Your Guide to Eyelid Surgery

They say the eyes are the window to the soul, but while being an “old soul” is often a compliment, it’s not the message you want your eyes to get across. If you’re experiencing extremely hooded eyes that sometimes even affect your vision, puffiness, bags, or droopiness that won’t go away no matter how much sleep you get, or more lines than an excel spreadsheet under your eyes, eyelid surgery might be the right choice.

Eyelid surgery, also known as blepharoplasty, is a surgical procedure that rejuvenates and improves the look of the eyelids. Performed under general anesthesia, Blepharoplasty typically takes around 3-4 hours, and can be performed on both the upper and lower lids.

When performing upper eyelid surgery, your doctor will make an incision on your natural creases, so scarring from an upper blepharoplasty is usually very faint. If your concern is bags under the eye, a lower eyelid surgery is performed through an incision on the inside of the eyelid, whereas excess skin under the eye or droopy eyelid surgery is performed via an incision just under the eyelashes.

5 Fast Facts about a Blepharoplasty:

1. Rejuvenated Appearance: Blepharoplasty, commonly known as eyelid surgery, is a cosmetic procedure designed to rejuvenate the appearance of the eyes by addressing sagging eyelids and under-eye bags. It can provide a more youthful and alert look.
2. Upper and Lower Eyelids: The surgery can target both the upper and lower eyelids. For the upper eyelids, excess skin and sometimes muscle and fat are removed. In the lower eyelids, it typically involves addressing puffiness caused by excess fat or skin.
3. Functional Improvement: In addition to cosmetic benefits, blepharoplasty can also enhance vision for individuals with significant sagging of the upper eyelids. By removing excess tissue, the procedure can improve peripheral vision and reduce obstruction.
4. Minimally Invasive Techniques: Advanced techniques, such as laser technology, are often employed for blepharoplasty, making the procedure less invasive. This can result in reduced swelling, bruising, and a quicker recovery compared to traditional surgical methods.
5. Long-Lasting Results:While aging continues, the results of blepharoplasty are long-lasting. Patients can enjoy the aesthetic improvements for many years, maintaining a more youthful and refreshed eye appearance. Regular skincare and sun protection can help prolong the results.

What is Recovery Like For Eyelid Surgery?

Like with any other surgery, there is a recovery period. You should expect swelling and some pain in the first few days after your blepharoplasty, which should subside within a week. In fact, most people return to work a week post-procedure, though any strenuous activity should be avoided for at least two weeks.

Your results.

As you heal, you’ll start to see yourself as your younger and more refreshed-looking you, with your results lasting for years to come. There are some things you can do to ensure your results last  as long as possible. Most notably, sunscreen, sunscreen, sunscreen. You should be applying broad-spectrum protection of at least SPF 30 or higher every single day (bonus: this will also ensure the rest of your face is protected from the sun’s photo-aging effects!)

The final look of your refreshed, younger looking face will gradually become more evident over time, however the overall effects of the surgery are expected to last for years. In order to maintain long-term results proper precautions are recommended such as protecting your eyes from the sun’s harmful rays by wearing sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher. Dr. Barrett will be sure to go over all the necessary precautions with you in order to ensure optimal, long-lasting results.

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Are you interested in this procedure? Call us at (310) 398-2648 or fill out this virtual consultation form and we will reach out to you as soon as possible. We’re excited for you to take this next step!

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