Thinking of undergoing a blepharoplasty? Keep on reading.
Eyelid surgery (or “blepharoplasty”) is aimed at removing excess skin and fat on upper and lower eyelids. Our patients from abroad who visit us for an eyelid surgery usually report us that people think they are tired, when they’re not.
Indeed, eyelid surgery can help women and men to correct drooping upper lids and puffy bags below their eyes. This condition does make you look older and more tired than you feel, and may even interfere with your vision.
First consultation free. Online consultation for overseas patients also available.
Am I a good candidate for eyelid surgery?
Most of our patients are 35 or older, but if droopy, baggy eyelids are common in your family, you may decide to undergo eyelid surgery at a younger age.
Drooping eyelids are the first and commonest request. The skin excess from the upper eyelid gives a tired and sad look. The operation is performed under local anesthesia and in 1 hour we remove the sagging skin.
During consultation with Dr. Benito, we will give you specific instructions on how to prepare for surgery, including guidelines on eating and drinking, smoking, and taking or avoiding certain vitamins and medications. Carefully following these instructions will help your surgery go more smoothly.
What does blepharoplasty not correct?
Wrinkles around the eyes (crow’s feet) and low eyebrow are not corrected with eyelid surgery. Fluid retention is not improved as well and after the operation could be slightly worse because of imflammation.
Some procedures such as botox, dermal fillers, laser resurfacing or fat grafting could be needed to treat the area around the eyes.
What’s eyelid surgery about?
Eyelid surgery is usually performed on an outpatient basis, under local anesthesia and light sedation. Blepharoplasty usually takes one to two hours, depending on the extent of the surgery.
In a typical procedure, we make incisions following the natural lines of your eyelids; in the creases of your upper lids, and just below the lashes in the lower lids. The incisions may extend into the crow’s feet or laugh lines at the outer corners of your eyes. Working through these incisions, we’ll remove excess fat. Blepharoplasty will not solve the droopy eyebrow or the crow’s feet. These would need additional procedures to correct them.
In lower eyelids, we favour the transconjunctival blepharoplasty. In this procedure the incision is made inside your lower eyelid, leaving no visible scar. This is actually the commonest technique for lower eyelid as it has fewer potential complications, recovery is faster and there are no visible scars. In men, transconjunctival approach is our preferred technique, because eyelids in men are more lax and the risk of a round eye because of retraction of the skin of the eyelid is higher.
To correct the dark and hollow circle of the eye, we use the own fat bag to fill in. This is named trasposition of fat. For hyperpigmentation we use either nanofat, carboxitherapy or the Q-switched laser.
Which results will I get with an eyelid surgery?
You will have to keep your activities to a minimum for three to five days, and to avoid more strenuous activities for about three weeks. It’s especially important to avoid activities that raise your blood pressure, including bending, weight lifting, and rigorous sports. You may also be told to avoid alcohol, since it causes fluid retention. Healing is a gradual process, and your scars may remain slightly pink for six months or more after surgery. Eventually, though, they’ll fade to a thin, nearly invisible white line.
