A rough estimate:
We do our best to ensure that your experience is as pain-free as possible. All surgeries are performed under local sedation. That means you will not be unconscious with a tube inserted into your throat. Dr. Higa will also inject local anesthesia into the area being operated. Following surgery, pain is controlled using ice packs and acetominophen. Post-operative pain of the lids is minimal since surgery cuts through the sensory nerves leaving the skin numb for around 2 months. By that time, the lids have long since healed. Brow and facelift surgeries have mild discomfort which eases by one week, if not sooner.
Insurance companies will only cover the procedure if there is a "functional" impairment of activities of daily living (ADL), such as difficulty reading or driving. Dr. Higa will evaluate you during consultation to determine if your case would be covered by insurance. Also, keep in mind that insurance often covers 80% of the procedure. You may be responsible for the remainder.
Insurance eyelid surgery covers "functional" impairment since a person is unable to perform necessary daily activities without having surgery. On the other hand, cosmetic eyelid surgery is performed because a patient is unhappy with his/her appearance. They are able to perform ADL without problem. The surgery is performed in exactly the same way otherwise. There are no "cutting corners" just because a surgery is paid by insurance. The only difference here is who pays - the insurance company or the patient.
A few rules:
The length of time it takes to recuperate after plastic surgery varies depending on the procedure performed and the person operated on. Most patients will require assistance for the first two days. Then most patients are able to care for themselves, but may still need assistance if they have small children to care for. The specific lengths of disability are outlined below by procedure. These are approximations, and do not include return to exercise.