Blepharoplasty (eyelid lift)

What can a blepharoplasty treat?

Blepharoplasties can be performed for a variety of reasons. The most common one we hear is that a patient is unhappy with looking tired due to puffy, heavy-appearing eyelids and bags under their eyes. This can make them look older than they feel.

Blepharoplasties can be performed on the upper or lower eyelids to remove excess skin, muscle, and fat and restore a sharper, more youthful appearance to the eye's natural contour. 

A blepharoplasty helps erase one of the most noticeable signs of aging on your face, which is the area around your eyes. This procedure yields a significant improvement in your appearance. 

Are there non-cometic (medical) reasons to have blepharoplasty?

Absolutely! Sometimes blepharoplasties can restore peripheral vision obstructed by sagging skin or fat deposits. Moreover, blepharoplasties can also address droopy eyelids that fail to open sufficiently, obstructing vision, a condition called ptosis. 

How popular are blepharoplasties?

Blepharoplasties are very popular. According to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, blepharoplasties were one of the top five cosmetic procedures performed on men and women in the United States. Blepharoplasties were the second most performed procedure, with more procedures than facelifts year after year. 

Blepharoplasties are safe and effective when performed by an experienced surgeon (like AGEI's Dr. Adele) with deep knowledge of the eye’s structures, nerves, and muscles. 

Dr. Adeleh Yarmohammadi will perform a thorough examination to determine if your excess eye tissue will make you a good candidate for a blepharoplasty procedure. 

How is a blepharoplasty performed? 

When choosing Dr. Adeleh Yarmohammadi, blepharoplasty surgery takes approximately three hours for both eyes. This procedure is typically performed using local anesthesia with intravenous sedation. Patients undergoing both upper and lower blepharoplasties might elect to receive general anesthesia.

Before surgery begins, your surgeon will re-examine you sitting up, using a surgical pen, and mark the sagging area and where incisions will be made.

Upper blepharoplasty

This procedure focuses on the area between your eyelashes and eyebrow. It involves eliminating excess skin and fat through an incision made in the natural crease of your eye socket to make the incision barely visible. Depending on your circumstances, your surgeon may opt to close the skin using dissolvable stitches (sutures), removable sutures, or special skin glue.  

Lower blepharoplasty

This procedure works on the under-eye area between the lower lash line and the cheek. It is performed to address lower lid droop or trim excess loose skin, muscle, or fat under the eyelids. Lower eyelid surgery is a bit more involved. The incision can be made under the eyelash line, extending past the outer corner of the eye (into the area where crow's feet tend to be located) or on the inside surface of the lower eyelid so that no incision is visible on the outside. 

What to expect after eyelid lift surgery?

A thick antibiotic ointment is applied to your eyes to prevent them from drying out during surgery, this will cause your vision to be murky or blurred. You’ll be instructed to apply the ointment four times daily inside the eye and on your incisions. Artificial tears will also be prescribed to avoid eye dryness during recovery. 

Individuals undergoing upper eyelid blepharoplasty surgery might go home with tiny stitches on their eyelid crease, which our surgeon will remove in seven to ten days if the dissolvable stitches are not used. Depending on the technique used, you may not require stitches when you have a lower lid blepharoplasty.

Moderate swelling and bruising of the delicate skin around the eyes are common. The extent of bruising and swelling will vary from patient to patient and should subside within two weeks for upper lid surgery and up to four weeks following an upper and lower blepharoplasty. 

Our doctor will instruct you to gently apply cold compresses for a few minutes, three to four times daily, during your first post-op week to help reduce swelling. You’ll be encouraged to sleep in a “sitting up” posture with several pillows under your head to prevent swelling due to fluid accumulation. 

You’ll receive prescriptions for ointments and/or eye drops to prevent infections while recovering. Avoid strenuous exercise for at least one week, and lite walking is encouraged. You should wear dark-tinted glasses to protect your eyes as you heal and avoid make-up, especially in the eye area, until your doctor permits you.

Try to set up your home to have everything you need at hand because, during the first couple of days after surgery, you will be most comfortable keeping your eyes closed.

Are there any risks or complications from an eyelid lift?

While all surgery involves some risk, serious complications from eyelid blepharoplasty are unlikely. Temporary bruising and puffiness are expected due to the delicate nature of eyelid tissue, which resolves within a couple of weeks. Watery or dry eyes and blurred vision can also be expected during the first few weeks of recovery.

Your surgeon will review all possible risks and complications of your surgical procedure in detail during your pre-operative consultation. You will also receive this information in writing so you can review it as part of the consent process.

Will my eyelift surgery results be permanent?

It’s important to remember that getting an eyelift won’t stop aging. Over time, as your body ages, it’s possible that your eyelid skin can start to sag or appear wrinkled. It is hard to determine how long your eye lift results will last because individual results depend on variables such as the condition of your eyelids going into surgery, the quality of your skin, your age when you have the surgery, and how well you care for your skin over time.

We have found that most of our patients continue to be happy with the results of their blepharoplasty 10 to 15 years after their surgery. It’s important to have a thorough discussion with your surgeon and to set realistic expectations with a clear understanding of what the procedure can and cannot achieve. 

Why Choose AGEI for your eyelid surgery?

Your eyes are one of the most delicate structures in your body. When you’re looking for a surgeon to correct the appearance or function of your eyelids and the structures surrounding your eyes, you want to seek an oculoplastic surgeon. 

Our oculoplastic surgeons are board-certified ophthalmologists who specialize in the aesthetics of the eye for patients in the Los Angeles, Santa Monica, and Beverly Hills areas. 

With extensive training in microsurgical eye surgery and highly specialized training in plastic and reconstructive eye surgery. The health and safety of your eyes are the number one priority in all surgical planning performed by an oculoplastic surgeon. 

As board-certified ophthalmologists, our surgeons will thoroughly examine your eyes and identify potential complications or eye problems that might impact your surgical plan.

Our team has extensive experience treating functional eye problems affecting patients’ vision and eye health, performing cosmetic surgery, and doing revisions of surgeries performed elsewhere that have gone bad.

Among the conditions that we treat are excess eyelid skin or fat, drooping eyelids, wrinkles around the eyes, eyelid reconstruction after tumor removal, excessive tearing, revising prior unsatisfactory eye lifts, abnormally turned in (entropion) or turned out (ectropion) lid margins, and traumatic eye injuries.

Other facial rejuvenation skin care procedures our doctors perform include Botox, fillers, and resurfacing chemical peels.

To schedule a consultation with us in our Beverly Hills office and surgery center to discuss your concerns about the appearance or function of your eyelids and to learn what treatments might be right for you, please call 866-945-2745 or click here to request an appointment online.

Sources

Lyon, D. B. (2010). Upper Blepharoplasty and Brow Lift: State of the Art. Missouri Medicine, 107(6), 383–390. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6188243/