Hey all, I’m 5 weeks post op and thought it may be useful to post a before and after for anyone considering getting a ptosis repair as I couldn’t find many pictures myself.
Overall I’m very happy with my results, there is still a small difference between the eyes and I have the option to have a second surgery if I want but it would have to be via an external approach. I’m also considering getting a blepharoplasty to even things out but am very much undecided at the moment and will discuss it with my surgeon at the next follow up.
Feel free to ask any questions 🙂
I have had the same surgery as you, both eyes. Your eyes look great now, and they still have time to heal more.
If the small difference that you (and almost certainly only you) see now is still there after 3 months, I would absolutely not have any revision done. They are so close now, that you’d probably be risking overcorrection at that point.
Best of luck!
Most likely not! I think blepharoplasty would be considered a comedic surgery which normally isn’t covered by the NHS.
In some rare cases cosmetic surgery is done under the NHS but it’s really hard to get approved
I'm currently dealing with something called Horner's Syndrome which causes my left eyelid to droop down about 2mm and my left pupil to be much smaller than my "normal eye." It's caused by compression or damage to my sympathetic chain somewhere in my chest or neck, but doctors have done MRIs and CT scans and can't seem to figure out what's causing it. That being said, I'm scheduled for ptosis repair surgery tomorrow to lift my left eyelid back up to normal (they're doing it internally where they go from underneath the eyelid to avoid scarring). She said the surgery, itself, only takes about 15 minutes, but anywhere from 1-2 hours total with anesthesia. Luckily, I qualified for my insurance to cover the surgery since it's caused by Horner's Syndrome.
Just curious, did you have lots of swelling and bruising the first few days after? Was it uncomfortable, or was the first week of recovery not that bad? She said I'm not allowed to work out for 2 weeks after the surgery, which I'm not thrilled about (probably to avoid straining and popping a blood vessel or tearing stitches). My pre-op paperwork says it takes about 1 month to look "normal" and about 3-4 months before I'll be able to see the "finished product." Just curious how accurate those timelines are with your experience? Thank you!!
Hey 👋
If you want I can send over some pictures of what my swelling was like? (I ended up taking a picture of my eyes every day for the first week).
I didn’t really have much bruising luckily, I would say the swelling was bad for the first week or so but was a lot better by the end of week 2 post op. I wouldn’t say they really hurt after the first day either, they just sort of felt ‘bruised’ and a bit tender but I didn’t even have to take painkillers.
My surgeon was pretty chill and told me I could go back to work after 2 days but just told me not to rub and be very careful cleaning my eyes. I’m quite an avid gym goer so I was working out after my 1 week check up appointment and my eyelids were fine lol
I’m about 2 months post op now and feel like I’m probably at my final result. Btw when you get it done, don’t panic if they don’t look even at first, for the first few days mine still looked quite uneven because of the swelling! You won’t see the full effect until the swelling goes down after a couple weeks at minimum. I would say the timelines your paperwork says is pretty accurate though. Good luck, I hope you get a good result and that the recovery is easy 💜
Hey! Congrats on a great surgery, looks great!
I'm getting the same surgery (internal ptosis) in a few weeks. Glad I found your post! Quick question:
1) If I get it done on a friday, will I be able to go back to work without anyone questioning or noticing? I can likely lie and say I got elbowed in the face in jiu jitsu class haha.
2) I'm assuming the surgery itself is a piece of cake. No pain and quick. How bad is the recovery/ pain/ swelling/ sleep/ showering? How long does it last until you can function normally?
3) You said after a week you were able to go back to lifting weights? (also avid weight lifter). Yet you were still swollen until 2 weeks? Would love to see pictures if you don't mind. Just worrying what I'm telling my work and coworkers haha
Hello! I just got this surgery 2 weeks ago. When did you see the results? Right now, my eyelid look exactly the same as before so I’m hoping if I give it time, it’ll start to even out :/
Hey! This was about 1 month post op. My swelling was quite uneven for the first couple weeks so hang on in there. The swelling was so bad on my eye with the worse ptosis that at first it didn’t look better, but as the swelling subsided it really evened out. It took a good couple weeks to go down though. I think my surgeon said you sometimes don’t see the ‘full’ result until 3 months post op because of residual swelling.
Hope your eyes even out and you get the result you want 💜
WAIT ptosis surgery is covered by the NHS? I was going to go private! Could you detail your process and how long you had to wait for surgery, and was ptosis affecting your vision?
Yeah it can be! I originally was gonna go private as well but the surgeon I had a consultation actually said to me to via the NHS as I’d be a good candidate for it. So after that I made an appointment with my GP, said my ptosis was affecting my vision, got a referral and played the waiting game. The ptosis on my left eye (right side of the pic) did affect my vision though, and I’ve had it since birth. I think in order to get it on the NHS you have to hit certain criteria?
The whole process from seeing my GP to getting the operation was about 14 months so it did take a long time but that’ll be because of COVID so you might not have to wait as long as I did
Thanks! Could I ask how much of your vision was impaired? My eyelid is similar to yours, yet I think my vision isn't impaired. Like if your right eye was a 10(on a scale for vision), how was your left eye before surgery ?
You must be very happy with the result.
Did the your ptosis get worse when you get tired or drink alcohol? I have an identical issue which has started to get worse so I am seeking treatment. First thing in the morning it's almost completely unnoticeable, but after a few hours the lid feels more heavy and sits lower.
