Karen’s Blepharoplasty

A tale of two sisters

It is a fact that no face is perfectly symmetrical. Eyes, ears, brows, nostrils—similar, but never identical. Karen, who is 43 had a unique circumstance. While the eye area tends to be the first area to develop subtle signs of aging, only her right eye was affected. “For whatever reason, my right eye had noticeably more extra skin than my left. And as I aged, it drooped more. My eyes didn’t look the same, and makeup seemed to accentuate the difference.”

An upper eyelid lift is called a Blepharoplasty. It’s one of the most common cosmetic surgery procedures but requires attention to technique because removing too much skin or fat can change the shape of the eye. Karen decided to get two opinions before committing to surgery. “I live in Louisiana, so I met with a local surgeon who seemed knowledgeable and had a good reputation. Dr. Lee used to be in Louisiana but had opened a practice in Dallas. I decided to get his opinion too.” Karen describes his consultation style as “caring, thoughtful and personal.” She liked the time Dr. Lee spent with her. “I had so many questions and was a bit embarrassed taking so much time. After all, it was one eye. But he never made me feel rushed or that this procedure was insignificant to him.” Ultimately, Karen scheduled surgery with Dr. Lee. “I saw the quality of the work he did with facelifts and he’s truly an expert, so I knew I could trust him.”

Surgery was July 2017. Because Karen had only excess skin and no fat removal, Dr. Lee chose local sedation. Karen describes her recovery as “very easy”. Minor bruising dissipated over a couple days and stitches were removed day 5. “I had no pain at all and only took the antibiotics prescribed to sidestep any potential infection.”

She’s thrilled with the results. “Honestly I would stare at my reflection to see if I could see the difference between my eyes. I literally can’t tell. Dr. Lee did such a phenomenal job in creating the perfect match. I can wear eyeshadow again without it looking weird.” Looking back Karen advises others to do their due diligence when choosing a surgeon. “There’s no such thing as a “small” procedure, so when you find someone you trust—go for it. It’s so worthwhile.”

The sister weighs in…

Kristy is Karen’s sister. At 45 years old Kristy was getting self-conscious about how she looked–particularly in pictures. “It was a gradual thing, but my upper lids were pushing down on my lashes. That began to bother me more and more.” The tipping point was Karen’s result, convincing Kristy it was her turn “to look better in general.” Kristy, who knows other plastic surgeons couldn’t believe the “perfect match” Karen had gotten and decided to consult with Dr. Lee. “He has a great bedside manner. So easy going. He did a beautiful nose job on one of my friends. So, between my sister and my friend, I knew the level of expertise I could expect.”

Kristy booked her surgery. Prior to the procedure, she felt completely prepared. “The staff is great. Megan kept in touch with me, calling me several times and reminding me what to do. She gave me everything I would need prior to my surgery day and I had no surprises.” Kristy was particularly concerned about downtime. As a realtor, time is money and image is key. “My surgery was on Friday and I was back to work with some concealer on Monday. There was only a little bruising.” Less than a week later her stitches were removed.

Kristy sent Dr. Lee a thank you card. “I joked with him that every time I look at my results, the song ‘Turn Around Bright Eyes’ comes into my head. It’s that much of a difference. You just don’t realize such a small procedure can bring about such a dramatic change. No more fake lashes. No longer camera shy. But most importantly, no regrets.”