I just turned 31 and I am going to Dr.Yeilding of YMD in Winter Park on December 12th for a lower blepharoplasty. I am scared since I have never had any surgery in my life, but excited! Still an allergy sufferer, In my early 20's I got a terrible chronic sinusitis infection that lasted nearly a month. At the time, I thought I had some other kind of illness and I ended up going to the ER since I had no health insurance. The physician diagnosed me with Chronic Sinusitus, prescribed some antibotics and eye drops, and I finally started to battle the infection that transpired from the infllammation of my sinuses. I suspect that during that long bout of illness, my face was so swollen it pushed the little fat pads in my lower eyes out so much that after my sinus infection finally relaxed, they just couldn't return to normal. Prior to my sinus infection, I never had eye bags, and eye bags didn't appear to be hereditary as my family actually aged very well in that regard. As is likely notable in the photo to you, my lower eye bags are also quite asymmetrical. Some days my eye bags fluctuate from looking like I stayed out too late, and some days they look like I got into a fight. As a manager of a large call center, I am tired of my staff asking me, "Did someone hit you?", "Have you been crying?", or, "Whoa, rough night, huh?" when I got a perfectly normal night of rest. ' What is doubly frustrating is when I reveal my insecurities and discuss the prospect of corrective cosmetic surgery, folks close to me say they do not see anything wrong with my looks. On one hand, I believe them. They may see me through a personal lens, and likely overlook flaws and just see me for "me". Kind of the way you may ignore your spouses mole, or scars, and see only the beautiful physical traits, and are blinded by the flaws they may have. I tend to view many others like that, focusing on their beauty rather than obvious flaws, which I wouldn't be surprised if others do..As well, beauty is in the eye the beholder, ( and, for another adage, we are our own worst critic). Since I have gotten pretty good about posting photos with specific angles and wearing some bad-ass Smashbox concealer, some folks may think I am crazy when I explain I want to have a lower bleph. Then I just show them my photo without makeup, good lighting, or editing....and then they see what I mean. While I am fully aware that looks are not everything, and looks fade, it would be nice to have that aspect called to my attention nearly once a week. At a "relatively young" age, I feel my lower eyes have experienced premature aging due to the physical stress my sinus infections pose. I think that I have researched this for so long, and "paid my dues" mulling over whether or not it is worth it to invest in my physical form and perception of beauty that, it is time. Through all the time I have spent looking inward debating, "Am I such a vain person?" I have come to the conclusion that you don't have to explain to anyone why you are going through with your surgery, and, it doesn't make you a "bad person" to invest in yourself, and, you shouldn't feel bad for caring about your appearance if it is a realistic possibility you can alter it in a positive way, even, if it is an extreme situation such as going under the knife versus putting on a little eyeshadow. I have waited a long to commit to surgery as I didn't want to just trust any doctor to touch my face with a scalp, or, a laser- which is the technique Dr.Yielding uses! I had various consultations from other plastic surgeons in Orlando who perform blepharoplasty, but none that had her same set of accreditation or portfolio of results. It does not hurt that her staff and office are also quite amazing, so far, along my journey. Dr.Yielding is an ocuplastic surgeon and ophthalmologist, and board certified. It makes me feel more confident to know that I am in capable hands of not just a surgeon that has studied plastic surgery, but an MD that has a true breadth of understanding to eye anatomy specifically, so my eyesight may be protected and I may get some of the best results. Surgery is scheduled for nearly a month out and now I am reading everything I can about recovery. I think I most afraid of the anesthesia, as my Dr. uses propofol for a twilight sedation (I don't like feeling out of control or "high"). Dr.Yielding assured me that her anesthesiologist monitors her patient closely, provides an oxygen mask, and chooses propofol rather than general anesthesia so her patients can breathe on their own, and recover more quickly. Here is hoping all goes well! I will have an update after my pre-op which is on November 28th. Updated on 13 Nov 2016: I forgot to mention that when I visited Dr.Yielding for my recent consultation, when she was examining my face and using her fingertips to put pressure on my orbital area to check my fat pads, she asked if I had a thyroid condition. I stated, "I don't know..." Come to find out from my visit after talking with the doctor as well as the nurse on site, swelling can be one of the many symptoms of hypothyroidism. My case does not seem as aggressive as the "Graves Disease" type of symptoms (my eyes are not bulging forward) typically associated with extreme hypothyroidism, but the swelling is apparent. Dr.Yieliding ordered a TSH and TS3/TS4 test to check out