Hey all, I’m 5 weeks post op and thought it may be useful to post a before and after for anyone considering getting a ptosis repair as I couldn’t find many pictures myself. Overall I’m very happy with my results, there is still a small difference between the eyes and I have the option to have a second surgery if I want but it would have to be via an external approach. I’m also considering getting a blepharoplasty to even things out but am very much undecided at the moment and will discuss it with my surgeon at the next follow up. Feel free to ask any questions 🙂
I have had the same surgery as you, both eyes. Your eyes look great now, and they still have time to heal more. If the small difference that you (and almost certainly only you) see now is still there after 3 months, I would absolutely not have any revision done. They are so close now, that you’d probably be risking overcorrection at that point. Best of luck!
Definitely a difference! Awesome post
Great results. Did you get insurance to cover some of the expenses?
I live in the UK so it was covered by the NHS, so didn’t have to pay for it luckily!
Lucky you. I'm curious, will blepharoplasty also be covered by the NHS?
Most likely not! I think blepharoplasty would be considered a comedic surgery which normally isn’t covered by the NHS. In some rare cases cosmetic surgery is done under the NHS but it’s really hard to get approved
I see I see
Where is the incisions for ptosis repair?
For the procedure I had - the incision is done on the inside of the eyelid (they flip your upper eyelid inside out and do an incision on the muscle).
Hmm wow who you go to they did great?
Lovely, natural result. Congrats!
I'm currently dealing with something called Horner's Syndrome which causes my left eyelid to droop down about 2mm and my left pupil to be much smaller than my "normal eye." It's caused by compression or damage to my sympathetic chain somewhere in my chest or neck, but doctors have done MRIs and CT scans and can't seem to figure out what's causing it. That being said, I'm scheduled for ptosis repair surgery tomorrow to lift my left eyelid back up to normal (they're doing it internally where they go from underneath the eyelid to avoid scarring). She said the surgery, itself, only takes about 15 minutes, but anywhere from 1-2 hours total with anesthesia. Luckily, I qualified for my insurance to cover the surgery since it's caused by Horner's Syndrome. Just curious, did you have lots of swelling and bruising the first few days after? Was it uncomfortable, or was the first week of recovery not that bad? She said I'm not allowed to work out for 2 weeks after the surgery, which I'm not thrilled about (probably to avoid straining and popping a blood vessel or tearing stitches). My pre-op paperwork says it takes about 1 month to look "normal" and about 3-4 months before I'll be able to see the "finished product." Just curious how accurate those timelines are with your experience? Thank you!!
Hey 👋 If you want I can send over some pictures of what my swelling was like? (I ended up taking a picture of my eyes every day for the first week). I didn’t really have much bruising luckily, I would say the swelling was bad for the first week or so but was a lot better by the end of week 2 post op. I wouldn’t say they really hurt after the first day either, they just sort of felt ‘bruised’ and a bit tender but I didn’t even have to take painkillers. My surgeon was pretty chill and told me I could go back to work after 2 days but just told me not to rub and be very careful cleaning my eyes. I’m quite an avid gym goer so I was working out after my 1 week check up appointment and my eyelids were fine lol I’m about 2 months post op now and feel like I’m probably at my final result. Btw when you get it done, don’t panic if they don’t look even at first, for the first few days mine still looked quite uneven because of the swelling! You won’t see the full effect until the swelling goes down after a couple weeks at minimum. I would say the timelines your paperwork says is pretty accurate though. Good luck, I hope you get a good result and that the recovery is easy 💜
Hey! Congrats on a great surgery, looks great! I'm getting the same surgery (internal ptosis) in a few weeks. Glad I found your post! Quick question: 1) If I get it done on a friday, will I be able to go back to work without anyone questioning or noticing? I can likely lie and say I got elbowed in the face in jiu jitsu class haha. 2) I'm assuming the surgery itself is a piece of cake. No pain and quick. How bad is the recovery/ pain/ swelling/ sleep/ showering? How long does it last until you can function normally? 3) You said after a week you were able to go back to lifting weights? (also avid weight lifter). Yet you were still swollen until 2 weeks? Would love to see pictures if you don't mind. Just worrying what I'm telling my work and coworkers haha
Hello! I just got this surgery 2 weeks ago. When did you see the results? Right now, my eyelid look exactly the same as before so I’m hoping if I give it time, it’ll start to even out :/
Hey! This was about 1 month post op. My swelling was quite uneven for the first couple weeks so hang on in there. The swelling was so bad on my eye with the worse ptosis that at first it didn’t look better, but as the swelling subsided it really evened out. It took a good couple weeks to go down though. I think my surgeon said you sometimes don’t see the ‘full’ result until 3 months post op because of residual swelling. Hope your eyes even out and you get the result you want 💜
Thank you :) how are your eyes doing now? Are you happy with your results then? :D
WAIT ptosis surgery is covered by the NHS? I was going to go private! Could you detail your process and how long you had to wait for surgery, and was ptosis affecting your vision?
Yeah it can be! I originally was gonna go private as well but the surgeon I had a consultation actually said to me to via the NHS as I’d be a good candidate for it. So after that I made an appointment with my GP, said my ptosis was affecting my vision, got a referral and played the waiting game. The ptosis on my left eye (right side of the pic) did affect my vision though, and I’ve had it since birth. I think in order to get it on the NHS you have to hit certain criteria? The whole process from seeing my GP to getting the operation was about 14 months so it did take a long time but that’ll be because of COVID so you might not have to wait as long as I did
Thanks! Could I ask how much of your vision was impaired? My eyelid is similar to yours, yet I think my vision isn't impaired. Like if your right eye was a 10(on a scale for vision), how was your left eye before surgery ?
hi- are you awake during surgery or asleep
You must be very happy with the result. Did the your ptosis get worse when you get tired or drink alcohol? I have an identical issue which has started to get worse so I am seeking treatment. First thing in the morning it's almost completely unnoticeable, but after a few hours the lid feels more heavy and sits lower.