What is an eyelid surgery?
Blepharoplasty, more commonly known as eyelid surgery, is performed to improve the appearance of the eye-area and to correct drooping skin and fatty bags under and around the eye.
Eyelid surgery can also help eyesight in people whose sagging upper eyelids get in the way of their vision.
By eliminating regions of excessive skin bulging and by tightening the skin around the eyes, eyelid surgery can provide you with a “brighter” look without changing how you look.
Whether you would like to enhance your physical appearance and look younger or correct vision problems which are hindering your general well-being, blepharoplasty can revive the overall appearance of your eyes and make you look more refreshed.
Eyelid surgery is often done jointly with other procedures like laser resurfacing, dermal fillers or an eyebrow lift to further enhance a patient’s results.
Eyelid surgery can help improve the following:
- Sagging or loose skin that hangs off your upper eyelid
- Sagging skin around upper eyelids that affects your vision
- Excessive skin and smaller wrinkles on lower eyelids
- Drooping bags under your eyes that cause the white below your eye’s iris to show
- Excessive fatty areas that cause your upper and lower eyelids to appear puffy
Who is a candidate for eyelid surgery?
To help understand if blepharoplasty or eyelid surgery is ideal for you, find out what you can realistically expect and find out more about the benefits and risks associated with blepharoplasty.
Ideal patients are healthy overall and don’t have any dangerous, pre-existing eyelid ailments, such as dry eyes. Most eyelid surgery patients are 35 years old or older, but if droopy eyelids or undereye bags is something which runs in your family, you may decide to have this operation sooner in life.
After eyelid operation, you will have stitches for a couple of days or even as long as a week. It is not unusual to swell and occasionally bruising may occur, but your eyelids should go back to normal within a few weeks. Most patients feel presentable to the public in about 10-14 days, but it may take a few months for full recovery.
For some patients, eyelid surgery alone may not provide the desired results they’re looking for, therefore, oftentimes this procedure is combined with other surgeries such as a forehead lift or brow lift to enhance the eye area even more.
Although eyelid surgery can last for years to come, additional drooping or sagging may occur from aging in general or from the effects of weight fluctuations up or down. Ongoing sunlight protection such as a broad spectrum SPF sunblock can help keep your results last, so make sure to protect your skin.
For a healthy recovery, it is important to take post-surgery care instructions from your surgeon very seriously. Eyelid surgery incisions shouldn’t be subjected to excessive pressure, abrasion or motion throughout during recovery time.
Your board-certified plastic surgeon will give you specific instructions concerning the best way to look after yourself after an eyelid surgery.