Eyelid Surgery

Sometimes, even after a great night’s sleep, it can be hard to feel alive and vibrant when you see those tired, drooping eyes looking back at you from the mirror. The loose skin over your eyes and the fat bags under your eyes make you look more tired and older than you feel inside.

If this sounds familiar, you’re not alone. Each year thousands of women and men choose eyelid surgery to help restore a more energetic and youthful appearance. Eyelid surgery or blepharoplasty can correct sagging eyelids, remove fatty pouches beneath the eyes and remove excess skin from the upper eyelids. Blepharoplasty can be done alone or in conjunction with other facial sur#gery procedures such as a facelift, a brow lift or laser skin resurfacing.

Your consultation

During your initial cosmetic consultation, your doctor will discuss your particular condition, your expectations, and the probable outcome of treatment. You will be shown several before and after treatment photographs of patients having similar conditions, and you will receive an explanation of your treatment. Before and after photos may be taken of the area to be treated to document your results.

The procedure

Blepharoplasty can be performed in your doctor’s office, an outpatient surgical facility or a hospital. It is generally performed under local anesthesia, but can be performed under general anesthesia. The surgeon places fine incisions in the crease above each eye to correct problems of the upper eyelids. Then a thin crescent of excess skin and muscle is removed. The incisions are closed with very fine sutures. To remove the fatty deposits beneath the eyes, the incisions are placed just inside the lower eyelid. After the fat is removed, the incisions may be closed with absorbable sutures or may be left to heal naturally. When excess skin and muscle needs to be removed from the lower lids, the incisions are placed in the natural smile crease below the lashline. The procedure can take between one and two hours, depending on the extent of the surgery.

What about insurance?

Eyelid problems are common, even in younger people. Correcting eyelid problems that interfere with your vision may be covered by your health insurance. However, when eyelid surgery is performed for cosmetic reasons, it may not be covered in part or in whole by your health insurance. It is the patient’s responsibility to check with their insurance provider for the information on the degree of coverage. Your doctor will be happy to answer any questions.

What about recovery?

When the procedure is performed alone,## and not with a facelift, it is generally done under local anesthesia. After the surgery, the area around your eye will be bruised and swollen for about two weeks. Patients should keep their heads up and place cold compresses on their eyes periodically. Antibiotic eye drops or ointment may be prescribed. Patients can’t wear contact lenses for about two weeks, since the eyelids may be stiff and sore. Make-up may be worn after about ten days. The resulting hairline scars which follow the natural contour of the eyelids tend to fade in about two months.

After cosmetic surgery, patients have a softer, more youthful look to their faces. Many seem to have a new spring in their step after facing their fresher reflections in the mirror.

Laser Eyelid Surgery

In the beginning we have smooth, soft skin. Then the years pass. As we age, the tone and shape of our eyelids, eyebrows, forehead and the tissue around our eyes becomes slack. This results in excess, puffy or lax skin that can make us appear more tired or older than we are.

Eyelid surgery or Laser Blepharoplasty can correct sagging eyelids, remove fatty pouches beneath the eyes and remove excess skin in the upper eyelids. Laser Blepharoplasty can be done alone, or in conjunction with other facial surgery procedures such as Laser Skin Resurfacing, a facelift, forehead lift or eyebrow lift.

About your consultation

During your initial cosmetic consultations your doctor will discuss your particular condition, your expectations, and probable outcome of treatment. You will be shown several pre- and post-therapy photos of similar conditions and an explanation of the exact laser treatment you can expect to receive. Before and after medical photographs of the area to be treated are taken to document your results.

The Procedure

Laser Blepharoplasty can be performed as an out-patient procedure using local anesthesia. The initial incision made by the laser's beam, seals blood vessels to provide better visualization for your surgeon, with less bruising and quicker recovery for you. The fatty deposits are removed and the incisions are closed using tiny sutures. The sutures are removed after five or six days.

Why choose Laser Surgery?

Laser Blepharoplasty and skin resurfacing has revolutionized cosmetic surgery of the eyelids and face. This exciting advance in technology allows for superior cosmetic results in upper and lower eyelid surgery.

Since the laser seals blood vessels as it touches them, there is less bleeding, swelling and bruising than with conventional eyelid surgery. This provides enhanced visualization to the surgeon, thus allowing a more precise and rapid surgery. With significantly less postoperative swelling, recovery is generally swift and overall patient satisfaction is outstanding.

Adjunctive skin resurfacing of the lower eyelid at the time of lower lid blepharoplasty results in a no-scar-incision, and erases the wrinkles of the lower eyelid, further improving the results and patient satisfaction.

What about recovery?

Postoperatively, patients are asked to use antibiotic drops for a week and apply ice compresses during the first 24 to 48 hours. Most patients return to work without feeling excessively swollen in less than a week.

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