Eyelid (Blepharoplasty)

Sometimes called "eyelid lift" or "eyelid tuck", eyelid surgery is technically called Blepharoplasty. Upper eyelids often develop an excessively full or droopy appearance, and lower lids may develop puffy fat pads and loose skin. In these cases, blepharoplasty can produce a more refreshed and rejuvenated appearance. This can be done to the upper and/or lower eyelids, to improve appearance by removing excess fat pads or skin.

Eyelid surgery can be performed under local anesthesia with sedation or under a light general anesthesia, in which you are completely asleep during the procedure. These options can be discussed with your surgeon. For an upper lid blepharoplasty, the surgeon will make an incision along the natural skin crease of the upper eyelid. Excess skin is removed and some fatty tissue may be resected. For the lower lids, an incision is made just beneath the lash line, extending to the crows feet region of the eye. Excess skin and fat can then be removed. The lower lid can also be approached using a "transconjunctival blepharoplasty". In this technique, an incision is made along the inner lining of the lower lid where it will not be visible. This technique allows treatment of the fat pads, although no skin can be removed. This technique is useful on people who have younger, elastic skin but have prominent fat pads.

In the modern techniques of blepharoplasty, we often remove little, if any, fat from the eyelids. Instead, the fat is repositioned into areas that appear more sunken. This is very helpful in the area of the "tear trough" just below the lower lid, at the lid-cheek junction. In addition, the muscle of the lower lid is often lifted to help smooth the contour of the upper cheek and lid.