Joao Nunes da Costa - Plastic Surgeon in Lisbon, Portugal Reviews from Real Patients

Elena

I want to share my impressions of the upper eyelid blepharoplasty performed by Dr. Joao Nunes da Costa on 10.2.22.
I found his page on the Internet. Plastic surgeon, with experience, positive reviews. At the first appointment, he made a positive impression, calm, attentive. I received the price by email and on February 10, by 2 pm, I arrived for the operation to St.Louis Hospital in Lisboa.
I could not imagine that such clinics still exist. It feels like I went back in time, 50 years ago. I was taken into the operating room dressed. The doctor literally took me to the toilet and in the toilet applied a pen on the eyelids to remove excess skin. Everything happened quickly and chaotically. In the toilet, I paid for the operation. A man was sitting in the locker room, I had to change clothes right in front of him. The operations block looked like a train station. There were people in outerwear, talking loudly on the phone.
In the operating room opposite the locker room, a man was lying on the operating table, the doors were open, a backpack was lying under the table. I was taken to the operating room on the left.
During the operation, the door was open, some people constantly came in and out, rummaged through the cabinets, the floor was not stable and vibrated when walking. I was very worried that during the vibration of the floor I would not be cut or sewn correctly. I'm not talking about the fact that I was worried about sterility. I experienced great fear when the operating lamp turned off, and the doctor continued his work and something strongly lay down on my left eyelid. I think the operation lasted about 40 minutes The doctor himself said that he was satisfied with his work. And I went home.
I was pleasantly surprised when a message from the doctor came through in the evening, he asked how I felt. I did not have severe swelling, bruising, pain.

The sutures were removed after 6 days. I experienced a state of shock. I saw a mass of hanging skin of the upper eyelids. The left eye was half the size of the right. The left eye was swollen, half the size of the right one, and it felt like some muscle had been cut in me and the upper part above the left eye was not moving from the side or was paralyzed. The doctor, already dissatisfied that I was taking so much time, assured me that everything would pass.
I tried to reassure myself that the doctor was satisfied with his work, I was with a professional and you just need to be a little patient. As the swelling decreased, the extra skin on the upper eyelids sagged more and more. But the left eye did not increase and severe discomfort around the left eye continued to bother me.
I sent a photo to the doctor, he reacted to my messages, but it was felt that I made him nervous. On March 4, I went to see him. He said that he sees a LITTLE excess skin, and a LITTLE asymmetry, but I had it before, and the seam is LITTLE uneven. He later confirmed that I had developed ptosis, and now I need to correct the ptosis in addition to the revision blepharoplasty. And this is much more painful and, according to him, in his practice, 2 times the elimination of ptosis did not work out the first time. Therefore, you need to be ready for the 3rd operation.
He will perform a new operation for free, only I will have to pay about 50 euros for
a public hospital, of course, in addition to all new expenses, you need to count the PCR test and all my visits from the Algarve to Lisbon.
During the conversation, he did not consider it necessary to simply apologize for the mistake, made it clear that I only create stress. He said he would do another operation!

I was not ready to make a correction with him and offered to return my money.
In order to get the money back, he forced me to sign papers in which he practically relieves himself of all the consequences of the operation.
Result:
At the moment, 4 weeks after the operation, the left eye with a strong ptosis, damaged muscles or fibers, constant discomfort and indefinable pain around the left eye and the orbit itself. Terribly hanging skin of the upper eyelids. Not neat seams. And this is the result of the doctor's work, which he himself was satisfied with. Doctor-plastic surgeon!

PS: A reminder was required to receive an official invoice. After which he explained that if I had told him about it earlier, the price would have been different.
The injections in the nasolabial fold did well. But I didn't even ask for the bill.