<p>The person I plan to consult with is an Oculoplastic Surgeon. So that’s a good thing. :)</p>
<p>Thanks for the info, YoHoYoHo.</p>
<p>@bromfield2,
Yes. Frankly, an upper lid blepharoplasty is pretty easy. This is why many other types of specialists do it and can stay out of relative trouble. (Which is why I’m surprised about HarvestMoon’s friends’ scars.) But lower lid bleph is many orders of magnitude harder. So you should definitely see an oculoplastic surgeon for lower lid surgery. Why is it harder? There are many considerations to get the best result (Fat excision vs fat reposition; skin excision or no skin excision. tighten the lower lid or no tighten. Filler instead of excision. Treatment of festoons if any, etc,etc). I was surprised when a poster upthread said that lower bleph is easier than upper bleph in terms of the surgeon’s perspective; maybe it was based on patient recovery time?.<br>
I would revise the order that I would see an MD for lower bleph to be 1. Oculoplastic surgeon, 2. Facial plastic surgeon, 3. Plastic surgeon, 4. Ophthalmologist</p>
<p>@ Consolation,
Perfect! You will be in good hands. If you are having difficulty choosing between a few if your area, you can always PM the names to me and I could give you a recommendation. For upper lids, all will be good, though.</p>
<p>Is an “oculofacial plastic surgeon” the same thing?? This is the person I would use for my under-eye bags. Is this a good bunch of honors??</p>
<p>“Jane Olson MD, Ophthalmic Facial Plastic Surgery. Doctor Olson is board certified and is fellowship trained as an oculofacial plastic surgeon. She is a fellow of the prestigious American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (ASOPRS) with fewer than 500 fellows nationwide. She was awarded 2009 AAO Teaching Award for her contributions to laser surgery.”</p>
<p>Yes, an oculoplastic surgeon and an oculofacial plastic surgeon are the same thing. We have been changing our name over the past 2 years, but I will slip and call it by the old name. Yes, Jane and I are both members of ASOPRS. Jane is great! You will be in good hands with her.</p>
<p>Ooooo, thank you, Yoho. I’m lucky to live in an area with good docs.</p>
<p>I’ve consulted with an oculoplastic surgeon and am getting ready to schedule my surgery. Insurance won’t cover it (we tried). I’m going to do upper and lower, outpatient at the hospital. $4,000 for both. He said he does the upper eyes under local anesthesia because he needs you to be able to open and close your eyes to get the right look. Then they switch to conscious sedation for the lower lids. </p>
<p>I’m a bruiser so I expect to get a lot of bruising, especially under the eyes. He said about 50% of his patients have a lot of bruising and 50% don’t. </p>
<p>I trust this doctor - he does 500+ a year vs. a plastic surgeon who does a variety of surgeries. I also like the fact that he is ophthalmologist. One of the possible side effects of eyelid surgery is dry eyes. He did an eye exam and said my tear film looks good. I want to be able to go back to someone who knows about eyes if I do have problems. Many facial plastic surgeons will just dismiss you because, quite frankly, they aren’t eye doctors.</p>
<p>I also brought in pictures of myself in my 20s. He scanned them in and said he would have them on the computer screen as he does the surgery. IMHO, you really just want to look like you did when you are younger, not create a whole new eye look. </p>
<p>The vast majority of people are happy with lower eyelid surgery but it is trickier. My surgeon said he really doesn’t know if he will remove the fat pad or just reposition it until he gets in there and starts moving it around. </p>
<p>I asked about a brow lift because when I pull the skin up on my forehead, it brings my upper lids up nicely. He said he does them all the time but he didn’t recommend one for me, said I would just end up with a surprised look. I’ve researched this a lot and brow lifts can turn out bad if done on the wrong patients or by the wrong surgeon. I’ve had several people including a dermatologist and a well-known make-up artist in my area tell me that you really want to stay away from brow lifts because once it’s done, you can’t revise it. </p>
<p>My doctor recommended Arnica cream and pills before and after. They prevent bruising. I slept sitting up for few nights. I was very apprehensive beforehand, but it really wasn’t painful. Remember to bring a pair of sunglasses with you to the surgery. I didn’t and I was very scary looking.</p>
<p>MomLive, where are you located? I’m wondering how that price translates to my area.</p>
<p>VeryHappy, in my area that price is slightly on the high end of average. It would be an expected quote. Much cheaper and I might be slightly worried. </p>
<p>So if $4,000 for both upper and lower is the high end of average, what might the cost of just the lower ones be? Not half, I’m sure.</p>
<p>And does that include the cost of the anesthesia and the surgicenter, if one is used? Or is it only the cost of the physician?</p>
<p>Geez, I did both many years ago long before I needed it but as I recall the lowers were an extra 15-hundred if you were already doing the uppers. Of course, it may be more if you are not already in the chair. And, yes it was a chair. No hospital or anesthesia. Just a local. Hope this helps a bit but obviously every case is different. I am very happy. LOL!</p>
<p>Thanks. </p>
<p>VH if you are around NYC area, you wouldn’t be able to do it for $4000. The cost would be all inclusive, so by doing both upper and lower you would be saving on the anesthesia and the facility. </p>
<p>Yeah, but I don’t need the upper. At all. </p>
<p>I was told $2,500 for either upper or lower and additional $1,500 for both. All inclusive-anesthesia, etc. I’m in South Carolina. Price is not a good way to select a surgeon. I’ve noticed on realself dot com that prices can vary significantly by geographic area for all cosmetic surgeries.</p>
<p>It’s best to ask around - friends, your physicians, people who work in the beauty industry (hairstylists, make-up artist), etc. Eyes are pretty easy to get opinions on since lots of women and men who would never consider plastic surgery end up having it done in order to see better. Your eye doctor can probably give you a name.</p>
<p>Thanks, MomLive.</p>
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<p>This is an amazing price.It would only cover the surgeon’s fees in my area.</p>
<p>If insurance isn’t going to cover it you can go anywhere you want to have it done. Perhaps you could visit an old college friend who lives in an area with good prices.</p>
<p>Also, I don’t know what you mean by covering only the surgeon’s fees since cosmetic surgery is typically a flat fee by body part barring something unusual, of course. Well, that’s how it happens here. And, a whole lot of happens here.</p>
<p>Well, in my experience with nonelective surgery, there’s the surgeon’s fee, the anesthesiologist’s fee, and sometimes the surgicenter fee. Since insurance covers those procedures, I don’t care so much, but with cosmetic stuff, I’ll be paying the whole thing, so it’s good to know up front what’s included and what’s not.</p>