Having work done can mean a whole new lease of life
Cosmetic procedures can enhance and transform — and Andrea Smith met three women who were thrilled with the results
Peggy Stringer Age: 60, mum-of-four and owner of Monkstown Laser Skin Clinic Procedures: PRP, Botox, filler, blepharoplasty
IWANTED to get my eyes done because I had a lot of loose skin on the top of my eyes and my eyelids were hanging down. It wasn’t affecting my eyesight, but it was very ageing and wasn’t attractive. The eyes light up your face, so I decided to have a procedure called a blepharoplasty, where they remove excess skin and fat from the eyelids.
I went to Paris three years ago to have it done by Doctor Armand Halabi at Chirurgien Esthetique in Paris. I chose him because I worked with him a few years ago as part of my training, and he’s an amazing young surgeon.
I’ve had PRP (platelet-rich plasma), aka the ‘vampire facial’, a little bit of filler and a little bit of Botox. Our motto in my clinic is to have your skin look the best it can for the age you are. It’s not about looking ten years younger,
I’ve basically had anything we do in the clinic, but this was my first time having a cosmetic procedure that was invasive. It was a simple one though, and I had it done under local anaesthetic.
Dr Halabi injected anaesthetic into the top eyelid, drew lines above and below the areas where the excess skin was, and literally cut it out and sewed it up. They do the procedure on the natural line of your eye so it isn’t noticeable. It only took an hour, and there was no pain whatsoever.
The doctor put me on painkillers for a few days afterwards, but I didn’t need them, I just took Panadol that evening and the next day, and that was it. I had it done on Friday evening, and went shopping in Paris on Saturday afternoon and out for dinner that night. I flew back on Sunday and went to work on Monday.
I only had the top lids done — there is a lot more downtime with the lower lids and you also have to be sedated for that. The treatment costs €2,000 for the upper eyelids using local anaesthetic, but having the top and bottom lids done together is €3,000. It costs €300 if you want to stay in the clinic overnight.
There was lots of bruising afterwards, which lasted for about a week, and the swelling lasted for about four days. I had to take great care cleansing the area, because the hygiene of the eye afterwards is important. I had the stitches taken out over here on day five. I think it took about a month before the line was invisible.
Having my eyes done has made a big difference to my appearance. People said I looked well, but they didn’t know what I had done until I told them. The results are still amazing. I can put on eyeshadow without having to lift my eyelids. I’m delighted I had it done and would highly recommend the procedure.
‘People said I looked well, but they didn’t know what I had done until I told them...’