my hormone levels. Dr.Yielding's staff explained if I was found to have a thyroid condition, it would not effect my ability to go into surgery, however it would be best to treat for the obvious reason of my overall health. Not to mention, it may improve my results,naturally, by treating one of the few possible underlying systemic causes for my eye puffiness. I went to get my blood drawn last week, and I am awaiting the results now. I am honestly hoping that I do have a detectable thyroid issue. I presented myself to my general practice doctor several months ago to begin researching why my hair was starting to shed like crazy, leading to devastating loss which has been hurting my confidence. That doctor ordered similar tests, as well as a test to check my Ferritin levels to see if I have an iron deficiency. I pressed pause on rushing to get the blood work done at that time as I didn't really like that doctor (I feel he misdiagnosed a skin condition) and wanted to find another physician that I felt listened more to my input. I decided that while I was going in to get the blood work done for Dr.Yielding, I might as well bring the order for my GP doctor, since I hadn't made a very strong effort to find another general practitioner since. I figured, nothing to lose--- and, in a way, I want to see what both doctors have to say about the results! As the phlebotomist took about 3 vials of blood from me, and was reaching for more containers, I thought about what a vampire the lab is, and started to wonder how much blood was necessary?! Why again did I agree to let both doctors run similar tests? (Because I am stubborn and want to see if they both have the same verdict? Oh yeah, that's right....), After vial number five and a half I was finally sent on my way. Now I play the waiting game to find out the results, and prepare for my pre-op visit which is on November 28th. Here is hoping they find something wrong with me (wow, what a terrible statement out of context!) so that perhaps I can improve even more of my health and physique through treatment. For my next post, I am going to draft up some questions that I will intend to ask during my pre-op visit. Updated on 24 Nov 2016: Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Last week I got my blood work results back, and to my surprise, I am as healthy as an ox. All of my thyroid tests came back within normal range, and all my other panels for my physical (lipids, vitamins, blood cell count) are normal except for a borderline vitamin D deficiency. I am a little disappointed that what is causing my hair shedding is still a mystery, but, thankful that at this time, I can say I have my health. I did ask my physician's staff previously that if they did find that I had a thyroid condition, if it would effect my surgery in some way, and the staff assured me the answer was "no". They explained a thyroid condition can exacerbate swelling, which, if the condition was treated, could improve the results of the surgery. The condition itself would not be a risk factor which would effect the prospect of electing surgery, to those of you with a condition or suspect for the condition, wondering. This long weekend I am going to try to prepare some questions and I will post them, along with some answers, soon. My pre-op appointment is next Monday! Ahhhh! I am nervous but excited at this point. Updated on 3 Dec 2016: As I said I would post some questions (and then answers) here which I had for my pre-op, I have to disappoint and say, I really didn't come to have any questions when I was in the office for my appointment. The pre-op appointment was pretty straightforward. The nurse on staff discussed medications and supplements to avoid (blood-thinners), and talked about how to use the medications they would be prescribing. I was prescribed with Erythromycin Opthalmic Ointment for putting on my new laser resurfaced skin and in my eye (yes, IN my eye) as needed. I was also prescribed Tobradex drops, Prednisone, Valium, and Percocet. Never having had surgery before, I was grateful that they were "considerate" to offer Valium, as I am anticipating that without a little pharmaceutical help, I may not sleep the night before my procedure from the anxiety! It reassures me that as well if I have extra post-surgery anxiety, which I anticipate, it may help take the edge off, while I recover. The nurse said that most people do not really need to use the Percocet by the second day of recover and switch over to Tylenol, but we shall see. I plan to get some Arnicare to supplement with starting tomorrow, to help with the bruising and possibly some of the pain, as well. In addition to going over the medications and how to use them, I was also given a bottle of 35 SPF from the Skinmedica line, as well as the Skinmedica Eye Illuminating Cream with TNS. I've never used Skinmedica products, but I have heard good things about the results people have with the product line. I thought it was nice that the products would become part of my aftercare routine once the initial healing phase completes after the (estimated) two week mark. I wore a full face of makeup to the appointment since I was unaware photos would be taken...when I went to my second consultation, photos were taken from all angles, so I thought my photoshoot time was over...Nope! At my pre-op they wanted to take