My Eyelid Surgery with Brow Lift From Start to Finish. Part Two: the Procedure

This is a 3-part series written by NuBody patient Eva G about her eyelid surgery with brow lift performed in November 2021 by Dr. John Rosdeutscher at the NuBody Concepts Nashville practice on Old Hickory Blvd. We invite you to follow her experience all the way from consultation to procedure and recovery. If you have any questions about a blepharoplasty or any cosmetic procedure, please contact us und let us know how we can help!

Today’s installment is Part Two: The Procedure. Link to previous post: Part One: The Consultation.

By NuBody Concepts Nashville patient Eva G.

As the date for my eyelid surgery approached, I started to get a bit nervous. Not about the anesthesia, mind you. I had had the first ever anesthesia for my colonoscopy at age 50 and discovered that I absolutely loved it. I may be the exception, and it may be different for you. I simply felt like I had the best sleep in years and was actually annoyed when they woke me up so soon.

I figured this time I would get 2-3 times as much sleep, and I was all for it!

What to Know About Eyelid Surgery Procedure

The Days Before my Eyelid Surgery

I also didn’t mind any potential pain. I knew the procedure itself would be painless, and I was confident I could handle any pain afterwards. Perhaps that’s the female advantage: if you’ve given birth, pain doesn’t really deter you from a beautiful outcome! Plus I figured any pain would be temporary, and that they’d give me enough painkillers to keep me comfortable.

What I was nervous about was the idea of maybe somehow having made a mistake. That this was not a good idea, that the results would perhaps not be as good as I imagined, or that if they were going to be good, they’d look unnatural on me.

I kept telling myself that sometimes there are risks you have to take to get the reward, but still I felt jittery the closer I got to the date.

Arrival at the Cosmetic Surgery Clinic

A friend took me to the NuBody clinic at 7 am on procedure day. The nurses arrived at the same time I did, and we all entered the building together, chit-chatting the entire way. Already my tension dissipated. This was it! I allowed myself to get a tiny bit excited again. At least the waiting was over.

Amanda and Keely couldn’t have been any nicer. I mentioned my propensity to bruise easily, which they attributed to likely low iron levels. Amanda said they had just started adding a supplement to the IV fluid that had already shown great results in terms of less bruising for facelift patients. Yay! We then talked about Lululemon leggings and their propensity to pill easily, and I gave my much-repeated tip of using a sweater shaver to remove the lint in oh-so-gratifying back and forth swoops over the fabric that give a series of satisfying clickety-clacks as the lint is sucked into the compartment on the handle. (Seriously, everyone should own and regularly use a sweater shaver – it’s like therapy!).

Meeting the Anesthesiologist

And just like that, my surgical history and weight were noted, my blood pressure and oxygen levels taken, and the before pictures snapped. I resisted the urge to lift my eyebrows like I had done for the passport pictures. I suppose this is a habit of mine that might take a while to break.

Stuart, the anesthesiologist, came into the pre-op room next to go over what he’d do. Again, he explained everything calmly and gave me time to ask questions, though I didn’t have many. As I said before, this was the part I was really looking forward to. He assured me he’d be there the entire time and make sure I could ask for more IV sedation if I needed it. Apparently not all patients are entirely put under and prefer to be in what’s called twilight anesthesia. As It happened, I was completely out. But more on that later.

And Finally, The Surgery

After Stuart left, Dr. Rosdeutscher came to greet me. His cheerfulness this early in the morning was so infectious I found myself smiling and laughing out loud. If any remnants of anxiety were still present at this point, they were now wiped out completely. I was ready to go, and so was the staff.

I was led to the operating suite, encouraged to remove my shoes if I wanted to, and then climbed onto the chair. And then… And then, I was suddenly in pure heaven before the IV was even placed in my hand. Because a heated blanket was lowered onto me that felt so deliciously warm and cozy, yet incredibly light, that I wouldn’t have minded going onto a 25-hour flight to Australia just to be able to stay under that cloud of pleasure.

I’m sorry that I can’t report anything about the rest of the procedure, but such is the nature of IV sedation. One minute you feel a cool sensation going up your arm, and the next you are told that you may now sit up and have a sip of water if you like, and that it’s all done and finished. Entirely too soon, in my opinion. After raising four children, even though they’re all grown now, a good deep sleep like that often eludes me.

After the Surgery

The rest of the day passed in a bit of a blur. The same friend who had brought me and had waited for me in the lounge now drove me back to the house. You won’t be allowed to drive home yourself, and the “responsible adult” of your choosing has to sign a paper to acknowledge they will take care of you the rest of the day. Mostly, this just involves driving you home.

I slept off the rest of the sedation in a very pleasant drifting in-and-out kind of way. In the next installment of this series, you will learn about my recovery with day by day reports.

A quick note about the Alastin skincare range that was recommended for my recovery. As advised by Diane, the aesthetician, I used their skin nectar for the month leading up to the surgery and must say I loved how it made my skin feel.

The recovery balm pictured in the tube below is a must for any scar treatment. Biocorneum Advanced Scar Treatment by Sientra is another great option, which includes a 30 SPF sunscreen. However, you’re well advised to avoid the sun altogether for a good while after your surgery. If you must go outside, wear a hat. For sunscreen, your best option is one that includes Zinc oxide, which yields by far the best protection against any discolorations of your scar tissue.