An Eyelid Lift Can Improve Your Eyesight
The latest trend in cosmetic surgery is an increasing number of men getting cosmetic treatments. Interestingly, the most common facial plastic surgeries sought for by women are also among the most popular for men. These include eyelid lift surgery (or blepharoplasty), rhinoplasty, facelift or necklifts. While women seek breast augmentations, many men are getting breast reduction. I’ve commented before how the main motivation for men is usually to remain competitive in the work force, and less for vanity.
An eyelid lift is one of the most popular cosmetic surgeries asked by men and women. While many women seek this surgery to help them look younger and improve their make up application, many men are interested in an eyelid lift to help them see better.
Men tend to tolerate more eye lid skin hooding because they aren’t using make up. Also, some upper eyelid skin excess doesn’t have a major impact on how old one looks. Women want to look more refreshed, vibrant and sexy.
Having an open eye—one that’s not weighed down by excess skin—is desirable. Men, however, start to get bothered by their excess skin when it gets to the point of blocking their upper visual fields. Frequently, men will complain to me of having to pull their brows or eyelids up to see better. You have this same problem. Your visual acuity may be fine or unchanged, but with the progressive hooding of your eyes, you may feel this heaviness in your upper face.
Without knowing why, your brain senses less light coming from above and you’re constantly raising your brows to get more light in. Over time, this can become tiring. You may even have experienced colleagues, friends, or family asking why you’re so tired, when you’re not. I can’t tell you how many patients I see who tell me how annoying these comments can be.
Benefits of an Eyelid Lift
For many problems, there are different options available to address the problem. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages. However, if your upper eyelid is hooding your eyes, there’s really one effective option, and that is surgery. A blepharoplasty will remove any excess skin. This is a straightforward procedure that can be done in our office. Some patients choose to have an oral sedative, while others choose to tolerate the procedure without any sedation.
Though straightforward, the surgery must be performed with great detail and care. Injury to the eye is very rare, but if it occurs can cause potentially severe complications. You should make sure your surgeon is board certified in facial plastic or plastic surgery. Oculoplastic surgeons are also excellent in performing this surgery. The key skills are good and artistic judgment on designing the excision, as well as technical skills to carry out this precise and delicate surgery.
The surgeon also needs to have experience in eye anatomy and surgery because the structures are delicate. Unfamiliarity with the anatomy can risk inadvertent injury to important structures. Good judgement is important because a poorly planned excision can create an unnatural look. Even if you can see more light, I’m not sure that is worth an unnatural operated look to your eyelids.
Blepharoplasty is performed the same in women as men. The difference in men is placing the incision lower—closer to the lash line. I find that if one designs the incision too high, similar to where women have it, this can create a look that doesn’t match your gender.
Occasionally, some excess eye fat can be removed. Though you should be aware that the latest trend is towards less aggressive fat removal because we’ve found that over zealous fat removal can result in a hollowed look that doesn’t look attractive. I think an aggressive fat removal and hollowed appearance looks worse in men than in women.
Eyelid Surgery Recovery Process
The recovery after a blepharoplasty is not hard. You should expect minimal pain. You will certainly experience some swelling and bruising. There may be a temporary gap when you close your eyes due to swelling, so good eye moisture care is critical to your eye health. At night, you will want to place some Lacrilube to keep your eyes moist when you sleep. Sutures are usually removed around day 3-5 after surgery.
I recommend you avoid any strenuous activity for two weeks. After that, you can do anything you want. The most serious complication to watch for is bleeding into the eye. Fortunately, this is very rare, but make sure you call your surgeon immediately if you experience any unusual pain, bleeding, or vision changes.
Eyelid lift is an excellent surgery which can significantly improve your visual fields. Not only will you see better, but you’ll also look less tired, which is a nice benefit.
For more information about an eyelid lift, contact Dr. Kenneth Yu in San Antonio or contact our Concierge Patient Coordinator at (210) 876-6868.