new photos, so I rubbed the makeup off the bottom part of my eyes, to expose my red, puffy, asymmetrical bags. Below are two photos to show off my look for that day. One with lighting in my house, and the other, obviously in the Dr.'s office with the eye chart right behind me. At the appointment I also signed some final papers where I accepted the various possible complications of surgery and the possibility of outcomes, and also finished the remainder of my payment, as I paid half up front and the other half of my payment was due at the pre-op appointment. Really, my only question was really a concern. I told the nurse I was really nervous about the twilight sedation, and I asked the nurse, "What will it be like? Will I be able to look around, will I be 'out-of-it' enough?". The nurse kind of giggled, and said, "Oh yeah, you will be out of it. You will be sleeping, basically." She went on to tell me it will be a piece of cake, and that "no one ever complains about the anesthesia". Of course, that left my mind to wander, and I mentally said to myself, "Well, the patient probably doesn't have the ability to speak! Ack!". I told my mind to hush, and allowed her reassuring words and calm smile sink in, and relax me. The nurse told me that after my procedure, I may be nauseous, and that I will need to have someone drive my home. I have planned for one of several people to take me to and from my procedure, either my boyfriend, or, my good friend. Another friend of mine suggested that I chose my friend to take me rather than my boyfriend, admitting that sometimes people act a bit strange after anesthesia, and say things they may not mean. While I am confident that the significant other will not judge, and take great care of me, if I can spare a semblance of dignity, I will (well, save it for my dear friend, anyway, haha). At this point I am pretty confident about the procedure, but at the same time just nervous at the mystery of the experience. One of my older male friends who had cosmetic upper and lower blepharoplasty under Twilight Sedation said that while he doesn't remember the details of the operating day, he remembers "remembering". The way he said it was, "I don't really remember the procedure now, but right after I was coming back to normal, I remember that I was somewhat aware of what was going on, like, 'Hey! I was not supposed to remember any of that!', and then a few hours later, I had complete amnesia of what the actual events were. It was not painful, but I was slightly agitated." I have found more peace thanks to Youtube videos, where I have been able to listen and watch other people tell their own tales about the experience with twilight sedation, and/or lower blepharoplasty. So far, everyone seems to say the procedure itself is unremarkable, which makes me feel a bit better. And, if anyone does recall any of their experience, they don't have too much negative to say, honestly. Alright, well, next Wednesday I will get a phone call from the Doctor's office letting me know what time my surgery is set for. It is scheduled for December 12th. Now we play the waiting game! :) Updated on 11 Dec 2016: Alright, so my surgery is tomorrow morning at 10:00 AM. I will have to be at the surgical center 90 minutes prior to that for prep. I am nervous ,but trying my best to remain calm, and think happy thoughts! :) I expect that for a few days I probably wont be able to see very well due to the ointment that will get onto my eyes and blur my vision, but I will post an update as soon as I can. Thanks to those that have given feedback and well wishes so far! As a side note, I found a really thorough and helpful guide about Bleph Recovery here: http://www.drmeronk.com/ Now, I am going to eat a greasy pizza. I know, it's probably more salt that I should have right now and wont help with my fluid retention.....but ,its my last meal until tomorrow afternoon, so I am gonna do it anyway. I have been good the last two weeks and avoided alcohol, and all the other range of blood thinners on my paperwork to avoid. The rest of my fridge is stocked with healthy snacks and some probiotic drinks and yogurts which hopefully will help my recovery. Prayers/vibes/raindances/wishes--- whatever you do, send some good juju my way, please! ^_~ Updated on 13 Dec 2016: Updated on 13 Dec 2016: Pardon the previous blank test post, my vision is admittedly blurry and I hit the POST button by mistake. Pardon any typos from here on out, as well, please! Alright, so my surgery was yesterday at 10 AM EST and I am at home today, 7:00 PM EST, a lot more comfortable than I had anticipated. Let me start off by saying that leading up to my surgery, my biggest fear was the anesthesia! A lot of folks told me it was nothing to worry about, and that I should be more mentally prepared for the rollercoaster that may be the healing process full of unexpected ups and downs emotionally and physically, but, I felt prepared. I also felt very confident in my surgeon and her abilities...so all that was nagging in the back of my mind was all the scary thoughts pre-op of the what ifs: What if I wake up? What if I can feel it but I cannot say anything to indicate it, trapped in my body? What if I don't wake up? What if I stop breathing or have another emergency situation during the procedure? Not to mention, I really, realllly