Beverly Hills Blepharoplasty

Dermatochalasis is the medical term for excessive skin around the eyelids, and it is a common complaint among older men and women, although it can develop at any age. The primary cause of drooping eyelids is the aging process. The skin on your eyelids is very thin and delicate. As the years pass, the eyes are repeatedly being opened and closed.  Additionally, there is increasing relaxation of the tissues throughout the body, including the eyelid skin. Pockets of fat surrounding the eye can begin to bulge out, particularly in the lower eyelid. Excess fat may accumulate below or above your lids.

You may feel like you have a “tired” appearance and not know what is making that appearance. Frequently, drooping eyelids, excess skin around the eyelids, or bulging fat around the eyes is to blame.

SEE ALSO: I’m Embarrassed About My Droopy Eyes 

Surgery is generally the best way to address aging eyelids, but it’s important to work with a surgeon who is skilled in surgical techniques specific to eyelid surgery, or blepharoplasty. I have performed many of these procedures and have the training and expertise needed to create beautiful and functional results. A full facial analysis is incredibly important to understand each person’s own aging process. It is only with this understanding  that a plan can be created to address and reverse these changes. And while surgery is certainly the most powerful way of addressing upper and lower eyelid aging, there are also supplemental non-surgical means to address eyelid aging such as neurmodulators (like Botox), fillers (Juvederm, Restalyne, etc), chemical peels, and lasers.

Blepharoplasty refers to upper or lower eyelid surgical rejuvenation. For excess upper eyelid skin, I remove this tissue in a nearly scarless method.  This procedure is a relatively small procedure and can sometimes even be performed under local anesthesia although I do usually perform it under general anesthesia to completely alleviate patient anxiety.

I begin the procedure by injecting local anesthetic into the upper eyelid skin to be removed. This also helps to minimize any bleeding or bruising. Once the medication has taken effect, I begin the upper blepharoplasty by creating an incision along the natural fold in your eyelid. Placing the incision here helps to hide your scar.

I then carefully remove excess fat deposits and sagging skin. Because the skin is so thin in this area, the scar heals very well. I will then use an extremely fine suture to close the incision.

For a lower blepharoplasty, I usually access the fat bags under the eyes through a small incision on the inside of the eyelid.  While this may sound scary, the eyes are protected with special plastic shields and this approach actually prevents any scar on the outside of the eyelids and heals extremely well. Fat is removed as needed to create a smooth transition from the eyelid to the upper cheek. A special stitch is usually placed to help support the lower lid to protect it from pulling down and away from the eye.

At the end of the procedure, ointment is placed in the eyes to protect them from drying and a cooling pack is placed over the upper face to reduce swelling.  You will keep your head up for the first week to minimize swelling in the face.

SEE ALSO: What Can Go Wrong with Blepharoplasty?

Your appointment will be a full history and physical examination to assess your candidacy for blepharoplasty surgery. Most importantly, a full facial analysis will be performed to understand the aging process for you. With respect to your eyes, a comprehensive functional and aesthetic analysis will be performed to understand the different procedures to improve your eye appearance.

This complete exam is very important to minimize and eliminate risks associated with the procedure such as dry eyes and excessive bruising.

Yes, blepharoplasty can definitely be combined with other procedures. To rejuvenate the eye region, surgery can certainly be a powerful way turn back the clock and reduce a tired appearance.  Surgery itself does not address the skin and therefore other modalities such as laser skin resurfacing and chemical peel can be used to thicken and improve thin and “crepe-like” skin that easily gets wrinkles.

Botox can be used to soften the muscles around the eyes that create an aged appearance.

Dermal fillers and fat injection can be used to re-volumize areas around the eye to reverse the changes of aging like sunken hollow eyes

These procedures can also be combined with other facial rejuvenation procedures such as facelift, rhinoplasty, neck lift, brow lift.  What procedures are best suited to you will largely depend on a thorough preoperative facial analysis.

SEE ALSO: Enhance Functional Vision with Blepharoplasty

Blepharoplasty is usually an outpatient procedure, so you’ll be able to return home the same day. We provide comprehensive post-surgical care instructions, and following those guidelines can vastly improve your recovery process.  Usually you are swollen and sometimes mildly bruised for about a week. You may also experience blurred vision, light sensitivity, and double vision in the hours or days following your blepharoplasty, but these go away during the initial healing period. Periodic icing can relieve any discomfort, and you should also take care to keep the area clean and protected as the healing process moves forward.

SEE ALSO: How Long After Blepharoplasty Will I Look Normal?