Information for patients undergoing Blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery)

Blepharoplasty is performed to improve the appearance of the eyes by removing excess skin and/or fat from the upper and/or lower eyelids. This makes the skin less wrinkled folded and puffy.

Why have it done?

Excess tissue above and below the eyelids tends to make people look and feel old and tired. Skin laxity and excess tissue is often associated with swelling of the underlying fat and muscle.

Excision of redundant skin, muscle and fatty tissue in the upper lid helps to produce a more wide-awake look, whereas the removal of excess fatty tissue and the wrinkled skin of the lower eyelid has a rejuvenating effect on the face.

Bags (lower lids)
Puffiness of the lower eyelids or "eyebags" is caused by swelling or growth of fatty tissue behind the muscle in the lower eyelid. This becomes more apparent in men and women with age. It may become noticeable earlier in women who retain fluid premenstrually, after crying, or in people suffering from thyroid disease. Swelling of the fat below the eye stretches the overlying muscle and skin so that it becomes loose and wrinkled.
This swelling is often more apparent in the morning because fluid, which accumulates in the fat around the eyes as you lie flat, has not had time to disperse. For this reason, it often looks worse after a late night. This accumulation tends to dissipate as you move about.

Creases
These are caused by skin ageing which leads to skin laxity. The skin may also be stretched by underlying fat and muscle action. The eyelid muscles can also be thickened by screwing up the eyes as in bright sunlight. Both the excess fat and thickened muscle can be corrected at the same time as the skin is redraped to produce a smoother appearance. Excess skin is also removed.

Upper lid laxity
Loose upper lid skin can impair vision an produce a tired look. Laxity of the upper lid caused by looseness of the skin itself can be corrected by blepharoplasty, but if it is caused by heaviness of the eyebrow or forehead a browlift may be a more appropriate procedure.

This information has been written to give you the basic facts about blepharoplasty. If you decide you would like to know more about this procedure please make an appointment to see me. Please write down any questions you wish to ask.