do not like the feeling of being out of control from controlled or uncontrolled substances, so, I was afraid of a "drugged feeling" and being overpowered and immobilized. It doesn't help that I read a lot more negative feedback about the Twilight Sedation via Propofol on userboards versus positive ones... While the positive feedback was outstanding for some, the negative feedback from others made me wary- what if I wouldn't respond well to the effects? I can very happily say that my surgery/anesthesia experience was beyond expectation! In my pre-op room, a nurse got me ready to go. I changed into my gown and cap, and I snapped a photo of my naked face before hopping on the bed and getting connected to a machine that would track some of my vitals and then get an IV placed and taped to my arm, introducing some fluid to hydrate my body. I asked the nurse if I would have an opportunity to talk to the anesthesiogist to ask her questions, and she assured me that yes, I would, and the surgeon would also stop by pre-admittance to the operating theatre to mark me and address any final questions. When the doctor came by she marked up my eyes and confirmed our operating plans. She also marked the left nasal bridge to denote where she would be excising some scar tissue I have from an old piercing that experienced a traumatic incident and was ripped out. Dr. Yeilding asked how I was? I said I was scared. She calmly assured me that was normal, and confidently said I will do great. Next up, shortly after, the anesthesiologist came in. Reading so much about the different levels of Twlight Sedation, I asked her if I would be responsive, or "out"? She replied, "You will be sleeping", which is what the doctor and other staff at the Dr. office had said, so I felt more confident that they were being honest about the level of sedation I would receive. I was fitted with oxygen tubes in my nose to keep my oxygen saturation level during the procedure, and then nurses came to wheel me back to the O.R. Entering the O.R., flat on the bed with my eyes only able to gaze up at the lights, I heard music blasting, which I was grateful for. I am not a big pop music fan, but I recognized the tune by Sara Bareilles "Brave". In a silly way, it made me feel better- I was being brave by going through this experience, and strangely it was like a positive omen in the moment and calmed me. The anesthesiologist said, "Ok, now I am going to give you something to relax you". Then, like a dream, I was out! I did not have time to feel any stupor, it just felt like a really quick and calm, natural drift to sleep. What seemed like an instant later, about an hour later in reality, i awoke in the recovery room. I as amazed that I was able to have my wits about me so quickly- I didn't feel tired or hungover, I did not feel nauseous, I felt no pain (just very minor discomfort from swelling and blurred vision from ointment on my eyes). Honestly, I felt great all things considering. I mentally rejoiced at what a wonderful experience I had in that everying seemingly went perfect as far as me facing all the possible fears of anesthesia I had lurking in my mind. A nurse asked me a few questions to make sure that I was mentally up to speed and brought in my friend that was my driver for the day. I got dressed and then put onto a wheel chair since although mentally I felt fine, my motor skills where slow, in addition to not being able to see very well. I didn't get to see the doctor on my way out, but the nurse said the doctor told me that she thinks I will have great results, but to expect swelling because there was a LOT of fat in there. After a 45 minute ride home, I put on some cold compresses, ate some breakfast and took my medicine. I snapped a post op picture of my doing my Vogue-Duck face look that you will see, haha. I took a Percocet as a precaution, but the pain was truly minimal. I spent the rest of my day in bed, propped up, listening to shows on Netflix, changing eyes packs like religion. Unfortunately, I had a difficult time sleeping sitting up. I should have taken a Valium, but I didn't want to introduce anymore drugs into my body at that time so I just tried to relax and finally fell asleep around midnight or so. I got up at 8 AM to prepare for my Post Op doctor visit. To the appointment, I rocked out with my Rainbow Heart sunglasses which a lot of the office seemed to enjoy, I am quite the kitsch character, haha. Included in the photo series from this entry is also how I look today, day 2, with my grey shirt and black choker on in the photo. I have some obvious swelling and brusing from the procedure and Co2 laser resurfacing on my lower lids, but I think I don't look too shabby, considering my eye lids were just cut open! Haha... At the post op appointment today the nurse and doctor jsut went over after care again. I have been dillgent wit the drops and ointment, but upon examination the Dr did say I had mild chemosis in my right eye and that I should continue to use the eyedrops as normal, but apply the ointment into my eye at night during sleeping to keep it extra lubricated. The nurse added that with this type of surgery, sometimes your eyes don't close all the way, which can lead to dryness, irritation, and ulceration... So, I am a little wary of that but I will do what I can to keep that in check. Today I