and didn't really keep it up after that. For that week, I iced as much as I could whenever I had time, and after that I alternated between warm compresses and cold compresses. And starting the day after surgery, I walked a huge amount!! I think I was walking at least 16,000-18,000 steps a day. That was my level of care~
What was interesting after surgery was that maybe because I had ptosis correction, for the first 7 days it felt like my eyes were opening semi-automatically. When I tried to open my eyes, there was a pulling sensation inside? But that pulling force felt like it was being blocked by the swelling in my eyes ㅋㅋ It was fascinating but also uncomfortable, and after the stitches were removed, by weeks 2-3 it gradually disappeared, and now I don't feel anything at all! My eyes open normally and close normally~!
6. Review at 1.5 months (now)
First, when I open my eyes, I need much less forehead muscle strength, and the resulting facial fatigue has decreased a lot! And the discomfort from the eyelashes on the outer corner side up to the center curling upward because of the double eyelid has been greatly relieved. Now to talk about the aesthetic side: it matches the eyes I was aiming for, so I'm extremely satisfied!! Above all, it looks so, so natural. The double eyelid line is just the right height, neither too thick nor too thin, and as I wanted, it became an in-out line that looks even from the front corner of the eye. And the epicanthoplasty... it's artistry. There isn't a single scar left, and the surgery was done so that the scar isn't visible in the first place. The stitch line didn't extend outside the eye, after all. I was worried that with epicanthoplasty the inner corner would be cut too much, making the front corner look sharp or exposing too much of the red area, but the red mucous membrane wasn't exposed, and it was opened only by exactly the amount needed, just a little. My friends praised it a lot, saying the epicanthoplasty was artㅠㅜ
Because it was full incision, I was really worried it would look obvious and that the swelling would go down too slowly. But all my friends around me were surprised by how quickly the swelling went down from the very beginning, and especially after the stitches were removed, it sped up even more and went down fast. I was surprised too. For a month after surgery, I checked my eyes every day, but after that I stopped paying much attention and wasn't really looking at them. When I took photos after a long time, I saw that even in that short time the swelling had gone down a lot. I did take care of it diligently to some extent, but I also think it was because the surgery went well. I even went on an overseas trip two weeks after surgery, and it was so natural that I didn't even need sunglasses then! Now, at 1.5 months, the big swelling is almost all gone and only small residual swelling remains, so it looks very natural. People say you have to wait a full year to really call it your own eye, so I'm very excited for that time too. Anyway, all the worries I had were basically for nothing because the surgery turned out so well.. It's so, so natural, and even though it was full incision, the swelling went down incredibly quickly. I'm extremely satisfied!!
좋아요 3