The eyes are the most expressive elements of the face. Drooping upper lids and puffy bags below your eyes can make you look older and more fatigued than you are. However, with blepharoplasty, aesthetic surgeon can help you look more like your alert, normal self by delicately removing fat, excess skin and muscle from eyelids.
Candidate / Indication
If you are affected by puffy bags below your eyes, drooping upper lids, or stretched eyelid skin, blepharoplasty is likely an option for you.
Individuals considering the procedure should have realistic expectations from surgery and be in good general health.
Any one or combination of the following conditions may indicate that you are a good candidate for eyelid surgery:
- Excess skin obscuring the natural fold of the upper eyelids
- Loose skin hanging down from the upper eyelids, perhaps impairing vision
- A puffy appearance to the upper eyelids, making the eyes look tired
- Excess skin and fine, crepey wrinkles of the lower eyelids
- Bags and dark circles under the eyes, often with a depression along the bony border of the lower eyelids
- Droopiness of the lower eyelids, showing white below the iris (coloured portion of the eye)
Those with hypothyroidism, Graves’ disease or other thyroid issues, high blood pressure, diabetes, cardiovascular disease or glaucoma may need to consult their eye specialist before making any decisions.
Procedure
A blepharoplasty procedure can be done alone or in combination with other facial plastic surgery procedures like the facelift or brow lift.
Eyelid surgery requires very small incisions near the areas where loose skin and fat have collected around the eyes. The incisions are made following the natural creases of the upper eyelid, and the area below the lashes of the lower eyelid. After the skin is separated from the underlying fatty tissue and muscle, the excess fat and skin are removed. The incisions are then closed with fine sutures.
In select cases, a special technique called the transconjunctivital technique may be used. This is often suitable for patients who display a lesser amount of fat around the eyelids. In this approach, an incision is made in the lower lid, where no skin but only a small amount of fat is removed.
Result
Expect some bruising and swelling during first few days that usually subsides in about
10 days to 2 weeks. Your doctor will provide you with specific post-operative instructions. You may be advised to keep your head elevated for several days, and use cold compresses to reduce the swelling and bruising. You may also have to avoid wearing contact lenses for about two weeks as well as postpone your exercise schedule by about three weeks at least. You should be able to appreciate the results of your eyelid surgery after about two weeks.