How Eyelid Surgery Can Make You Look Less Tired

Have you ever been annoyed when friends and family comment how tired you look even if you’re not feeling tired? While several factors may be contributing to this (such as wrinkles and frown lines), one common reason is excess eyelid skin—or dermatochalasis. Not only can this make you look tired, but—in many patients—it can also block some of one’s visual fields. Eyelid surgery, or blepharoplasty, is an excellent option to rejuvenate your eyes. The result is a more open appearance to your eyes, makes you look less tired, and will brighten your upper facial anatomy.

What causes upper eyelid skin redundancy?

As we age, we begin to lose volume in the area around the eye (or periorbital region). In addition, our skin loses elasticity and becomes more lax. As these changes progress, the skin begins to become redundant and hang over the eye. We all age at different rates, and heredity can play a major role. It’s not uncommon for my patients to tell me their parents also had the problem at about the same age as them. These changes can make one look tired even when they’re not. If enough “excess” skin develops, it may even block your superior (or upper) visual fields. Many patients will complain that they need to manually elevate their eyelid or brows when they’re reading or watching television. For some women, it may even affect they way they like to apply their make up.

What are treatment options for dermatochalasis?

The only effective treatment option for dermatochalasis is surgery. There are no injectable treatments. Botox will not correct the problem. Neither will any of the fillers on the market reverse or camouflage the excess skin. As we discussed above, the reason is excess skin, and the only way to correct this is to remove the skin. Eyelid surgery, or blepharoplasty, will correct the upper eyelid skin redundancy.

What does eyelid surgery involve?

Blepharoplasty addresses the excess upper eyelid skin by removing it. However, it’s not a simple procedure like removing a mole or skin tag. The eyes are the most captivating feature of our face. A properly performed eyelid surgery must not only remove the excess skin, but also restore your natural eyelid anatomy and beauty. Blepharoplasty is a very precise surgery and must be done with meticulous attention to detail. A thorough knowledge of the intricate anatomy of the eye region is crucial for a great and safe outcome. Sometimes, excess fat that has herniated through must be removed as well. Very fine sutures are used to close the wound carefully.

What are the risks of surgery?

Blepharoplasty, when done properly, is extremely safe with very few complications. Common reactions include bruising and swelling. The swelling often results in temporary incomplete closure of one’s eye (lagophthalmos). But this resolves once the swelling goes away. Scarring is inevitable with any surgery, but the scar from eyelid surgery will heal very well. However, there is always a very small chance you find the scar to be more noticeable, or heal in a way that doesn’t look good. Frequently, these can be fixed with revision surgery. Some bleeding is common after surgery—minor oozing. However, very rarely, there may be more bleeding than normal and this will need to be fixed. Sometimes, this means going back to the OR to find the source and stop. Fortunately, this complication is very rare. Permanent lagopththalmos due to removing too much skin is extremely rare. Injury to the eye itself and blindness are devastating complications, but these are also extremely rare.

What’s the recovery like after surgery?

Recovery after blepharoplasty is usually uneventful. There is minimal pain. Patients will have to use frequent eye drops and lubricant initially to keep the eyes moist while the swelling comes down. Tiny oozing is common the first day or two, and quickly goes away. The patient needs to keep the wounds clean and always cover with antibiotic ointment. Your surgeon will remove the sutures between day 3 to 5. You should expect bruising for the first one to two weeks, but this fades. Female patient can camouflage any minor bruising with makeup.

Eyelid surgery is one of the most popular surgeries in facial cosmetic treatments because dermatochalasis is a common problem bothering many patients. When done properly, blepharoplasty can rejuvenate your eyes, make you look less tired, and even improve your visual fields. Your friends and family will compliment on how good you look.

For more information on eyelid surgery of blepharoplasty, please schedule a consultation with Dr. Yu today. Dr Yu will restore your eyes youthful appearence.