Eyelid Q&A: How I Went from Monolids to Double Lids

Hi!! It's Remi here!

I'm gonna get really vulnerable with you in this post. For a long time, I struggled with being super insecure about my hooded eyelids. Not only was it hard to see unless I opened my eyes wide, but they made me look sleepy all the time, and it was difficult to wear eye makeup. I started wearing eyelid tape every day to give me double lids, but whenever I went to photoshoots or went swimming, I struggled with feeling insecure.

Four years ago, I decided to do something about it. In this post, I will walk through all of the questions that you guys had for me on my eyelid procedure and give you honest answers about how everything went! 

If you're like me and have monolids, I hope this post gives you the courage you need to seek treatment if that's something you want! And even if you don't have monolids, we all struggle with body insecurities of some kind — my hope is that my answers encourage you to face your own insecurities and work through them, too! 

What Did Your Eyelids Look Like Before Treatment? 

Like I said above, I didn't have any lid whatsoever. My eyelid flopped over my eyelashes, and I legit had to open my eyes big to see better. Wearing mascara and eyeliner was always a pain because I had to compensate for the monolid by putting two centimeters + of eyeliner on for it to even show. So long story short, it was a daily STRUGGLE.

Did You Use Eyelid Tape?

Oh yeah...LOTS of it. My mom told me about tape because it's something she did to train her monolid to become a double lid. I wore tape for about eight years every single day and just used regular scotch tape.

All I did was cut off one inch of tape in a half-moon shape and give it rounded edges. I'd put the piece of tape right above my lash line, and it would magically give me a lid. I did this every single day, and I wouldn't leave the house without it. 

Here's the thing though: My eyelids didn't become double lids like my mom's. And even though the tape wasn't noticeable, I had to worry about my tape whenever I went to the beach, swam or did shoots. It would always be in the back of my mind. I literally had nightmares about losing my tape or not being able to get it on before I went somewhere. arrgg.

So while tape is a solution for some people, it didn't work for me. I knew that in order to get past this, I had to do something different.

When and Where Did You Get Your Procedure Done? 

In 2016, I went to Japan with my mom, and I actually had no plans to get a procedure done at all. While I was there, I talked to one of my cousins who had a procedure to change her monolid into a double lid. 

There's a plastic surgeon in Japan who's very, very famous for doing these procedures, and you don't even have to go under the knife! The practice is called Otsuka Cosmetic and Plastic Surgery, and they have clinics nationwide in Japan. The whole thing took about ten minutes for my cousin and was non-invasive, so I was interested in having a consultation myself! 

What Was the Consultation Like and Which Procedure Did You Choose? 

I kept talking to my mom about it and convinced her to come with me to the consultation. I could not stop thinking about it, I knew that it was something I really wanted to have done. I wanted a more permanent and convenient fix. 

During the consultation, the doctor had this really thin metal wire that was shaped like a dome, and he put that on my lid. With it, he was able to create different shapes and ask me which one I preferred.

Once we decided on the shape, he laid out all the different procedure methods, which all have different levels of intensity. If you have a lot of fat on your eyelid, you usually have to go a more intrusive route to create the double lid, but if you don't, they can create a double lid by a simple stitching procedure without going under the knife.

During my consultation, I decided that the  Forever Brilliant Burial Method was perfect for me. What they do is take the underside of the eyelid and stitch it to the muscle behind to create that crease. That’s how a natural double lid works! All they do is just mimic that with some stitching. The thread is very, very thin, and it's the same stitching that heart surgeons use. 

You can choose to have more connections to the muscle or just a few, depending on how strong your monolid is and the result you want to achieve. I wanted my eyelids to look natural, but still stay intact for a long time, so I went with three! And if for some weird reason, the threading were to come undone, they have a five-year guarantee after the procedure and will fix it for free. The Forever Brilliant Method offers a more permanent option, which was exactly what I wanted.

After the consultation, I was 100% ready to have the procedure done. My mom convinced me to think about it a bit, but the minute I left the office, I decided to go back and do it. It was a no-brainer. 

How Long Did the Procedure Take and What Was the Recovery Like? 

I was in and out of the office within 30 minutes, which is INSANE. The craziest part of the procedure was when they flipped the eyelid and gave me the anesthesia. I could literally see the needle going towards my eyeball, but I didn't feel a thing. All I felt was a little pressure, but no sharp pain or anything like that. After making some stitches, the surgeon director, Dr. Hidenori Ishii, asked me how I liked the shape, and I loved it. And that was it! Super painless, super easy. 

As soon as it was done, my eyelids were a bit swollen — there wasn't any bruising or anything though. I iced my eyes for about two days after the procedure, and that helped a lot. They were swollen for about three or four days, and after a week, the swelling had gone down significantly. I could put on makeup at that point and be normal. After three weeks, the swelling was still there but barely noticeable. So overall, the recovery time wasn't super long, and I could go do things as usual.

Do You Have Any Regrets? 

NOPE. just- why didn't I do this sooner? I no longer have to spend my mornings cutting tape or feel self-conscious while I'm out swimming. I can put on minimal makeup now, instead of caking my lid with eyeliner. I can also do more things with my eye makeup, like create an elongated cat eye, and my eyelashes show more. There's also NO scar whatsoever.

I'm so so happy with how it turned out, and I have absolutely ZERO regrets. And another great thing about the suture method is that if you don't like it, you can take out the stitching and go back to having a monolid. And if you do like it, you have a five-year guarantee. It may last up to ten years, it may last forever, but so far, I don't see any loose ends or feel like it's going to come out any time soon! 

And even if it does, I'll just go back and get it redone. I could even change the shape if I wanted to! The options are endless. 

How Much Did It Cost? 

It costs $1,500 to get the Forever Brilliant procedure, which involves a three-point connection. And like I said above, they offer a five-year guarantee after the procedure. So if it were to come out, then I could get it fixed for free. If you wanted something a little more permanent, you could get the premium version of Forever Brilliant, which includes a four-point connection, but I wanted something natural, and so the three-point connection was perfect! 

Do You Have Any Side Effects? 

The one thing I will mention is that because I wear contacts, I don't feel the medical-grade threads on my eyes. Now sometimes, when I take my contacts out before bed, I can feel some of the threads. It feels kind of like grime behind the eyelid, which sounds really overdramatic, but it's not a big deal for me. 

It's something that I notice and do feel from time to time, but does it make me change my mind? Not at all. The pros outweigh the cons SO MUCH in this. And because I wear contacts for most of the day, I usually don't feel it at all! 

Some Last Thoughts on My Double Lid Procedure 

So that's pretty much it! Thank you all so much for sending in your questions, and I hope this post sheds some light on the whole process! 

I didn't document the stages or anything because I didn’t have plans to share at the time, but if you want to learn more, definitely check out Otsuka Cosmetic and Plastic Surgery's website to learn more about the procedures and services they offer. You can also watch my video going through all your questions and showing you my eyelids to get a good picture of what I mean! 

If you're considering eyelid surgery, know that it doesn't have to be invasive (if you are the right candidate for it). It can be as simple as a 30-minute procedure! The best part is, it's not permanent if you don't want it to be. You can change it at ANY time! 

But for me, I'm loving it. I have no intention to change it back, and it's made my life so much easier. No more stress and no more panicked mornings with tape - It was a very good decision for me!

I hope this post was helpful, guys! Have a great day!