Blepharoplasty, or eyelid lift, is a procedure that is used to improve the appearance of the eyelids. As people age, the eyes are particularly prone to develop changes. Factors that lead to these changes include high levels of expressiveness of the eyes, very thin skin, and multiple specialized fat compartments that hollow with time. As the eyes age, the fat volume will decrease, which can lead to a hollowing. Fine lines develop and the thin skin becomes redundant. In the lower eyelid, small fat compartments can bulge and cause “bags”, and the cheek fat will droop leaving behind a well-defined “tear trough”. Lowering of the eyebrows/ decent of the brow can further contribute to an appearance of tiredness.
As in all aspects of Facial Plastic Surgery, there is no single cookie-cutter operation that is applicable to all patients. Depending upon your individual appearance different procedures will be performed. These include removal of eyelid skin and fat, raising the level of the eyelid margin, adding fat to the brow, raising the brow, and laser resurfacing of the skin. Determining the appropriate interventions is based upon examination and photographs at the time of your visit.
During the recovery period after a blepharoplasty procedure or a brow lift procedure, some swelling is appropriate. Ice will be used for the first 48 hours in order to reduce the amount of bruising or swelling that can occur. The swelling improves over the next 1-2 weeks. If sutures are used they can be removed at 1 week, and patients are usually able to go back to work between 7-10 days after surgery.
Patrick Simon, MD - Facial Plastic Surgery 