What is Blepharoplasty?

Changes in the eye area can make you look tired and older. Excess skin around the eyes, and  loose aging skin can make this look more noticeable. Blepharoplasty removes that excess skin to give a refreshed and taut appearance around the eye area.

Is your eye area making you look worn and fatigued?

As one ages, the tissues around the eyes can change, resulting in a “tired” appearance, making you look older than you feel. The upper eyelids can be full of excess skin or tissue making you a great candidate for Blepharoplasty, or eyelid surgery. In addition, drooping eyebrows can make the excess or drooping of skin more noticeable, which is reversible with a brow lift.

While looking in the mirror, place a finger above the outer eyelid and gently pull upwards. If your upper lid looks brighter and you look less tired, then an upper eyelid blepharoplasty may be right for you. Similarly, pull gently outwards and upwards on the lower eyelid to see if you have improvement below the eye. If so, a Lower Eyelid Blepharoplasty may be in order.

Prior to considering surgery, Dr. Atkins will discuss other important considerations for the eye region, such as combining a Brow Lift, Botox®, Juvederm® fillers, or using Lasers to optimize improvement in this important area.

Our surgeon will review which treatments are best for your concerns.

What should I expect from an Upper Eyelid Blepharoplasty?

An Upper Blepharoplasty is a surgical procedure that we can commonly perform under local anesthesia, often without sedation. While sitting in the preoperative area, our surgeon will mark out the proposed amount of upper lid tissue to remove. In the operating room, he performs the procedure under sterile conditions. After injecting of local anesthetic, he makes incisions and removes the excess skin and tissue. Then, he uses fine sutures to close the incisions. Recovery for this procedure is relatively quick. Swelling and bruising of the area is normal and will disappear. For an isolated upper eyelid blepharoplasty, suture removal is usually 4 to 5 days after surgery, at which time you can apply make-up.

What are the benefits of an Upper Eyelid Blepharoplasty with a Brow Lift?

Occasionally, drooping eyebrows can add to the aging of the eye area, in which case we suggest a brow lift. After a Brow Lift, the eyebrows will appear to be more lifted and open, resulting in a refreshed and youthful appearance. We can perform an upper blepharoplasty and brow lift together, which will significantly change the entire look of the aging eye area.

What is a Lower Eyelid Blepharoplasty?

Indication of the need for lower eyelid surgery is skin laxity and bulging fat in the lower lids. Under sedation anesthesia, the doctor makes an incision at the outer corner of the eyelid and extended under the eyelashes across the lower eyelid. The skin is lifted and the protruding fat is carefully removed or moved downwards to lift out the crease under the eyelid. The skin flap is pulled outwards and upwards to tighten the lower lid with a small amount of skin excision. Swelling and bruising is somewhat common, and make-up can be applied 7 to 10 days after surgery.

Dr. Atkins suggests a multi-pronged approach for rejuvenation of the lower eyelid area. She will discuss adjunct treatments, such as Fillers to the “tear trough” area or Laser Treatments, to further tighten and enhance the lower eyelid. Dr. Atkins will address all questions and concerns during your consultation.