Day 45

Doesn't it finally look un-swollen now??!!

I am so happy and relieved!!!

But anyways, this was taken at night. I find that the crease is the lowest at night. And the most puffy in the morning.

I wonder if this is the final height? I hope so!

Day 37 (Video)

Omg, a video! 

Just to show my eyelid in motion, in case anyone was curious.

By the way, I have also started work at a new place this week. So far so good, nobody has pointed out anything wrong with my eyes. I don't think my eyes look weird anyway.

And tomorrow, I'm meeting some close long-term friends (males) who I haven't seen in almost 6 months so I'm curious if they will mention anything too. I may also try to put eye make-up for the very first time since the surgery.

Day 34 (1 month review)

Since I'm posting about my review, I might as well share a photo update from today too.

I went for my 1-month review today. Dr Tay said that my scar is healing very well at this 1-month stage, and no need for any scar cream.

(My scar is skin-coloured, and not as dark as the picture shows)

I'd owe thanks to the Vitamin C and collagen supplements I have been consuming religiously :)

However, my scar is still sensitive to me. He used a cotton swab to stroke over the scar and I felt a bit of pain. This is because I have barely been touching my scar and have not desensitized it. Even when I cleanse my face, I don't EVER rub my eyelids. I will only splash water or pat it gently to cleanse it. And it's a bit disgusting to say, but I have had stuff (dead skin?) stuck inside my eyelids... Yes, my eyelid is THAT deep that stuff can get hidden inside!!! So after finding that out, I decided to wipe my eyelids once a day with a wet cotton pad. I only started doing that recently, hehe.

Dr Tay noticed the dead skin and scabbing on my eyelids and used a tweezer to pluck them off. Haha! Then he measured my crease again and said it's exactly 8mm in height. 

I expressed my concern that a lot of skin/fat above my eyelid is hanging above the crease and the eyelid below the crease is still fat. He told me it's nothing to worry and I should see the final results in 2-3 months time. I have another review with him in 1 months time. I'm pretty surprised that he'd still take the time to see me every month despite his crazy schedule. I thought he will see me for today only and tell me good bye and call if any problems. Plus, all these reviews are free. (I know of skincare doctors who charge for reviews!!!)

Anyway, I still feel a tiny bit worried that the sausage lids will not go down. I mean, different skin-type will heal differently so who can really predict the exact outcome? I started becoming so worried because my friends told me of others who did the incision method and looked natural after 1 month only.

And I start to think back to all the things I did and didn't do. After removing my stitches, I thought that I didn't need to be so worried anymore and resumed my usual eating habits (including salty food) plus didn't sleep with my head elevated. I especially stopped eating pineapples because I got the worst ever ulcers. And pineapples are known to be great for deswelling. So I strongly feel that all these contributed to my slow de-swelling!!!

In the meantime, I will update sparingly (weekly or fortnightly) since there're barely any changes since 2 weeks back :( Comment if you have questions! Or suggestions! Or experience!

Day 31

I am not sure if my eyes are still swollen even though it looks like it. The crease is still very high and the lid is sausage-like. I am not sure if the crease is going down either.

I am a little worried because people who know me have pointed out that I still look swollen even though I feel I look pretty normal (if you were seeing me for the first time). Sigh...

I am going in for my review on 4 May 2015. I shall check with Dr Tay then.

Day 21

Who will notice?

Sorry, no pics in this post. But read on if you're interested anyway :)

I think the common obstacles most people face pre-surgery are:

1. No money
2. No time
3. Fear of what others will think (which may result in not being able to return to work or school)
4. A combination/All of the above

I have experience with some of the above and I have managed to avoid some of the above too. Let me elaborate.

I was determined to have the surgery done when I was 20 years old. I took up a job during my holidays and managed to save up enough for a cheap procedure in Thailand. Unfortunately, I did not have the time. I had 1 big window open before university began for me but that window also happened to be a huge festive season (Dec-Jan) where the plastic surgeon I wanted was away.

Finally, I graduated and started working so it was also time to build my career. I had the income but I didn't have the time. To rest well for the surgery, I needed about 2 weeks to a month to look presentable again. I am the wallflower-type and I hate when the spotlight is on me so I didn't want to deal with 'Hey! What happened to your eyes?' in the office. My next plan was to have enough saved when I was ready to quit my job so that I can get the surgery done before I start my next job.

But during the 3 years that I was working, I was so happy making money that I was also happy spending on other stuff too :p

I will be honest and say that it took me a really long time to save enough (for the surgery and emergency expenses). And days have gone by where I really question myself, why did I wait till I was 25? Why was I not diligent enough in saving money?

So if you are in the same position as my 20 year old self, please, please, save up!!! And get it done quickly! (Unless your parents are paying then good for you!)

Okay, back to my title. Who will notice?

Since my swelling has gone down considerably and I no longer feel like a fish-eyed freak, I decided to bravely attend a family+relatives gathering without hiding behind my spectacles.

Since my surgery, the only people who have seen me are my immediate family members and my boyfriend. 

I was very anxious to see who will notice but at the same time hoped that no one would (wow, who was I trying to kid...)

At the gathering of about 10 adults (the rest were babies, toddlers, kids, so they don't count!), 2 of my aunts noticed. The first one mentioned it RIGHT AWAY when she greeted me. The second one only mentioned it about half an hour later despite talking to me face-to-face plenty of times.

I was also amused that they knew it was plastic surgery right away. They didn't think I was using glue or tape or just had swollen eyes that day. It must've been pretty drastic huh?

I also felt a bit disappointed that none of them mentioned it was pretty. But then again, I don't think family are supposed to say 'Hey, you finally changed your eyes. Now you look SO much better'.

I guess I would feel better if they said 'The doctor did a really good job.'

But well, all I got was a 'TSK, you are SO VAIN'.

So, I guess it's safe to say, if your eyes were/are anything like mine... people will notice.

:( 

Day 15

After removing the stitches, I only used the ice pack once or twice. I also stopped applying the ointment 1 week after removing the stitches, as instructed by Dr Andrew Tay.

I just realised the bruising is mostly gone too!

Personally, I feel that my eyelids are still on the high side. Seems unnatural to me. But I don't know what a stranger who's seen me for the first time might think.

Despite choosing parallel lids, they seem to still be tapered. I don't really mind because at least it looks good, and it's possibly still swollen so the final results cannot be seen yet.

Some days, I look in the mirror and think to myself, this is not how I'm supposed to look like. Some days, I miss my monolids (WITH eyeliner, I could never stand them bare). It's not exactly the fault of my double eyelids but more that I am questioning my other facial features. I am now starting to find fault with other areas of my face, and feeling disappointed that after 1 surgery, I am still not the 'pretty' I wanted to be.

But, I am satisfied that I can leave my house, and to crowded spaces with NO eye make-up at all and feel that I look good enough :) This is a first for me. Back when I had monolids, and went out bare, I'd cringe when I caught sight of myself in a mirror.

I do feel prettier, I do believe I am prettier post-surgery. But just not pretty enough (in terms of my other features, I need sharper nose bridge, my eyes should be closer together, my face should be smaller, my complexion is horrible, etc).

I have STILL yet to apply make-up on my eye nor touch my eyelid with my bare fingers. I still feel squeamish. I don't know how some girls manage to do it after 2 weeks!

Oh yes, one more brilliant thing I adore post-surgery is how my eyelashes are sticking outwards!!! (They use to point straight downwards) I hope that this is not a side effect of still-swollen lids and I hope they permanently stay this way. I am dying to apply mascara and curl them upwards but as I'm still afraid of touching my lids, I do not want to deal with having to scrub the mascara off my eyelids.