started an oral steroid to assist with the healing, as well. Today, day 2, I feel a little more tender on the skin where I had the laser resurfacing more than anything else, but it is comparable to a sunburn. With liberal application of the ointment, it feels fine, just a little tight and awkward if I move my other facial muscles a lot in an exaggerated way (smiling deep, eating aggressively, so I take it easy and go with the Mona Lisa smile for now). Alright well, staring at the screen is not terrible (as I type with my sunglasses on), but is a feat considering my eyes are trying very hard to focus and I am getting fatigued so I am going to cut it short. All in all, I feel really good considering I just had a surgery yesterday. My anesthesia fear has been conquered successfully, by having a truly postive and unremarkable experience! So far, I recommend this procedure. Time will see what my final results will be, but I am excited considering that even with the swelling I have now, compared to my original over-the-top puffy eye bag, it looks better! Thanks for keeping up and checking out my posts! I will update more this week as I continue to change colors and shapes, hehe! Updated on 16 Dec 2016: Just a quick pop in on here. Day 3 and 4 (Thursday and Friday, after my surgery on Monday morning) went pretty well. Yesterday the marking from the laser resurfacing was starting to turn a bit darker, and today I can see yellow bruising under my skin which is actually good, that means I am healing. The week so far has been relatively comfortable and tolerable. I think the thing driving me bananas is that I am getting cabin fever being cooped up in the house, and tired of having blurry vision most of the time, which makes watching and reading things an obnoxious strain. In the next several days I will see if I can stop putting the ointment into my eyes, as the doctor recommended since after my post op visit she noted mild chemosis in my right eye. Once I can stop applying the ointment into my eye, I think the rest of the recovery will be much nicer as I will be able to see more clearly and regain normal mobility with my vision restored. Yesterday I did venture out of the house for late night tacos at a little restaurant downtown. I donned my rainbow, heart sunglasses and again, everywhere I go, people seem to love those things, haha. The tacos were exactly what my body wanted and it was nice to feel some seasonal Florida weather (60 degress or so, which is seasonal enough for someone living in Orlando!). Today my eyes feel a bit itchy and like there is something floating around in there (well, there is...lubrication) and a little bit tender. My energy level so far has been mild. I don't feel "tired" but I do feel a bit fatigued. I have been sleeping well aside from sleeping at a 45 degree incline, and sleep from about midnight to 9 or 10 AM. The weight of the swelling in my face is slightly tiresome during the day, though. Today I managed to do some light tidying up around my closet by rearranging some clothes, but no bending down as I was instructed not to. Also I tried to gain enough focus to do a little reading online and obviously, to post on here. ;) Anyway, so far, I have to say I cannot really complain that much. The discomfort is less than expected and this recovery has been fair. I would liken the discomfort to a well done dental extraction, but about 50% more comfortable (considering you don't need to mash down on your eyelids to blink). I liken it to dental work as well, considering the way my face feels kind of swollen- very similar and tolerable. Hopefully, everything continues to go well with my healing! I look forward to several weeks from now when I can present a nicer looking face for you guys! Maybe then I will fix my hair...until then...messy bun it is... Updated on 17 Dec 2016: Today I woke up feeling a bit better in terms of facial swelling. I took a nice long shower and the humidity felt awesome. I felt so much better today I actually blow dryed my hair and wore it down. I've felt so greasy lately I've kept it up a lot...anyways, the under eye skin is getting darker with the bruising now, but I can see me smooth skin underneath coming through. Today I look kinda blah but I'm starting to see the light at the end of each tunnel. Can't wait to wear some makeup and feel sexy again!!! I went out for lunch with no sunglasses on in the restaurant and got a few quick, concerned stares, but otherwise I didn't seem to freak out too many people. Cheers! Updated on 22 Dec 2016: I havent posted in a few days, but I assure you everything has been going well. ? To get you all bac up to speed, on Tuesday, December 20th I went to my one week follow up appointment. At the appointment, a nurse on staff administered some numbing eye drops to my eyes so that they could perform a tonometry test to check the pressure inside my eyes. The nurse advised that my pressure was a little bit on the high side, and that she would check with Dr.Yielding if it would be best to stop using the Tobradex eye drops, since they have a steroid in them which could be attributing in part to the elevated pressure. Otherwise, the nurse took some more photos of my progress, and remarked that everything seemed be doing well. I asked if I was healing at a normal/slow/advanced rate, and the nurse stated that I