Eyelid Surgery (Blepharoplasty)

Eyelid Surgery (Blepharoplasty) corrects drooping upper lids and puffy bags below your eyes - features that make you look older and more tired than you feel, and may even interfere with your vision. This procedure involves the removal of fat, usually along with excess skin and muscle from the upper and lower eyelids.

Enhance your results by combining this procedure with:

• Quick Facts about Eyelid Surgery

  * Anaesthesia: local anaesthesia, combined with a sedative

  * Duration of the procedure: 1 - 3 hs.

  * Hospital stay: not required - outpatient

  * Recovery time / time back to work: 6 days

  * Incisions: hidden at the eyelash line and at the natural crease of the eyelid

• What Can Eyelid Surgery Do for You?

  Eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty) corrects drooping upper lids and puffy bags below your eyes - features that make you look older and more tired than you feel, and may even interfere with your vision. This procedure removes fat, usually along with excess skin and muscle, from the upper and lower eyelids. However, it won't remove crow's feet or other wrinkles, eliminate dark circles under your eyes, or lift sagging eyebrows. Blepharoplasty can be done alone, or in conjunction with other facial surgery procedures such as a facelift or browlift.

  The best candidates for eyelid surgery are men and women who are physically healthy, psychologically stable, and realistic in their expectations. Most are 35 or older, but if droopy, baggy eyelids run in your family, you may decide to have eyelid surgery at a younger age.

• The Surgical Procedure

  Blepharoplasty usually takes one to three hours, depending on the extent of the surgery. In a typical procedure, the surgeon makes incisions following the natural lines of your eyelids; in the creases of your upper lids, and just below the lashes in the lower lids. The incisions may extend into the crow's feet or laugh lines at the outer corners of your eyes. Working through these incisions, the surgeon separates the skin from underlying fatty tissue and muscle, removes excess fat, and often trims sagging skin and muscle. The incisions are then closed with very fine sutures.

  Your surgeon will help you decide which type of eyelid surgery is right for you. Types of eyelid surgery include upper eyelid, lower eyelid, upper and lower eyelid, or canthopexy (the correction of "puppy eyes") surgery.

  *Anesthesia:

  Eyelid surgery is usually performed under local anesthesia--which numbs the area around your eyes--along with oral or intravenous sedatives

• Post-Op Recovery and Time Back to Work

  Post-Op Recovery
  After surgery, the surgeon will probably lubricate your eyes with ointment and may apply a bandage. Your eyelids may feel tight and sore as the anesthesia wears off, but you any discomfort or pain can be managed with medication prescribed by your surgeon. Your surgeon will instruct you to keep your head elevated for several days, and to use cold compresses to reduce swelling and bruising. (Bruising varies from person to person: it reaches its peak during the first week, and generally lasts anywhere from two weeks to a month.) Your eyelids may feel dry at first and may burn or itch. For the first few weeks you may also experience excessive tearing, sensitivity to light, and temporary changes in your eyesight, such as blurring or double vision. The stitches will be removed two days to a week after surgery. Once they're out, the swelling and discoloration around your eyes will gradually subside, and you'll start to look and feel much better.

  Time Back to Work
  You should be able to read or watch television after two or three days. However, you won't be able to wear contact lenses for about two weeks, and even then they may feel uncomfortable for a while. Most people feel ready to go out in public (and back to work) in a week to 10 days. By then, depending on your rate of healing and your doctor's instructions, you'll probably be able to wear makeup to hide the bruising that remains. You may be sensitive to sunlight, wind, and other irritants for several weeks, so you should wear sunglasses and a special sunblock made for eyelids when you go out. Your surgeon will probably tell you to keep your activities to a minimum for three to five days and to avoid more strenuous activities for about three weeks. It's especially important to avoid tivities that raise your blood pressure, including bending, lifting, and rigorous sports.

• Uncertainty and Risk

  When eyelid surgery is performed by a qualified plastic surgeon, complications are infrequent and usually minor. Nevertheless, there is always a possibility of complications, including infection or a reaction to the anesthesia. You can reduce your risks by closely following your surgeon's instructions both before and after surgery. The minor complications that occasionally follow blepharoplasty include double or blurred vision for a few days; temporary swelling at the corner of the eyelids; and a slight asymmetry in healing or scarring. Tiny whiteheads may appear after your stitches are taken out; your surgeon can remove them easily with a very fine needle. Following surgery, some patients may have difficulty closing their eyes when they sleep; in rare cases this condition may be permanent. Another very rare complication is ectropion, a pulling down of the lower lids. In this case, further surgery may be required.

The information provided on surgeryBA.com is designed to support, not replace, the relationship between a patient and his/her physician. Individual results may vary according to each patient's individual objectives, health, and circumstances. The information provided here stems from our professional experience with patients and from our doctor's advise.