Eyelid Surgery
A surgery of precision
Eyelid surgery (technically called blepheroplasty) is a procedure to remove fat--usually along with excess skin and muscle from the upper and lower eyelids. Eyelid surgery can correct drooping upper lids and puffy bags below your eyes - features that make you look older and more tired than you feel, and may even interfere with your vision. However, it won't remove crow's feet or other wrinkles, eliminate dark circles under your eyes, or lift sagging eyebrows.
Blepheroplasty can be done alone, or in conjunction with other facial surgery procedures such as a facelift or brow lift.
Are you a good candidate for eyelid Surgery?
The best candidates for eyelid surgery are men and women who are physically healthy, psychologically stable, and realistic in their expectations. Most are 35 or older, but if droopy, baggy eyelids run in your family, you may decide to have eyelid surgery at a younger age.
A few medical conditions make blepheroplasty more risky. They include thyroid problems such as hypothyroidism and Graves' disease, dry eye or lack of sufficient tears, high blood pressure or other circulatory disorders, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. A detached retina or glaucoma is also reason for caution.
Risks and side effects:
The minor complications that occasionally follow blepheroplasty include double or blurred vision for a few days;temporary swelling at the corner of the eyelids; and a slight asymmetry in healing or scarring. Tiny whiteheads may appear after your stitches are taken out; your surgeon can remove them easily with a very fine needle. Eye infection is rare and can be treated with antibiotics.
Following surgery, some patients may have difficulty closing their eyes when they sleep; this condition usually last no more than few days. Another very rare complication is ectropion, a pulling down of the lower lids. This complication is seen when too much skin is excised by inexperienced surgeons or if healing is complicated by an infection or excessive scarring, both are rare events. In this case, further surgery may be required.
Ten days before surgery avoid Aspirin and other blood thinning medications, garlic and vitamin E supplements which can increase bleeding and bruising.
Types of anesthesia
Eyelid surgery is usually performed under local anesthesia--which numbs the area around your eyes--along with intravenous sedatives. You'll be awake during the surgery, but relaxed and insensitive to pain.
The Surgery
In a typical procedure, the surgeon makes incisions following the natural lines of your eyelids; in the creases of your upper lids, and just below the lashes in the lower lids. The incisions may extend into the crow's feet or laugh lines at the outer corners of your eyes. Working through these incisions, the surgeon separates the skin from underlying fatty tissue and muscle, removes excess fat, and often trims sagging skin and muscle. The incisions are then closed with very fine sutures which are removed in 3-4 days.
If you have a pocket of fat beneath your lower eyelids but don't need to have any skin removed, your surgeon may perform a trans-conjunctival blepharoplasty. In this procedure the incision is made inside your lower eyelid, leaving no visible scar. It is usually performed on younger patients with thicker, more elastic skin.
After your surgery
After surgery, the surgeon will probably lubricate your eyes with ointment and may apply a bandage. Your eyelids may feel tight and sore as the anesthesia wears off, but you can control any discomfort with the pain medication prescribed by your surgeon. If you feel any severe pain, call your surgeon immediately.
Your surgeon will instruct you to keep your head elevated for several days, and to use cold compresses to reduce swelling and bruising. (Bruising varies from person to person: it reaches its peak during the first week, and generally lasts anywhere 1-2weeks) You'll be shown how to clean your eyes, which may be gummy for a week or so. Many doctors recommend eye-drops, since your eyelids may feel dry at first and your eyes may burn or itch. For the first few weeks you may also experience excessive tearing, sensitivity to light, and temporary changes in your eyesight, such as blurring or double vision.
Your surgeon will follow your progress very closely for the first week or two. The stitches will be removed four days after surgery. Once they're out, the swelling and discoloration around your eyes will gradually subside, and you'll start to look and feel much better.
When would I see results?
Healing is a gradual process, and your scars may remain slightly pink for six months or more after surgery. Eventually, though, they'll fade to a thin, nearly invisible white line.
On the other hand, the positive results of your eyelid surgery-the more alert and youthful look-will last for years. For many people, these results are permanent.
How to choose your nose surgeon:
Too many surgeons claim to be experts at 62 different cosmetic procedures. At CosmeSurge, we have a eyelid plastic surgeon who has done thousands of eyelid surgeries and does one everyday.
The average cosmetic surgeon is lucky to perform one per month. Remember: Practice Makes Perfect
While we do not guarantee perfect results, we sure try to give you the best advice, best surgeon and the best surgical and
anesthesia team.
You fees cover not only the lab work and hospital stay, but any procedure you may need to fix any problem resulting from the eyelid surgery in he next three months after surgery. In our hands, problems are rare enough we can offer such a service.
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