Eyelid Surgery

(Blepharoplasty)

Eyelid surgery (technically called blepharoplasty) is a procedure to remove fat and excess skin from the upper and lower eyelids to correct drooping upper lids and puffy bags below your eyes, which make you look older and more tired than you feel and may even interfere with your vision. Eyelid surgery can be done alone, or together with other facial surgery procedures such as a facelift or browlift.

Eyelid surgery can be performed under local anesthesia combined with sedatives to help you relax. Many patients choose general anesthesia and sleep through the procedure.

Blepharoplasty usually takes an hour or so. Typically, your surgeon makes incisions along the creases of your upper lids and just below the lashes in the lower lids. The skin is then separated from underlying fatty tissue and muscle, excess fat is removed along with sagging skin and muscle. The incisions are then closed with very fine sutures.

If you have a pocket of fat beneath your lower eyelids but don't need to have any skin removed, the doctor may perform a transconjunctival 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.

You'll need to keep your head elevated for several days and use cold compresses to reduce swelling and bruising. You'll probably be given eyedrops because your eyelids will feel dry and itchy. You should be able to read and watch television right away, and you'll be able to wear contact lenses very soon. Your stitches will be removed five days to a week after surgery. You'll probably be able to go back to work relaltively soon, but you'll need to minimize strenuous activities for longer. Bruising is likely to develop in the first couple of days after surgery but will subside rapidly, and you'll start to look and feel much better. The scars from the incisions might remain slightly pink for a couple of months after surgery. Eventually, they'll fade to thin, nearly invisible white lines. 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.

This has been only a general overview of eyelid surgery. To find out more, you should talk over the specifics of your case with Dr. Sheng. Simply call his office at (310) 288-0269 to make an appointment. He will be happy to take the time to make sure you are fully informed.

Copyright © 2003 Francis C. Sheng, M.D. All rights reserved.