Surgery #26 is a success!

Nikki's surgery went as planned on March 11th. The only snag was being called in early due to a cancellation, but then having to wait until the originally scheduled time anyway. It made for a long day, being at the hospital from 9am to 8pm. The results of the surgery were worth it, though.

As planned, the Dr. Michael Miller used liposuction to remove fatty tissue from Nikki's abdomen, and then delicately inserted it around her right eye. This eye socket has been sunken since her accident, over ten years ago. It looks like two small incisions were made to insert the tissue into the socket... hard to tell, because they're so thin & small. Next, the surgeon removed a small strip of follicle-laden skin from the back of Nikki's head. Then, using a magnifying apparatus, he proceeded to remove individual follicles from the strip of skin, and implanted them one by one into her forehead, shaping an eyebrow. This was the longest part of the entire procedure, requiring a steady hand and keen eye. Altogether, she was in surgery 4-1/2 hours.

Nikki came through this surgery very easily, with little pain and no nausea. Her face looks great... filling in the eye socket made a huge difference in her facial structure. The eyebrow will take some time to develop. Right now, she has black marker still outlining the the shape of the eyebrow. Plus, as the follicles "take root", their current hairs will actually fall out, before starting to grow again. Dr. Miller says that some will definitely fail, but most should take. Nikki should be returning to work in a few days.

Dr. Miller also identified the next area that he wants to work on- Nikki's right eyelid. This lid was mostly destroyed in the accident, doing it's job and protecting the eye. Some limited reconstruction was done during her initial treatments, but more is needed. The doctor says that her eyelid is too small, not covering the eye properly. To rectify this, he wants to take tissue from her left eyelid & use it to build up the right eyelid. Delicate work, but not too difficult. This will better protect the eye, and also improve appearance. Nikki's all for it.

That's it for now. Stay tuned for updates.,