It's been said that the eyes are the windows to the soul. Your eyes are indeed one of the most important features on your face. But if you have bags under your eyes or drooping eyelids, you may rather just hide those baby blues. Not only can droopy eyes make you look tired or sad, but sagging eyelids can also impair your vision. To help people overcome these problems, I regularly perform a type of plastic surgery in my practice called blepharoplasty, or eyelid surgery.
The procedure removes excess skin and fat on the upper and lower eyelids, and provides a more youthful, radiant and bright-eyed appearance. The surgery can usually be done in one to two hours, with no hospitalization required, and a relatively short recovery time.
Incisions in the upper and lower eyelids are made to follow your natural lines and creases. After removing the excess fat and skin, the incisions are closed up with stitches. The stitches may leave a faint scar on the eyelid creases, but this will lessen significantly after a few months.
You may be up and about the day after your surgery, but it will take anywhere from a few days to two weeks before you can resume your normal schedule. The eye area will be a little sore initially, with some possible numbness, dryness, and temporary sensitivity to bright light. Medication can be provided to offset any pain, and I suggest the use of cold compress to keep swelling down. You may also have some bruising, as eyelid skin is thin. However, discoloration will fade after the stitches are removed.
Most insurance plans will not pay for cosmetic surgery to correct drooping eyelids. If, however, the surgery is performed to correct a vision impairment, you may be able to get partial or full coverage for your blepharoplasty.
The long-term success rate of the surgery will depend on your age, skin tone, heredity, exposure to the sun, and other factors. Once fat beneath the lower lids is removed, patients can expect their lower lids to look good for a long time, since fat in the lower lids do not tend to recur.
I usually tell my patients that drooping of the upper lids may recur more quickly, because over time the forehead droops downward, placing pressure on the lids. Sometimes I suggest a brow lift at a later date for those who've had a blepharoplasty.
Generally, the results of eyelid surgery will last approximately ten years...again, depending on some of the previously discussed factors. As with any type of surgery, there are a few risks involved. I like to have my patients see their eye doctors for a visual field test, and to check for glaucoma and dry-eye syndrome. A patient with dry eyes may experience extreme eye irritation after surgery. That's why it's so important to know of any eye condition you have. This can affect how I perform the surgery or help determine whether of not the surgery is in your best interest, health-wise.
Other risks: infection, bleeding, and visual disturbances have been known to occur with blepharoplasty, but the frequency of these complications is rare.
Eyelid surgery is quite popular - in fact, thousands of such surgeries are performed each year. Properly done, blepharoplasty can enhance both your appearance and self-confidence. If you want to know more about blepharoplasty, we have some excellent educational literature on the subject.
To learn more about eye lift surgery, contact a patient coordinator at 303-320-8618, or click here to schedule a consultation.
