Eyelid surgery, or blepharoplasty (Blef-uh-ro-plas-te), repairs droopy and puffy eyelids by removing excess skin, muscle and fat.

Eyelid Surgery also known as Blepharoplasty is a specialized procedure that corrects oversized, nerve-damaged, or disproportional eyelids. Blepharoplasty can be both a functional and cosmetic surgical procedure intended to reshape the upper eyelid or lower eyelid by the removal or repositioning of excess tissue as well as by reinforcement of surrounding muscles and tendons.

Eyes are the most expressive features in the face and the eye area often shows the earliest signs of ageing, or any other kind of stress that we may be having. The removal of fat deposits, excess skin around the upper and lower lids can dramatically change your appearance and erase years from your face. Eyelid cosmetic surgery removes excess skin from the upper eyelids, fat pouches under the eyes and corrects sagging or drooping eyelids to give your eyes and face young, rejuvenated look.

Blepharoplasty can be done alone or can be combined with other facial surgeries such as a Facelift and Brow lift to give the face a fresher and younger looking appearance. The surgery is performed under local anaesthesia with sedation if being performed as a separate procedure, but general anaesthesia is used if it is a part of a longer procedure like a Facelift and may take anywhere from three to four hours.

An incision is made below the eyelashes in lower eyelid and along the crease of upper eyelid, skin is dissected, fat removed and the muscle is tightened. The incision is closed with fine sutures to avoid scarring. A trans-conjunctival approach is also sometimes used to avoid the external incision.

Candidates for Blepharolasty If you have healthy facial tissue and muscles around eyes and don't have any serious eye problems, physically healthy, emotionally stable, you are a good candidate for the eye lid surgery.

Expected Results Eyelid surgery shall give you younger looking face with rejuvenated eyes and the area around it. If you have droopy eyes, your eyes shall look more awake. Some people have excess skin over the eyelid which comes in field of vision, is also corrected with the surgery. The results from this procedure are more or less permanent.

Recovery after Blepharoplasty You can resume routine activities in about a week to ten days after the surgery. Avoid strenuous work and activities for at least five to six weeks following the surgery.

Ice application over eyes keeps bruising and swelling down and sutures are removed in 5 days time. Local antibiotic cream and eye drops are prescribed. The bruising can be covered by a make up and sunglasses.

Need a Lubrication ointment at night to prevent dryness and irritation. Sutures are removed in 5-7 days.

Upper blepharoplasty incision may be cleaned with saline and coated with Neosporin ophthalmic ointment using a Q-tip applicator twice a day.

Avoid exercise and activities that increase heart rate or blood pressure significantly for first 7 -10 days. Elevate the head of the bed.Frequent Ice application over your eyes as much as possible atleast every hour for a day helps in reducing swelling and bruising.

A fresher and more youthful appearance of the eyes with reduced bags and pouches is the norm. Some actually experience an improvement in their eye sight as a result of removal of excess skin. Crows feet may be less visible but can only be improved further by laser, chemical peel or botox.

Contacts lenses may be worn after about one week.

Due to scar contraction, rarely there is pulling of lid downwards called ectropion. Dryness of eyes and visible scarring are rare.

Changes in the eye lid caused by droopy or saggy skin as well as bags around the eye can be corrected by eye lid surgery or blepharoplasty. Upper and lower eye lid can be corrected simultaneously and the procedure rejuvenates the eye. Protruding fat and excess skin can be addressed simultaneously by excision or redustribution.

To help decide if this surgery is right for you, find out what you can realistically expect and explore the benefits and risks involved.

Younger patients undergo surgery because of the fat deposits protruding through the wall orbital septum either in the upper or lower lid, making the eyes look dull and tired. Older people normally have age changes such as excess eye lid skin with and without protruding fat. Most patient seeking surgery wants a rejuvenated appearance that require re establishing the normal architecture of the eyes that was present when they were younger. Some also have restricted vision because of droopy lids, although more common in women, it‘s also performed on men as well.

Marking of excess skin and fat bulges is done in a sitting position. The surgery can be done under local or general anesthesia and the incision is made in the natural crease of the lid. The excess skin is removed and the fat excised or relocated and the incision closed by sutures. This leaves a very thin scar in the area which fades over time. Surgery on the lower lid depends on the preoperative condition. Bulging fat from lower lid without excess skin is treated by a transconjunctival blepharoplasty (Scar less and stitch less). Excess skin and muscle require excision of the same and will leave a scar very close to the edge of the lid. Some time there may be too much laxity of the lid exposing the conjunctiva and causing tearing which may require tightening of the lid in the horizontal direction at the corner of the eye called canthoplasty.

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