seemed to be recovering quicker than average, but then again a lot of their patients are a bit older than myself. I also did a quick eye exam by reading the chart, and fared well considering that my vision is still blurry since the ointment I apply doesnt really get a chance to come all the way out of my eyes since apply it nightly, at a minimum. When Dr.Yielding came in to see me, she was excited and pleased with the results. She expressed that I have a nice contour now, and I had to agree. Dr.Yielding did advise to stop using the Tobradex, and instead revert to using preservative free eye drops or the eye ointment to keep my eyes lubricated since I am experiencing mild dry eye. Dr.Yielding explained that dry eye is common after this procedure, and usually temporary, and to anticipate at least several weeks of that experience. Dr.Yielding and staff also explained that by Saturday (several days from now, which will mark day 10) that most of my resurfaced skin should have sloughed off, and I can switch to using the SkinMedica TNS Eye Illuminating cream and sunblock instead of the ointment at that time. Also, at that time, I can begin wearing make up again. As far as updates, within the last few days everything has been going great. My discomfort level has gone down markedly day by day, and as of today, I really dont feel any discomfort. All I feel is that my eye are hazy/blurry, and the lower lid skin still feels tight and somewhat foreign to me. If I had to compare how the forgeign feeling is, I would say it is like when you get super glue on your finger tips and it wont come off. You feel something on your skin, but then again, you dont because your pads are blocked.but it feels weird to move! Its just a mildly odd sensation, mostly in my left eye, when I move the skin a lot by proxy (blinking more fully, or giving a full smile, which I am getting back into). The first few days I really limited my facial expressions because the swelling, and the skin being tight made it feel uncomfortable, as well, I was trying to be as delicate and ginger with my face as I could! All in all though, the skin sensation is feeling more and more like my own and not some swollen mass of tissue. I was prepared that with the incision and swelling that numbness may occur temporarily while the nerves repaired, so this effect didnt really freak me out (and it was realllly mild), but it still was noted so I wanted to share. I have been going out in public the last few days to enjoy dinner, and on Tuesday I finally had a glass of wine and a cocktail after three weeks of not drinking. It was heaven! I had refrained from drinking before my surgery because it is a blood thinnerbut also, to detox my body and prime it for the surgery. I didnt drink so long after the surgery as I wanted to promote healing, and again, didnt want to do anything to compromise my immune system. I had asked the office on Tuesday during my visit, When can I have a beer again?!. The staff giggled and looked at me like I was crazy, and admitted that I could have had a drink a while ago! I was kicking myself, haha. I rejoiced on that day, and treated myself to a nice meal with a Plum wine, a fancy cheese plate for dessert, and a Snowy Mule (a variation of the Moscow Mule). Going out and about to the grocery store, errands, and for dinner, I am surprised that people have been less inquisitive of my bruising than I would have expected. I think what is more nasty looking is the ointment that is slathered on my eyes, because it is like a shining beacon on my face LOOK HERE!. Nonetheless, only one person so far has really given me a concerned stare while I sat with my boyfriend at dinner at Bahama Breeze last week. My friends have all been pretty surprised and commenting that I am healing a lot better than I expected, as they were prepared for me to look like I just got out of a car accident or Mike Tyson fight. I am pleased for that! I have been taking Arnicare supplements, but other than that, I am not sure how much it helps versus just being my genetics and health at this time. Whatever it is, I am glad that my recovery has been going better than expected. Included above are photos from several days ago, and today. When I washed my face with Cetaphil this morning a little bit more of the old skin came off and I am thrilled that I am getting closer to wearing makeup, which is just in time as now my lower face is starting to break out thanks to my cycle! Other than that, I am still sleeping sitting up at an angle, which I will probably do for another week. Next week I am going to begin working out again, starting with a week of walking, and then after that week, begin picking up the pace more aggressively. I really miss bending down to take care of chores and working out! When all is said and done I will post my final reviews to determine if it was worth it. At this time, I am leaning to YES. I am only going to wait on that remark because I just want the tissues to settle down a little more, and my eyes to return to normal functioning (when I can stop using ointment I presume) before I give it my true vote of confidence. At this point, my only concern would be recession or hollowing, but I dont see that at this time, I am just wondering how much more swelling will go down and what the final result will be in a few months. Everything