Facial Rejuvenation

Blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery)

Testimonials

Click here to view Before and After photo's of Blepharoplasty patients

Blepharoplasty, also known as eyelid surgery, is a facial plastic surgery procedure designed to correct droopiness and wrinkling of the upper eyelids along with puffy under eye bags. This is achieved by removing excess fat, skin and muscle or volumizing with fat transfers. Blepharoplasty may be performed on the upper eyelids, the lower eyelids, or both. Good candidates for blepharoplasty include men and women who are physically healthy, realistic in their expectations, and looking to improve the appearance of puffy under eye bags or drooping of the upper eyelids.

Other videos on Blepharoplasty:

Ptosis Repair

Drooping of the upper eyelids is referred to as ptosis. Eyelid ptosis usually occurs when the muscle of the upper eyelid is not strong enough to raise the eyelid. Mild ptosis is considered a cosmetic procedure. More severe ptosis repair can be covered by insurance. To determine whether this is a covered procedure you would have to have a field of vision study done to determine if this is a medically necessary procedure. Click here to view Before & After photos of Ptosis repair.

Eyelid surgery typically takes between one and two hours to complete and may be performed in a surgeon's office-based facility, an outpatient surgery center such as New England Laser and Cosmetic Surgery Center, or a hospital. Local anesthesia with sedation is often used, though general anesthesia may also be used. Incisions tend to be well-concealed, being located in the fold of the eyelid for the upper eyelids and inside of the lower eyelid for the lower eyelids. Once the incisions are made, excess fat is removed and sagging skin and muscle may be trimmed. If excess skin needs to be removed from the lower eye lids fine sutures are then used to close the incisions. For further tightening of the skin a chemical peel may be applied to skin on the lower lids.

Each patient is carefully evaluated to ascertain the procedure of choice. Volumizing the areas under the eyes and brow is yet another option accomplished with fat transfers. Fat transferred can be preformed alone or in conjunction with convectional Blepharoplasty.

Click here to read an article by Dr. Williams called "Understanding Blepharoplasty"

After eyelid surgery, some tightness and soreness of the eyelids can occur and may be controlled with prescription pain medication. Patients should keep the head elevated as much as possible during the first few days and regularly apply cold compresses to help reduce swelling and bruising. Dryness, itchiness, burning, excessive tearing, sensitivity to light, and blurred or double vision can occur during the first week. It typically takes ten days for the bruising to fade. Patients can usually resume reading within two to three days, and the stitches will be removed within six days. Work and most normal activities may be resumed within seven to ten days, while contact lenses may be worn after two or more weeks. More strenuous activities and alcohol consumption should be avoided for about three weeks.

Dr. Williams will discuss with you during your inital consultation any potential complications that may occur with eyelid surgery are as follows: bleeding, difficulty in completely closing the eyes, dry eyes, infection, pulling down of the lower lids, slight asymmetry in healing or scarring, swelling at the corners of the eyelids, temporary blurred or double vision, and whiteheads.

Click for more information about Blepharoplasty from the AAFPRS