When Should You Consider Blepharoplasty (Eyelid Surgery)?
Blepharoplasty, also known as eyelid surgery, is a surgical procedure that addresses upper and lower eyelids concerns. As you age, the skin around the eyelids stretch, muscles weaken, and fat gathers over and under the eyes. This may cause sagging eyebrows, drooping upper lids, under-eye puffiness or bags, and dark circles. Eyelid surgery is an effective approach to help many women and men reduce the “hooded or drooping” appearance in the upper eyelids or the “saggy-baggy” puffy skin of the lower eyes.
If your eyes have a tired and droopy appearance, they may not reflect your vibrant inner self or, in fact, your true age. It is noted that the earliest signs of visible aging are seen around the eyes.
Eyelid surgery is not just a purely cosmetic surgical procedure to rejuvenate the appearance of aging eyes, as many younger people are affected with sagging eyelids. Drooping upper eyelids can have several causes, including heredity, sun exposure and chronic eye rubbing. For those individuals, whose vision is affected by the drooping of the upper eyelid, upper eyelid surgery can help restore the patients’ visual field.
Who Can Benefit From Eyelid Surgery?
Before
After
Men and women who are experiencing the following conditions, may benefit from upper and/or lower eyelid surgery.
- Sagging upper eyelid skin
- Bags under the eyes
- Dark circles under the eyes
- Eyelids always look puffy
- Field of vision is impaired due to eyelid skin sagging
Many eyelid patients feel like their facial appearance looks “tired” or like they didn’t get a good night’s sleep due to the loose skin, eye bags and dark circles under. Aging in this area of your face can make you appear older than you are. Fortunately, under the expert hands of Dr. Thomas Leach, the Princeton Center for Plastic Surgery’s Medical Director, and a board-certified plastic surgeon, you can attain dramatically younger-looking eyes while improving your overall facial appearance with eyelid surgery and a wide array of other cosmetic facial rejuvenating surgeries or procedures.
Dr. Thomas Leach can help you determine if you are a candidate for eyelid surgery and which procedure(s) will enhance your eyes. Also, Dr. Leach can advise you on the benefits of combining procedures to maximize your desired results. Blepharoplasty can be done as a solo procedure or, if Dr. Leach advises, with other facial surgery procedures such as a brow lift and facelift.
How Is Upper Eyelid Surgery Performed?
As you age, the brow line begins to fall and the skin on the upper eyelids tends to crowd and bunch up. Also, excess upper lid skin develops due to the decrease in the eyelid skin elasticity. Eyelid surgery removes excess skin and is often performed in conjunction with a brow lift so that the brow is elevated giving you a more “open” and youthful appearance.
If upper eyelid surgery is performed in conjunction with a brow lift, Dr. Leach performs the brow lift first so that the brow is placed in the correct position. The brow lift will tighten up some of the excess eyelid skin. The remaining loose upper lid skin is removed, and the skin edges are finely sutured together. Dr. Leach exercises extreme care so that the correct amount of loose skin and tightening is done so that your eyes look natural and can comfortably close after surgery.
How Is Lower Eyelid Surgery Performed?
Dependent upon the nature of your lower eyelid problem and desired cosmetic enhancement, there are a few surgical options.
If you have excess lower eyelid skin, wrinkles, and/or a fatty bag these can be addressed with a lower blepharoplasty. An incision is made just below the eyelash line so the final scar will be almost invisible. The excess fat is removed and the skin is re-draped – not pulled, to give a smooth natural look. The excess skin is conservatively trimmed and the incision close with exceptionally fine sutures.
Eyelid lifts can either be done alone or together with a facelift, neck lift or brow lift. Eyelid surgery is typically done in the office with local anesthesia or oral sedation. If either Dr. Leach or the patient has any anxiety about local anesthesia, then we simply schedule the procedure at the hospital or surgical center so they can be done under general anesthesia. All patients can go home after a short post-operative recovery.
If done alone, the operation takes about 2 hours for all four eyelids (both upper and both lower eyelids). Blepharoplasty of the upper eyelids alone typically takes approximately 1 ½ hours and may be performed under local anesthesia only.
Recovery is fairly rapid and most day-to-day activities resume within 48 to 72 hours. Patients can be bruised for up to 2 weeks, so patients are advised to plan accordingly. Dr. Thomas Leach will provide specific recommended aftercare procedures to follow to ensure successful end results.
Blepharoplasty is one of the most performed cosmetic surgical procedures. It is a challenging procedure that requires a thorough understanding of the anatomy of the eye and eyelids and a skilled experienced plastic surgeon. Dr. Thomas Leach has performed hundreds of eyelid surgeries with remarkable results and has been practicing in the Princeton, New Jersey area for more than 29 years.
If you have been considering blepharoplasty, we recommend you contact The Princeton Center for Plastic Surgery to schedule a personalized appointment with Dr. Leach. He can confirm if you are a candidate for eyelid surgery. Call 609.921.7161 or email us today.
