Are you considering aesthetic plastic surgery? An eyelid lift, also known as blepharoplasty, has grown in popularity and number in recent years. Eyelid surgery is one of the most popular procedures, counted as one among the top five cosmetic surgeries performed in a single year.
Eyelid surgery or blepharoplasty is a type of surgery that repairs droopy eyelids and may involve removing excess skin, fat, and muscle.
As you age, your eyelids start to stretch, and the muscles supporting them get weakened. As a result, excess fat might gather above and below your eyelids, causing droopy upper lids, sagging eyebrows (eyebrow lift surgery), and bags under your eyes.
Such sagging eyelids can make you look older. Moreover, severely sagging your skin, mostly around your eyes, can reduce your side vision or peripheral vision. The condition mainly affects the upper and outer parts of your field of vision. The surgery can eliminate or reduce these vision problems and make your eyes appear younger and more alert.
To help decide if eyelid surgery is right for you, find out what you can realistically expect after the surgery and explore the benefits and risks of blepharoplasty.
Why is Eyelid Surgery Done?
You may consider eyelid surgery if droopy or sagging eyelids keep your eyes from opening completely. Or you can also view this surgery if your upper eyelids pull down your lower eyelids. By removing the excess tissue from your upper eyelids, you can improve your vision. Lower and upper lid surgery can make your eyes appear younger and more alert.
This surgery is done mainly for cosmetic reasons. It is also an effective way to improve sight, especially in older people whose sagging upper eyelids get in the way of their vision.
Eyelid surgery may be an option if you have:
- Droopy or baggy upper eyelids.
- If you have excess skin of the upper eyelids that might interfere with your peripheral vision.
- If you have excess skin on the lower eyelids.
- Have bags under your eyes.
You may undergo blepharoplasty surgery simultaneously as another procedure, such as a face-lift, brow lift, or skin resurfacing.
If you plan to have the surgery only to improve your appearance, insurance probably will not cover the cost. The lower lid blepharoplasty is almost done just for cosmetic reasons.
But remember, an eye lift surgery can help get rid of crow’s feet or other facial wrinkles. The procedure is done along with other procedures such as laser filler injections, forehead lifts, or resurfacing.
As your skin ages, it gradually loses its elasticity. A lack of elasticity together with the constant pull from gravity causes excess skin to collect around your eyelids.
Excess skin on the lower eyelid often causes bulges and wrinkles. On your upper eyelids, an extra fold of skin can hang over the eyelashes. This overlap often gets in the way of seeing.
History and Popularity of Eyelid Surgery
The history of eyelid lifts is not a long one, but it is steady. Surprisingly, eyelid lifts have ranked highly for the past decade in the list of cosmetic surgeries. 9 out of the top 10 countries listed eyelid surgery as one of the top five plastic surgery procedures. From the USA to the UK and worldwide, eyelid surgery is one of the most popular plastic surgeries in the market.
In particular, this surgery has reached peak popularity, especially in East Asia. Some have even started to label it as the “East Asian blepharoplasty” and it has become popular by that name.
From celebrities to office workers, one in every five women in Korea undergoes some form of plastic surgery. Plastic surgery Dubai is equally popular. This particular surgery was all the more popular when it started trending among Korean celebrities, and now it is one of the most common surgeries performed.
Who Is a Good Candidate For Eyelift Surgery?
The best candidates for eye lift surgery are individuals who are in good health and who have a realistic idea of what they want. Most patients are generally 35 years or older, but if droopy eyelids or baggy eyelids run in your family, you may decide to have the surgery done sooner.
Eyelid surgery can improve your appearance and help build your confidence. However, the surgery might not change your perfect look or alter your facial structure. Before you decide to have eyelid surgery, think about your goals and discuss them with your surgeon in detail.
Eyelid surgery can have a drastic effect on your face and improve a person’s self-confidence. If you consider this specific procedure, you should know all the pros and cons before going under the knife.
