Eye Lift

What Is Blepharoplasty

Eyes are the centerpiece of your face and often the most attention drawing feature on your body. With age, the skin around the eye is prone to sagging and wrinkling. This is usually the first sign of facial aging and patients often say that they appear tired even when they are not. This is a common source of concern for many men and women. Fortunately, there is a surgery that can resolve your problems and restore your confidence. It is called Blepharoplasty, or eyelid surgery. This can be performed on the upper eyelids or lower eyelids or more commonly both are combined for complete eye rejuvenation.

Should you get an Upper or Lower Blepharoplasty?

This will be determined on a case by case basis. Dr. Parakh will examine your eyes and decide which procedure would be most beneficial to you. If the main issue is loose skin on the upper eyelid, an Upper Blepharoplasty will likely be needed. In extreme cases the skin will fold down and rest against the eyelashes, causing discomfort. Sometimes it can even impair the field of vision and cause other health problems.

A Lower Blepharoplasty would be performed in cases where there are fat pockets or bulges on the lower eyelid. This is usually genetically linked and often makes the eye appear overly tired and swollen.

What happens during an Upper Blepharoplasty?

There is no need to be nervous! The Upper Blepharoplasty is a simple procedure that can be completed with minimal discomfort. Contrary to the name, the eyelid is not actually lifted during this process. Instead, skin and fat are removed from the eyelid and sometimes deposited in other areas of need. A thin stitch is then added to hide the scarring and create the appearance of an eyelid crease.

What happens during a Lower Blepharoplasty?

Just like the Upper Blepharoplasty, the lower eyelid procedure is a fairly straight forward procedure. Thanks to medical advances and Dr. Parakh’s expertise, there are no scars leftover after removing fat pockets. The fat is simply removed from the inside out and is sometimes injected to other areas of the eye, if needed. If the patient is older or has excess skin, besides removing the fat, laser resurfacing or deep chemical peel is performed of the loose, baggy eyelid skin. Most women notice their fine lines and wrinkles were dramatically improved after the laser resurfacing.

What is the recovery process like?

Upper and Lower Blepharoplasty are both almost entirely painless after operation. Most patients are back to work, fully recovered, after several days to a week. Bruising and swelling will go down after the first day or two.
Dissolving stitches are used for the Upper Blepharoplasty so those will be gone after a week. No need to worry about getting them removed!

Can you have both procedures done at once?

If Dr. Parakh decides you are a candidate for both a Upper and Lower Blepharoplasty, it can be done at the same time. Most patients opt to get it all done at once.

Is Blepharoplasty just a cosmetic procedure?

Dr. Parakh understands that for many patients, signs of aging are detrimental to their mental wellbeing and confidence. If there is such an easy solution that makes you happy, then there is no reason you should not consider a cosmetic procedure.

That said, there are many medical benefits to a Blepharoplasty as well. It can improve vision impaired by loose, droopy skin. Sometimes this extra skin makes it difficult to wear contacts or glasses, so this can alleviate that issue. Some patients also experience irritation from their eyelid skin rubbing together. This can lead to forehead discomfort, because the body’s natural response is to try and hold the eyebrows higher.

Is Blepharoplasty just for signs of aging?

Puffy eyes and exaggerated fat pockets are often genetically linked. Due to this, many patients in their 30s undergo a Lower Blepharoplasty in order to remove those fat pockets. The procedure rarely needs to be repeated, so there is no real reason to wait until you are older.

If you are considering an eye lift, come visit Dr. Parakh and she will help you decide on a suitable procedure plan. She understands the desire to be proud of your appearance and loves to help men and women become their most confident and happy self.