Blepharoplasty
Face procedures
Blepharoplasty
Blepharoplasty in California and Florida (Beverly hills, Newport beach, Orange County, Miami)
The eyes are the most expressive feature of the face. The upper and lower eyelids have a large effect on the appearance of the eyes. Eyelid surgery, or blepharoplasty, is an effective plastic surgery procedure that has the potential to dramatically enhance one’s facial appearance, making you look more youthful and rested. The most common reason why patients undergo blepharoplasty is to treat sagging skin, puffiness, droopy or baggy eyelids, excess skin, and/or wrinkles around the eyes. A board certified physician can perform this procedure on the upper and/or lower eyelids, depending on which regions of the eyes you would like to enhance.
What is blepharoplasty?
Blepharoplasty is a cosmetic procedure designed to remove excess skin and fat around the upper and lower eyelids while repositioning or removal of fat and reorganization of any lax musculature. This can smooth and brighten the appearance of the eyes, typically making patients look more youthful. Eyelid surgery can also correct upper eyelid “hooding,” which occurs when loose skin and/or musculature rests on the lash line. This “hooding” effect may cause patients to look tired or aged—in some cases, the drooping skin can even interfere with an individual’s line of sight. Blepharoplasty can be a highly effective technique to treat eyelid hooding, as well as to smooth wrinkles, eliminate puffiness, and generally improve the appearance of the eyes.
Are you a Candidate for Eyelid Surgery?
If the eyelids are stretched, wrinkled, or baggy, the eyes can appear tired and aged. This aesthetic prompts many patients to seek out improvement in the upper eyelids, lower eyelids, or both. Thus, upper and lower blepharoplasty can be performed separately or together. These procedures are designed to remove excess skin (wrinkling) and fat (puffiness) to achieve a wider and brighter look around the eyes, which can convey youth and alertness while more accurately reflecting one’s vigor and energy levels.
You may be a candidate for eyelid surgery if:
- You have excess skin or fat in the upper or lower eyelids
- You have vision problems secondary to excessive skin on the upper eyelids
- You have laxity of the lower eyelids and desire a tightening procedure
- Droopy upper eyelids
- Excess upper eyelid skin that hinders vision
- Bags under eyes
- Excess skin lower eyelid skin
The plastic surgeon will speak to you about your concerns and overall aesthetic goals to help confirm whether eyelid surgery would be the most beneficial treatment option for you. In general, individuals interested in the procedure should be in good health and have no uncontrolled medical conditions that may affect the healing process. Overall satisfaction is also usually maximized when patients have a positive outlook on surgery and realistic expectations for the final results.
How is Eyelid Surgery Performed?
After discussing your aesthetic goals in a consultation the plastic surgeon, a custom treatment plan tailored to address your needs will be developed. Once the plastic surgeon determines if intravenous sedation or general anesthesia is best for you, he will begin the procedure. In general, excess skin will be removed, fatty tissue may be repositioned, and drooping skin may be tightened or trimmed. Depending on the complexity of your procedure, it may take one to three hours from start to finish. Patients should be able to return home after the procedure.
Upper blepharoplasty
Upper blepharoplasty typically takes approximately one hour. This procedure can be performed to tighten the excess skin above the eye or correct the look of eyelid “hooding,” wherein lax eyelid tissue begins to obscure one’s field of vision. The surgery involves placing well-hidden incisions in the natural crease of the upper eyelid to make them nearly invisible after healing. Redundant skin and protruding fat are removed, and the incisions are closed with fine sutures to further minimize the visibility of the scar. Healing time is minimized by delicate surgical technique.
Lower blepharoplasty
Your eyes are surrounded by fat which permit our eyes to move freely. This fat is kept within the eye socket by the “orbital septum,” which acts as a retaining wall. Over time, the orbital septum weakens and allows the fat to protrude, producing puffy lower eyelid bags. These lower eyelid bags often cast a shadow, leading to dark circles under the eyes.
Lower blepharoplasty typically takes one hour. Patients are candidates for one of two approaches, depending on their anatomy and their specific indication for the surgery. Incisions can be placed either inside the eyelid or through the skin on the outer surface of the eyelid. From one of these access points, bulging fat can be removed or repositioned to minimize lower eyelid puffiness.
Transconjunctival approach
The transconjunctival approach is usually performed when a patient exhibits little to no excess skin in the lower eyelids and the primary goal is smoothing under-eye bags. This incision is generally suitable when skin removal is not anticipated. The procedure begins with an incision on the inside of the lower eyelid, providing an access point to smooth and remove bulging fat. Since the incision is made internally, transconjunctival blepharoplasty results in no visible scarring.
Lid tightening procedure
For some patients, the lid might be very lax and/or they would like to reposition the eye to a more “almond” or “cat eye” shape. This procedure is often performed in conjunction with a lower lid procedure, especially when skin is removed during the lower lid surgery. The purpose of this method is to support the position of the lid during the healing process, helping to prevent the scarring that can affect the lid position during this critical time period.
Recovery process
After the procedure, the eyelids will have stitches that will be removed within a week. Swelling and bruising is typically accompanied but should subside within one to two weeks. The plastic surgeon will ask the patient to come in for a follow-up appointment during this time to ensure that the patient is healing properly. After this brief recovery, the eyelids should look more youthful and alert. After this time, patients should be able to return to their regular routines.
Results last for many years, but cannot fight the natural aging process. In order to maintain long-lasting results, patients should be sure to take good care of their skin, moisturize and wear sunscreen at all times when going outside. As the body ages though and the patient loses elasticity in their skin, they may find that their upper lids may begin to slightly droop. However, this can typically be addressed with a brow lift, as opposed to a secondary blepharoplasty procedure.
Anesthesia
Upper blepharoplasty can be done under local anesthetic and no general anesthesia. Lower blepharoplasty can also be done under local anesthesia but sometimes general anesthesia is used to make the patient more comfortable
What are the common risks?
Complications from blepharoplasty are extremely rare, but some degree of risk exists with any cosmetic procedure — especially if a plastic surgeon is not experienced in eyelid surgery. General risks involved with any type of surgery include infection, negative reactions to the anesthesia, bleeding, and blood clotting. Potential complications unique to an eye procedure include:
- Dryness or irritation in eyes
- Injury to eye muscles
- Visible scarring
- Difficulty closing the eyes
- Changes in vision