Cosmetic Eyelid Procedures

Eyelid Rejuvenation (Blepharoplasty)

Baggy eyelids can develop anytime during one's life. Young people typically have tight elastic skin around their eyes, but this elastic skin stretches with aging and with frequent rubbing, squinting, and blinking. Hereditary tendencies also contribute to baggy eyelids in younger individuals, as well as lifestyle factors such as use of tobacco, alcohol and drugs, exposure to sun, and improper nutrition. Fat deposits under the skin may protrude through weakened tissue barriers, causing bags and puffiness above and below the eyes.

The "hooded" effect over the eyes can limit the field of vision, often causing people to raise their eyebrows to lift the excessive skin out of their field of vision. This defect in the field of vision can have a greater effect on persons with impaired vision from certain conditions, such as macular degeneration (a condition that causes a loss of central vision). Excess eyelid skin also can cause heaviness of the upper lids, eye irritation, and fatigue of the muscles around the eyes.

Since the eyes attract attention, appearance of the eyes can impact the impression made on others. Eyelid sagging can give a person the appearance of tiredness or sadness. This may project a false impression to others when a person actually feels wide-awake and happy. It can make some people look older than they feel and eventually affect one's self image.

How Do You Tell if You Are a Candidate for Blepharoplasty?

Making the Decision: Should I Correct My Baggy Eyelids?

While surgery is the only effective way to correct baggy eyelids, it is not necessary to have surgery just because they are sagging. Only you can determine if you want to correct the problem. We asked some of our patients what motivated them to have the procedure performed, and they typically gave one of the following main reasons:

To help you make the decision whether to correct your eyelid problem, we suggest that you confer with us, talk with your family and friends, and determine how you feel about your appearance and vision. We want you to be fully informed as you share responsibility with the surgery plan and results.

The Procedure To Correct the Problem

Cosmetic appearance can be improved with a surgical procedure called "blepharoplasty". It is pronounced blef-ah-ro-plas-tee. This eyelid surgery is performed under local anesthesia in our office surgery suite. Excess skin and fat are removed from the upper and lower eyelids as needed. If the eyebrow or eyelid is lower than normal for a given individual, this can be corrected simultaneously.

Results of the Procedure

After the upper lid surgery, patients generally report they can see much better and life is much easier with a full field of vision. Since their eyelids don't feel heavy, they no longer have to use their forehead muscles to raise their eyebrows and lids. Women find they can more easily apply eye makeup, too.

The surgical outcome will depend on the extent of corrective work, the skin structure and healing process, hereditary factors, age, and other physical characteristics. No guarantee can be made as to the amount of improvement or the permanency of the result, but it is not common to need the surgery again in the near future.

Symmetry is not always possible to achieve. If we feel that we can improve an asymmetrical result, we will be glad to enhance the surgery with a second procedure. This enhancement will involve only a facility fee charge. There will be no additional surgeon's fee.

Why Is It Important To Consult an Ophthalmologist?

Because blepharoplasty can affect the function and lubrication of the eye, a consultation with an ophthalmologist is important. Blepharoplasty is the most common plastic surgery operation performed by ophthalmologists. Although other surgeons may perform blepharoplasty, an ophthalmologist is the only surgeon trained specifically to treat the eye. An ophthalmologist is uniquely qualified to help you decide whether you should consider this procedure.

Risks of Blepharoplasty Surgery

As with any surgical procedure, an element of risk exists. We want to make sure that the benefit you have to gain far outweighs any risks of surgery. Careful attention will be given to every detail before, during, and after surgery to avoid problems. Permanent scars will result from the surgery, but they are usually hidden in the skin fold and are not apparent. Hemorrhage, infection, failure to heal, blurred vision, or even blindness, though extremely rare, may occur. These conditions would require appropriate treatment, including possibly further surgery. Another rare occurrence is a permanent discoloration like bruising. Double vision may develop early after eyelid surgery. This is usually transient. We cannot guarantee that you'll have 100% success, but we will guarantee that we'll do our very best to give you the best result possible.

Conclusion

If a patient with dermatochalasis is pleased with vision and appearance as it is now, then we don't recommend the blepharoplasty procedure. But if vision is limited by the baggy eyelids and/or the person is self-conscious about the appearance of the eyes, then the procedure can be beneficial. We consider you a part of our eye care team, and we want to help you and your family to understand the condition of your eyes and treatment options. Let us know if you need more information or if we can answer any questions.