What is Eyelid Surgery?
An eyelid lift, or blepharoplasty, is a procedure that removes the skin and also removes the fat from the eyelids. The term eyelid lift might be confusing as the eyelid is not truly lifted during surgery.
Upper eyelid surgery uses incisions that will allow the removal of skin and fat. After the procedure, a thin stitch is used to bring the skin together allowing the creation of an eyelid crease.
During the lower eyelid surgery, your surgeon will make a skin incision directly below the lash line. Else your surgeon will make an incision on the inside of the eyelid – called a transconjunctival approach. The method allows for access to the eyelid without visible incisions.
This technique is perfect for patients who need fat removed without much scarring. This approach is often combined with laser resurfacing of the eyelid skin to reduce wrinkles and lines.
The fat cushions your eyeball from the skull can also cause bulges in the lower and upper eyelids. The thin membrane that holds those fat tissues in place weakens with age. As a result, the fat comes forward into the lids like a hernia which is actually removed.
Eyelid Surgery Procedure
An eyelift surgery usually takes about two hours if both your upper and lower eyelids are done together. Your surgeon will most likely use local anesthesia together with oral sedation.
If you are having all four eyelids done, your surgeon will typically start working on the upper lids first. Your surgeon will usually cut along the natural lines of your eyelids.
Your surgeon will separate the skin from the underlying tissue through these cuts. After the cuts are made, your surgeon will remove the excess fat and skin in the area.
Once the muscles and excess fat are removed, your surgeon will close those cuts with tiny stitches. The stitches present in the upper lids will probably stay for 3-6 days. The lower lids may or may not require stitches, depending on the technique your doctor uses.
Surgery on the lower eyelids may be done using several techniques. Your surgeon will make a cut inside your lower eyelid to remove the excess fat in one method. That cut would not be visible. Your surgeon might soften fine lines in the skin using erbium or C02 laser.
Your surgeon might use another method that involves cutting your eyelash margin. Through that cut, your surgeon can easily remove excess loose muscle, skin, and fat. Most of these cut lines fade after a short time.
After these procedures, your surgeon may recommend laser resurfacing. Laser resurfacing is a procedure used to reduce facial wrinkles and skin irregularities, such as blemishes, acne scars, or surgery marks. The technique directs concentrated, short pulsating beams of light at irregular skin. The approach precisely removes the skin layer by layer.
After the surgery
Your surgeon will probably apply ointment in your eyes to keep them moist and cover them with cold compresses while you are in the recovery room. Right after surgery, you might also have blurry vision from the ointment. In addition, your eyes might also be sensitive to light. Your eyes might feel dry or watery.
Most of these symptoms will reduce if you put ice packs on your eyes and sleep with your head raised for the first night after the surgery. Your doctor will give you detailed instructions for taking care of yourself after surgery.
Recovery Time for Eyelid Surgery
Patients usually require a short recovery time after eyelid surgery or blepharoplasty. Although swelling and bruising are usually worse on the day after surgery, they quickly begin to disappear.
During the first 48 hours post-surgery, cool compresses can greatly help reduce swelling and bruising around the eyes and face. Light activity such as walking or exercises might also help speed the healing process.
Your doctor will place bandages over the incision sites and remove them in several days, while the stitches can remain in the skin for about a week. Sometimes your surgeon might have used self-absorbing stitches that do not require removal.
Most people return to normal activities after seven to ten days following eyelid surgery. By two weeks after surgery, the majority of the swelling and bruising will resolve.
Results
Many patients express satisfaction with the results of eyelid surgery. Probably because it gives a more rested and youthful appearance and more self-confidence. However, for some, the results of the surgery might last a lifetime. For others, droopy eyelids may recur.
The swelling and bruising generally subside in ten to fourteen days, after which you may feel comfortable going out in public again. But the scars from the surgical cuts might take months to fade. You only need to take care to protect your delicate eyelid skin from too much sun exposure.
