Early 50s, living in the U.S. I studied hard online, on YouTube, and everywhere else, then narrowed it down to five clinics that were at least known for middle-aged eye surgery (Idea, First Plastic Surgery, IONE, White, Gel). I even did KakaoTalk consultations in advance and managed to book consultation schedules, which was difficult. Some of them don't even do KakaoTalk consultations.
I had some hollowness in the under-eye groove and the Indian band, plus nasolabial folds.
After arriving, starting the next morning I went around five plastic surgery clinics, and the consultation fees alone came to 60,000 won (the first one charged 20,000 won).
Dr. Kwon at Idea had recommended lower blepharoplasty + midface lift through KakaoTalk consultation all the way from the U.S., while the others suggested only lower blepharoplasty, Ulthera, under-eye filler, forehead lift, and so on. All five clinics said different things, so I was confused and had a lot to think about. At some places, I didn't even get to talk to the doctor for five minutes, still had to wait and pay the consultation fee, and it felt like a waste of my time and money..
Among them, Dr. Kwon at Idea explained in detail why my face needed a midface lift, not just lower blepharoplasty, and how the surgery would be done, so I trusted him and had the surgery. He also said he would preserve the aegyo-sal I wanted. I thought the price was reasonably affordable too, and Dr. Kwon was really nice. A simple lower blepharoplasty is just for under-eye wrinkles and fat repositioning, but a midface lift does a bit more dissection, so the Indian band and nasolabial folds also improve slightly, they said. Since the under-eye incision had to be made anyway, if I was going to do more than a simple lower blepharoplasty and add a midface lift, recovery would take a little longer, but I would probably look younger. The surgery time itself was about 2 hours just lying there. They gave me 5 minutes of sedation, then injected anesthesia around the eyes, and I was awake during it, so I was a little scared. Anyway, time didn't pass easily and it got exhausting later. From time to time the doctor would say, 'Open your eyes upward,' or whatever, and I followed instructions.. After surgery, at first I was really swollen like a monster, so I was worried whether my impression would change too much, but now it's been about a week, I have yellow bruising, the incision line is still red, and there is swelling, but it has gone down a lot.. I won't know for sure until more time passes, but for now it seems like the surgery went well. Since I was already having surgery, I also got Botox in the glabella and forehead. They gave me Botox a little cheaper than the regular price, and I heard Dr. Kwon is good at Botox too, and today, one week later, I got Botox around the eyes too. Next week I have a scar tissue Fraxel treatment and one last checkup, then I have to head back to the U.S.
Middle-aged women often have aches and pains after menopause, so mothers take lots of supplements, but if you're planning surgery, you're supposed to stop supplements for 1-2 weeks beforehand because they improve blood circulation and can make you bleed more during surgery. I didn't know that and kept taking them, but while consulting I found out, so I stopped the meds then and had surgery 2 days later. If lower blepharoplasty is done badly, the eye can turn outward, and conjunctival edema can also happen, so post-op care seems important too. On the day of surgery, I slept on the sofa while doing cold compresses.. The doctor said sleeping in a massage chair would be the most comfortable and best, but I didn't have one, so.. There seem to be very few reviews here about middle-aged eye surgery, so I hope this helps. I'll come back later after about 3 months to report the progress again and write another post.