so far has been great, and much better than expected! The staff is all friendly and informative, and did not push me to get other procedures or products that I was not inquiring about. Ill update you guys this weekend. Thanks for checking up on my experience! Updated on 23 Dec 2016: Here are a few pics from Friday. More of the resurfaced skin is emerging and I just have a bit left to slough off...I'm still looking like a greaseball until then since I want to keep the skin moist with ointment until it all sheds. Once it does all shed, I can switch to a moisturizer and begin to use makeup under/on my eyes again. Today more of the swelling subsided in my whole face and I felt remotely attractive today (for a lizard-lady) so I put on a light powder around my face (where I am ointment free) and popped on a nude lipstick. I did a touch of mascara on my upper lash which was so nice to give a little definition. I am nervous to proclaim success, but now I am admittedly getting a little excited since I amoved beginning to feel attractive again. I am in disbelief that the bags are gone! When I look in the mirror I keep expecting them to reappear. Glad for now! Updated on 25 Dec 2016: Merry Christmas! Today just a quick makeup-free post of before and after. My surgery was 12 days ago and today most of my resurfaced skin is off. I think maybe one more day of ointment and then, I can wear makeup! Wooooo, so close! All in all, the redness of the laser is not as pigmented as I expected. Yay! Today I'm feeling good, just a little dryness in my eyes but it's not as extreme as a few days ago. Have a great holiday, everyone! My next update will be with my hair and makeup done. ^__^ Updated on 28 Dec 2016: Hello! I have been able to play with makeup a little bit, and I am pretty excited. On Christmas evening, I went out for dinner and opted for putting make up my upper eyes only, and ointment on my lower lids still, since they felt irritated and rough. I didn't want to rush my body to being ready for makeup, so I worked around the area. It looked a little bit odd to have the nice makeup everywhere else except my lower lids, which were shiny, but, I dealt with it. For the most part, I finally felt like I was starting to look good. :) Several evenings ago (Monday night) there was a local event I wanted to go out to, so I attempted to put on makeup on my lower lids since I knew people would be taking a lot of photos, and my redness was apparent in contrast to the rest of my face with makeup on. It did NOT go well! The skin on my under eye still had a raw texture to it, so when I delicately tried to put concealer on, it filled in cracky areas and glossed over others, and looked like the sahara desert. Mind you, I was attempting to put the concealer on freshly moisturized skin. In desperation, I even tried blending a little bit of my moisturizer with the concealer so I could at least get a tint, but, that was not working out either. Frustrated, I carefully cleaned off the concealer on my under eyes, and then remoisturized. Needless to say, wiping on the face, even as careful and soft as I was, increased the redness. I opted to stay in that night. : Yesterday I decided to go out to the mall with my friend, and, rather than possibly get frustrated and irritating my skin more, decided to stick with my Christmas approach for makeup and worked around the lower eyes. I wore some tan eye shadow and some liner and masara on the top of my lids, used a mineral powder on my face except for the under eyes, and a nice lip shade called Teddy Bare by Milani. In the dressing room I felt kinda cute so I snapped several photos to post. The first photo from today's post is me just waking up, with no makeup (or even face washing, so there are some eyelashes hanging out in my ointment). I have opted to keep using the ointment at night since my skin is still so dry, over two weeks later...This morning my right eye feels pretty good, nice and normal. However, my left eye feels angry at me. It feels pretty dry and I feel like there is something stuck in it like an eyelash. I did come to find out this morning that the lubrication had bent one of my eyelashes inward so it was poking me all night but I don't think that is the culprit. I just ran out of Represh preservative free eyedrops, so I am going to get some more of those soon. The skin on my left eye is still a little bit tender, too, and feels like a really mild sunburn still. I think maybe I slept on it, since I am a side sleeper and I am finally allowing myself to sleep in a position that is not upright. Who knows? Today I think I will skip all makeup because it is possible that some mascara found its way in my eye, and maybe that is why I feel more irritated today compared to yesterday. Yesterday I felt great except for eye dryness, which my eyedrops helped with a lot. Here is hoping my left eye catches up to speed with my right one, in terms of healing. My right eye feels pretty back to normal now, though. Unless I have complications that arise, I will post more in another week or so. My journey is far from over, but I feel like the dramatic changes have taken place already. I wonder what the results will be in a month or two from now, when the skin settles down. Thanks for checking in! If you have questions, let me know in the comments, or send me a message! ^__~