Broward Head Neck & Facial Plastic Surgery
220 S.W. 84 th Ave Suite 203
Plantation, Florida 33324
Blepharoplasty or Eyelift
Blepharoplasty or eyelid lift is a procedure which is designed to either address the lower eyelids, the upper eyelids or all four eyelids. Blepharoplasty may include removal of excessive skin, excessive skin and muscle, or excessive skin, muscle and fat. This is done to allow reconfiguration and recontouring of the skin in the eye area. This can be accomplished either under local anesthesia, local anesthesia with IV sedation, or under general anesthesia. Performance of the procedure under any of the above types of anesthesia is generally free of pain both during the procedure and postoperatively.
There is no specific eye type or specific age at which someone will benefit from blepharoplasty. The most common age at which this procedure is performed is between 40 and 70 years old. However, often patients will have a congenital herniation of the fat occurring at a young age, which causes bulging of the soft tissue, generally in the lower eyelid area. This can be improved with blepharoplasty.
There are several ways in which lower lid blepharoplasty can be accomplished. The most common manner is the resection or removal of excess skin, muscle and fat through an incision slightly below the lower eyelid lashes. This incision then will extend to just outside or lateral to the corner of the lower eyelid. In a similar fashion the upper eyelid is addressed however, the incision is placed in the normal skin crease of the upper eyelid which is usually about a finger breath above the eyelashes. This incision then meets an incision placed above this to remove the excess skin and fat and possibly muscle.
After the skin and muscle are redraped, sutures are used to close the incisions. The sutures are generally removed three or five days after the surgery.Another manner in which lower lid blepharoplasty can be performed is through an incision behind the lower eyelid. This is useful generally useful only if a person has excessive lower eyelid area fat, which is forming the fullness and puffiness below the eyes but does not have extra skin, which needs to be addressed. What's nice about this approach is that there are no visible scars as the incision is done behind the eyelid. The downside of this approach is that it is difficult to remove excessive skin and generally a patient will need to undergo either chemical peels or skin resurfacing techniques to reduce the amount of skin in the lower eyelid. That is unless they are the ideal candidates as noted above.
The procedure itself is generally not painful. Recovery is usually within three to five days. There may be swelling which usually resolves by 5 days after the surgery. Black and blue discoloration or bruising can occur with the procedure. Usually this resolves within 10 to 14 days after the surgery. Of course it is important that you not take any aspirin products for at least 10 days before and up to 7 days after surgery. Aspirin products are blood thinners and can cause increased bruising. There is no problem if you take Tylenol. In general unless you're on blood thinners such as Coumadin or Lovenox you can take your usual medications without interfering with the surgical procedure.
Some of the risks of blepharoplasty are noted below. These include rare problems such as bleeding, vision change, pain, infection, rounding of the eyelids, dry eyes, and inability to close the eyes fully. There may be other types of complications, which can occur, but they are much less common than even the above-mentioned uncommon events.
In general, if you have problems with increased intraocular pressure i.e. glaucoma or any other significant eye problem then you should see an ophthalmologist or optometrist, before you schedule your eye surgery.
Please feel free to contact our office if you have any questions.
Stephen E. Guilder M.D.