There's always been a certain taboo around plastic surgery in the U.S., but in South Korea, there's one particular surgery that is almost expected of every teen, celebrity, or participant of Miss Korea's beauty pageant: blepharoplasty. Granted, the name is a bit of a mouthful, but the surgery's concept is actually pretty simple - double eyelid surgery.
There is, however, a great deal of controversy over the "correction." Many claim that the surgery simply creates a more "white" appearance, and I must admit that I felt the same way. Despite explaining this to my mother, she insisted that I at least visit one or two hospitals during our month-long vacation in Korea and keep an open mind.
My first appointment was in Gangnam, a popular city with towering glass buildings and busy brand name stores. I was, in truth, more than a little wary of the fact that my destination was not in an actual hospital, but a building reminiscent of an apartment complex. The inner workings of the building, however, more closely resembled a hospital, complete with doctors and nurses in full surgical attire, and I was able to relax (if only a little).
The wait for my appointment lasted longer than I would have liked, as my doctor was in an extensive surgery, but my actual appointment was a bit short. He spoke little English, and I little Korean, but nonetheless, we managed to hold a conversation. After examining my eyelids, he explained that my eye muscles were weak, and I was therefore using my forehead to really open my eyes. He claimed that this created a "sleepy-eye effect", and that with the surgery, I could avoid forehead wrinkles (I know, how horrifying), and I would look prettier (I had no response to this). He suggested a surgery that would "edit" the front, center, and end of my eyelids, and at that moment, my conscience suffered from extreme and utter turmoil. Exactly how different would I look?
My fears were obviously plastered on my face, and my mother proposed we get a second opinion, to which I vigorously agreed. This was, after all, a huge change.
The second appointment was in Seoul, and my new doctor agreed that my eye muscles were indeed weak (how have I gone my entire life not knowing this?). However, he did disagree with my prior doctor's assessment of the extent to "fix" my eyes. He said there was no need to perform on the entire lid, and he planned to use a less invasive method. He explained how he would conduct the surgery, how I would look afterwards, and assured me that I had no need to worry. I was taken in for pictures of my eyes, and then given a pamphlet detailing after-care.
On the day of the surgery, I was taken into a tiny room where I was allowed to change shirts and shoes and lock my clothes in for safe-keeping. The nurse then led me into the surgical room, where the doctor looked over my eyes once more, asked me for my opinion, reassured me, and then set me on the operating table. Nurses bustled in, and within a couple of minutes, I was ready to go.
The surgery was a little terrifying, since it was a half-awake, half-asleep surgery. After a brief psychedelic experience including gospel-singing dogs (I'm telling you, that anesthesia was weird), I woke to the doctor occasionally asking me to open and close my eyes. I remember feeling a little nauseous, and I would feel a slight pinching from the stitches, but it wasn't anything too overwhelming.
The recovery period was actually pretty short. The doctor said that I wouldn't be fully 100 percent recovered until after about six months, but by the end of two, no one would be able to really tell if I wore make-up. I suffered a good deal of bruising for about a week, and it was hard to tell what I really looked like until a few weeks later. I was surprised to find that to me, there wasn't much difference, other than the fact that I had lids. Aside from the double lids, the surgery is supposed to widen the eyes, but, to me, my eye size seemed pretty similar to before.
Now that I'm home (it's been about a month), I've had time to reflect. Upon my return, my friends hardly noticed the change, especially since I wore make-up. They agreed with me in that there wasn't much difference except for the addition of lids. Strangers aren't even aware of the fact that I've had surgery, which is nice, I'll admit. Would I do it again? From what I've heard, this surgery isn't permanent. In about ten years, they'll begin returning to what they looked like before. To me, it doesn't really seem worth it. Typical blepharoplasty surgeries cost somewhere in the thousands, and who cares about forehead wrinkles, really? It's just not worth the time, money, or trouble to "fix" myself. I was content where I was, I am content where I am, and I'll be content in ten years, too, without the surgery.
