Blepharoplasty

How do you tell if you are a candidate for blepharoplasty?

• Look carefully at yourself in a mirror and see if your eyes look "happy" and you look wide awake and refreshed. Excessive skin folds above the eyes can produce a sagging, tired look which detracts from one's general appearance.

• Excessive upper eyelid tissue can block the upper part of the visual field. Lift your upper eyelids with your fingers or raise your eyebrows to see if the upper visual field improves or vision brightens.

• Notice if the weight of any excess tissue causes eyebrow ache and fatigue. This occurs in some people.

• For women, notice if excessive skin interferes with the proper application of makeup on the upper 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:

• Wanted To Look Better - I realized the main thing about me that looked old was my eyes, and I could do something about that. After the procedure, I updated my hairstyle, make-up and wardrobe and I look great!

• Don't Want to Age Prematurely - I am only 40-something, and I don't want my eyes to look 50-something!

• Wanted To See Better - Once I realized how much my vision was limited by my baggy eyelids, I wanted to do something about it.

• Affected My Work - I have to make a positive first impression on people in my work. I hated it when people said frequently, "You look tired today," when in fact I felt refreshed.

• You Only Go Around Once - If you only "go around once," then I want to look as young and as good as I feel.

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.

Because blepharoplasty can affect the function and lubrication of the eye, a consultation with an ophthalmologist is important. 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.

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 using the Coherent CO2 laser. 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.

What to expect on procedure day:

You will arrive 30-60 minutes prior to your procedure. Once you have been checked-in and settled comfortably, you will be prepared for surgery. Blepharoplasty is generally performed using a local anesthetic. You may be given a mild sedative to help you relax.

If you are having surgery performed on your upper eyelids, your surgeon will remove the excess skin, muscle and fatty tissue that have accumulated in the inside corner of your eye, next to your nose. The incisions will be made along the natural folds in your skin so that as the incisions heal, they become difficult, if not impossible to see.

If your surgery is on your lower eyelids, your surgeon will make the incision inside or behind the eyelid (providing there is not too much excess skin). This technique is called a transconjunctival blepharoplasty, which allows the removal of fatty deposits while avoiding the need for an external incision. If you have excessive skin or muscle folds below the eye, an incision may also be made just below the base of the eyelashes. As this incision heals, the fine scar should become barely visible.

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 almost everyone's appearance and function are improved.

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.

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 upper lid 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, can 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.

If a patient with loose eyelid skin 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.

The fee for blepharoplasty varies from one patient to another depending on the complexity of the required surgery. We will be glad to discuss your needs and the costs associated with surgery during a consultation at our office.

If you would like more information about this exciting procedure, you may want to make an appointment or request additional information from our practice.