Stephanie DeSimone, PA-C
Stephanie DeSimone, PA-C
Eyelid Surgery (technically called Blepharoplasty) is a plastic surgery procedure to remove fat as well as excess skin and muscle from the upper and lower eyelids. At the Lombardi Plastic Surgery Center in NJ, we use Eyelid Surgery to correct drooping of your upper lid and puffy bags below your eyes-features that make you look older and more tired than you feel and may even interfere with your vision.
ARE YOU A CANDIDATE FOR EYELID SURGERY?
The best candidates for eyelid surgery are men and women who are physically healthy, psychologically stable and realistic in their expectations. Most are 35 or older, but if droopy, baggy eyelids run in your family, you may decide to have eyelid surgery at a younger age.
The initial consultation with your plastic surgeon is very important. The plastic surgeon will need your complete medical history, so check your own records ahead of time and be ready to provide this information. Be sure to inform your plastic surgeon if you have any allergies, are taking any vitamins, medications (prescription or over-the-counter), or other drugs and if you smoke.
WHAT TO EXPECT DURING AN EYELID SURGERY PROCEDURE
Upper eyelid surgery is usually performed under local anesthesia, which numbs the area around your eyes, along with oral or intravenous sedatives. You'll be awake during the surgery, but relaxed and insensitive to pain. Some surgeons prefer to use general anesthesia. In that case, you'll sleep through the operation. Lower eyelid surgery is always performed under general anesthesia due to the intricacies of the procedure. Eyelid surgery can be done alone, or in conjunction with other facial surgery procedures such as a facelift or brow lift.
HOW IS EYELID SURGERY PERFORMED?
Eyelid surgery usually takes one to three hours, depending on the extent of the surgery. In a typical procedure, the plastic surgeon makes incisions following the natural lines of your eyelids, in the creases of your upper lids and just below the lashes in the lower lids. The incisions may extend into the crow's feet or laugh lines at the outer corners of your eyes. Working through these incisions, the plastic surgeon separates the skin from underlying fatty tissue and muscle, removes excess fat, and often trims sagging skin and muscle. The incisions are then closed with very fine sutures. Transconjunctival blepharoplasty is the commonly performed lower eyelid treatment, which provides excellent correction of fat pads below the eyes which create the look of bags. In this procedure the incision is made inside your lower eyelid, leaving no visible scar.