I spent $1.5K on eyelid surgery so I can do eyeliner properly
A beautician spent $1.5K (£1.2k) on surgery to have her upper eyelids partially removed – so she can apply eyeliner properly.
Gemma Gilfoyle, 39, hated her hooded eyes — excess skin covering the upper eyelid – for as long as she could remember.
Having worked in the make-up industry for 19 years, Gemma couldn’t help comparing herself to the women she was doing make-up for.
She paid $1,582.72 (£1,270) to get her excess skin removed in Amsterdam, the Netherlands – but has been left with a 2in scar behind her right eye while it heals.
But Gemma has no regrets and says she’s “so excited” to put make-up on her new eyelids.
Gemma, from Liverpool, Merseyside, said: “It’s a few months of scarring over a lifetime of being able to do a winged liner.
“I work in the beauty industry so I’ve always been really aware of my hooded eyes.
“Now, I feel amazing.”
Gemma first heard she could get her hooded eyes removed after hearing some of her clients chatting about it at her salon.
Two of the women were elderly and another was in her 30s — and Gemma wanted to see what the procedure would look like on “young skin” before going ahead with it.
She said: “I wanted to see my 30-year-old client’s results first – and her scar was amazing, you could barely see it.
“I’ve been actively wanting to do something about my eyes for five years — so I started enquiring around.”
Gemma found a clinic in Amsterdam after briefly looking into clinics around Liverpool and Essex – and had a 30-minute phone consultation, chatting with a specialist about what the procedure would involve.
“I’ve had Botox,” she said.
“And I had to make sure I didn’t get any new injections for four weeks beforehand.
“It stretches the skin around the eyebrows and can leave you looking permanently surprised.”
She paid $479.78 (£385) for the procedure — as well as $355.16 (£285) for two nights in a hotel and $747.70 (£600) return flights to Amsterdam for herself and husband, Ryan, 40, an air conditioning engineer, the week before.
The surgery took place on February 10, 2024, and was done while Gemma was awake.
She said: “You go into the surgery room, they give you a local anaesthetic inside your eye.
“Your eyes are closed and they tweeze the excess skin – you can feel it, but it isn’t painful.
“It took around 30 minutes all in all.”
By day two Gemma’s eyes began to bruise — they swelled for six days — and she was told to expect four months of scarring.
Her aftercare included washing with saline solution, taking paracetamol and ibuprofen – and she’s not allowed to use soap on her face.
She said: “I feel great — I love that I finally got it done.
“It was completely painless and I don’t mind the scarring so much – even though I’ve still got another two months to go.”
