1.- How much younger will I see myself ?

Answer: The patient must understand that by means of surgery one will not be able to make a 40 years old face look as if it was 20 years old. Although this may seem obvious, one has the obligation to make it clearly to the patients that the range for results in surgery has its limitations. Especially, when some patients have received information that may mislead them to think that the plastic surgeon can set back the time at will. In the real world this isn’t true.

Actually, what it is true is that after surgery the patient will see himself or herself younger, between 5 and 10 years.

2.- Are there any scars left in the face?

Answer: The whole intention of the surgery is to enhance the facial aspect, taking off some skin excess and to rearrange the flaccid tissues of the face and in this way get rid of some of the facial wrinkles. In order to do this the surgeon has to make incisions that will leave behind scars. This scars although permanent, due to the fact that are placed were they will be not very readily seen may actually disappear with time. Despite this information , many patients will feel anxious and preoccupied in the immediate postoperative period when the scars will be more apparent. Some of the symptoms that the patient may feel in this immediate post surgical period are; itching, ardor, and some lack of sensibility over the areas that are healing but this are normal events that will eventually disappear.

3.- For how long will these results last?

Answer: The surgery for the aging face , facelift, neck lift, eyelid surgery and brow lift, delays the visual aspect of aging, but the pass of time cannot be restrained ,therefore with time, between 5 to 8 years, the aging face will appear again. In some patients , due to their unique skins, that are very delicate , thin and dry, may even need a touch up surgery within the next 18 months after surgery in order to enhance their first results.

4.-What kind of anesthesia is used for this surgery?

Answer: For the eye lid surgery one may use local or general anesthesia . For the mayor procedures as facelift, brow lift and neck lift, I prefer to use general anesthesia.

5.- How much time will I have to stay in the hospital?

Answer: For the eyelid surgery alone , it may be done as an outpatient or ambulatory management. In the case of the total facelift under general anesthesia a 24 hours postoperative or an overnight in the clinic is enough.

6.- Dressings?

Answer: For the facelift surgery a special face bandage is used during the first 24 hours and I leave drains. In the case of the eyelids surgery y only use cold wet gauze over the eyes for the first 3 days.

7.- Is there going to be a lot of pain after surgery?

Answer: Actually no . You will feel a tolerable amount of pain that will be treated by means of standard pain killers that will take care of the postoperative pain that could be qualified as moderate.

8.- When will the sutures be withdrawn?

Answer: The eyelid surgery sutures will be withdrawn 4 or 5 days after surgery, those in the face will be withdrawn between 6 and 8 days after surgery and those behind the ears and in the scalp area between 12 and 15 days after surgery.

9.-When will I be able to use makeup?

Answer: In the fifth day after surgery you should be able to use makeup and from this day on at will.

10.- When will I be able to wash my hair and dye it?

Answer: You will need to wash your hair as soon as 24 hours after surgery and must be dried out with a hair drier in cold. You may dye your hair even the day before surgery, but you must not dye it at least until 3 weeks after the surgery and better still 6 weeks after surgery

11.- Are you going to cut off my hair?

Answer: No there is no need to cut off your hair for this type of surgery as a necessity for surgery.

12.- How is it after surgery?

Answer: Before you may see a final result , you will have to pass through a series of stages that are a constant for this surgery. The swelling , the bruising and the hypersensitivity of certain areas of the face and skin are the common denominator to this surgery. Evidently the intensity of this postoperative reactions will differ from one person to another. With time your body will take care of this minor disturbances that will always will call the attention to strangers. People will always ask; was there any complication? Or Will this disappear?

Its very clear that any doubt from your part must be discussed with your surgeon to understand the situation. It is also normal to expect a small amount of depression and anxiety, for the desire to see the results as soon as possible. Please be patient, you may be able to resume your normal life in a period of 3 weeks, but you will not be able to appreciate the final results before a 3 months postoperative period of time.

There are a number of factors at lid level that will cause changes. Items such as age, the type of skin, visual problems are the most common causes to consider in the aging changes of the eyelids. Your surgeon will take this and many other factors in account before designing the most adequate type of surgery for your problem. Some of the anomalies wont be subject to correction even with surgery (chronic edema , or the pigmented circles under the eyes) Sometimes there will be systemic disease whose effects will be corrected by surgery, but the final result will be satisfactory in the measure that the systemic disease is successfully treated, otherwise the defect will recur early. Eyelid surgery may repair problems of skin, and fat excess and muscular tension at lid level and its surrounding area.

Answer: In eyelid surgery one may say that there is not an ideal age but an ideal moment. This ideal moment will be determined by the onset of the particular defect that you want to be corrected and this may happen at any given age.

Answer: As the eyelid skin is so thin and delicate, the scar will be hidden in the eyelid crease. Nevertheless for this to happen you must wait a period of time , to allow the scar to mature, this will happen in more o less 3 months. Meanwhile the use of a soft type of makeup will be enough to hide the scars.

A local anesthesia with sedation is the preferred type used , but if the patient feels uncomfortable or has a special sensibility general anesthesia may be used as well, also when eyelid surgery is done as a complement to other surgeries .

Answer: There will be a mild pain that is always successfully treated by means of common pain killers.

Answer: The swelling will always be present, but the amount of swelling varies from patient to patient. Some people will have a natural appearance as soon as 4 days after surgery. Some others won’t have this result until 10 days after surgery. The use of cold and wet gauzes for the first 3 days after surgery will help to ameliorate the swelling and the permanent use of dark glasses will give comfort during this time.

Answer: For eyelid surgery alone you don’t have to stay at the clinic , it may be done as an outpatient treatment.

Answer: Depending of the defect between one and 2 hours.

Answer: After the first 10 days when the swelling has subsided , you may appreciate 80% of the final result. The final aspect will be reached after 3 months .

Answer: No you will be encouraged to use, during the first 3 days, cold wet gauzes for a few minutes several times a day to help in reducing the edema .

The eyelid surgery practiced alone , will not rejuvenate the whole face . Even with the most sophisticated technique the lines of expression will not disappear and they will always be noticed after surgery.

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