A leading surgeon has revealed three medical procedures he underwent that he would not recommend to others due to the debilitating side effects.
Dr. Erin Nance, a New York-based orthopedic specialist, says the first procedure she advises against is Lasik eye surgery.
He said that while he now has perfect vision, he suffered excruciating eye pain every morning and night for months after surgery early last year.
During Lasik surgery, a special type of cutting laser is used to change the shape of the cornea (the clear, domed front part of the eye) to correct blurred vision.
The procedure can cause dry eyes because when the corneal flap is cut, the nerves responsible for tear production can be damaged, causing a dry feeling in the eyes, especially during the healing process.
Dr. Nance, in a TikTok video, said, “So, for what it’s worth, I’ve never had eye pain before and now I have eye pain on a daily basis, so I personally wouldn’t recommend (Lasik).”
Up to 95 percent of Lasik patients experience dry eye symptoms immediately after surgery, and 60 percent experience them a month later.
However, chronic dry eye symptoms are rare after one year.
Dr. Erin Nance, a New York-based orthopedic specialist, says the first procedure she advises against is Lasik eye surgery.
Dr. Nance added, “I feel like I’ve slept in my contact lenses every morning and every night.” During the day, there are no problems… I don’t even think about my eyes (and) I have perfect vision.
“But for some reason, that’s when I wake up and from 7 p.m., I have terrible, terrible dry eye pain.’
Next on your list of prohibited medical options is taking eyelash enhancement medications.
Bimatoprost, marketed under the brand name Latisse, works by mimicking our body’s natural chemical that stimulates hair growth in the eyelashes.
With regular applications along the lash line of the upper eyelid, the prescription medication gradually stimulates the growth of longer, thicker, darker eyelashes.
Dr. Nance admits that within the first few weeks she noticed improvement and her lashes looked “amazing.”
But three months after applying the liquid to her upper eyelids, Dr. Nance said she noticed a distressing side effect that involved the loss of fat pads under her eyes.
She explained: ‘What I didn’t know is that one of the side effects (of using Latisse) is something called periorbital fat atrophy or fat loss.
‘(This is) where the fat under the eye can thin out and make your eyes look more sunken in and I definitely noticed it.
“I’ve never had this dent in my face before.”
About 700,000 people undergo Lasik eye treatment in the US each year and it was approved by the FDA in 1999.
After experiencing fat loss under the eyes, Dr. Nance says she wouldn’t recommend Latisse to others.
The global eyelash serum market size was worth an estimated $897.9 million in 2023, according to consulting firm Grand View Research, and is expected to grow further with the “growing popularity of non-invasive beauty treatments.” that drives the trend.
A Grand View Research report on the eyelash serum market reveals that, despite its popularity, Latisse has “faced challenges due to concerns about possible side effects, which has led to growing interest in alternative products that use more ingredients.” insurance”.
Some of the most frequently reported side effects of Latisse include itchy eyes, dry eyes, darkening of the skin on the eyelids, and abnormal hair growth.
Although rare, changes in eye color have also been reported.
This is because Latisse contains the active ingredient bimatoprost, a type of chemical known as prostaglandin, and is known to cause changes in eye color.
Mail on Sunday health journalist Leah Hardy reported on this shocking side effect after experimenting with Latisse in 2015.
Raman Malhotra, a consultant eye surgeon at Queen Victoria Hospital in West Sussex, told him at the time: “Eye color in adults normally only changes if they suffer from chronic inflammatory eye diseases or suffer an eye injury.”
“However, bimatoprost may increase the amount of brown pigment in the eye by stimulating pigment production.”
Lastly, Dr. Nance advises against premature removal of permanent retainers.
Permanent retainers are orthodontic devices that hold teeth in place after wearing braces or Invisalign.
They are usually made of individual pieces of metal wire or strong fibers, which are attached to the upper and lower rows of teeth using a special bonding agent.
Dr. Nance said she was fitted with permanent retainers when she was about 21 after having braces as a teenager.
While rare, people using Latisse have also reported changes in eye color. Mail on Sunday health journalist Leah Hardy reported on this shocking side effect after experimenting with Latisse in 2015.
But she said she was fed up with having to undergo constant dental work and didn’t see the long-term benefit.
She revealed: “At that moment, I thought ‘okay, I’m done!’
“You know, just like (being) in college kissing my boyfriend, I didn’t want this permanent retainer on the back of my teeth…so I asked them to take it off.”
Because the retainer was removed early, Dr. Nance’s teeth returned to their original “crooked” position.
Admitting his guilt, he concludes: “Now, in every video I have to watch on TikTok, I see how my teeth have shifted exactly the way they were before I had braces.”
“I didn’t know my teeth would shift back if I took out my permanent retainer, so that’s the third thing I would never do.”
To date, Dr. Nance’s TikTok video has racked up more than 5,000 comments, with many viewers sharing their own horror stories.
One commenter wrote: ‘I would never have an IUD inserted again without sedation or pain control. I felt less pain after endometriosis excision surgery. We need something better for women’s health!’
Another viewer, who also works in the medical field, added: ‘Bunion surgery! I’ve never done it, but all the patients I’ve seen since say they had the surgery for cosmetic improvement and what they got was daily foot pain.’