If there is any single feature that can affect your appearance in a drastic way, it is the area surrounding your eyes. Your eyes may be the first thing someone notices and one of the most lasting things they remember. So when your eyelids begin to droop or you start to develop dark, heavy bags, you may become self-conscious about the impression these unwelcome changes leave. You may even find that you can no longer see as well as you used to.
Eyelid surgery, also known as blepharoplasty, is a corrective procedure used to address both cosmetic and functional concerns related to the upper and lower eyelids. By removing excess fat and tightening the surrounding skin, blepharoplasty can restore a balanced, youthful appearance so you look as confident and young as you feel.
If you are interested in eyelid surgery in Edina, Minnesota, give Edina Plastic Surgery a call at 952-925-1765 or send a message through our online contact form. Drs. Leigh, Philbin, Stewart and Wilke have curated a wealth of experience throughout the years and look forward to providing top-tier surgical care.
Personalizing Your Eyelid Surgery
An eyelid lift is a relatively brief surgery compared to other facial procedures, but its results are some of the most impactful in plastic surgery. Over time, upper eyelids often develop an excessively full or droopy appearance, and lower lids may develop a combination of puffy fat pads and lax skin that drag down the undereye area. Surgery for these conditions can provide a more rejuvenated appearance and improve vision when loose skin is heavy enough to block the eyes.
Upper Eyelid Lift
The delicate skin of the upper eyelids is prone to sagging and wrinkling with age. An upper eyelid lift resolves these frustrating aesthetic flaws while also having the added benefit of restoring peripheral vision in severe cases. If you find yourself with a reduced peripheral vision or would like to give your eyes a more open and awake appearance, an upper eyelid lift may be a good option for you.
Lower Eyelid Lift
Many men and women develop pockets of fat underneath their eyes that settle and fall as they age. A lower eyelid lift removes or redistributes the fat to rejuvenate the region under the eyes. If no amount of sleep alleviates your puffy undereye bags, a lower blepharoplasty may be right for you.
Combined Eyelid Lift
If both of your upper and lower eyelids are affected, a combined or full eyelid lift addresses both the upper and lower eyelids for complete restoration of the eye area. This is a great way to improve multiple concerns simultaneously and maintain balance throughout your face.
Deciding If an Eyelid Lift Is Right for You
Although blepharoplasty is a routine and safe procedure, there is always a level of risk when undergoing surgery. For this reason, it is essential to thoughtfully weigh the risks against the rewards. If you are comfortable with the risks and have realistic expectations for your results, you are on your way to becoming a good candidate for this operation.
It is generally required that you be in good mental and physical health before undergoing surgery. If you smoke, have a history of dry eyes, have thyroid issues, have high blood pressure or have other preexisting health conditions, you are more likely to experience complications during the procedure. It is recommended to avoid having Lasik surgery within 6 months of an upper and/or lower eyelid lift. The best way to know whether you are a candidate for eyelid surgery is to schedule a consultation with a professional plastic surgeon.
Preparing for Your Eyelid Lift
It is important to have a clear understanding of your goals when you visit Edina Plastic Surgery for your initial consultation. During that appointment, your surgeon will listen closely as you describe your concerns and expectations. This allows them to make recommendations for the best procedure or procedures to meet your needs. Any concerns or questions you have are also best brought up during this time. After speaking with you, reviewing your medical history and performing a physical examination of your eyes and face, your surgeon will work with you to create a treatment plan that will maximize your comfort and results.
At this time, our surgeons may suggest adjunctive procedures to be performed alongside the eyelid lift if they believe it will help you achieve your aesthetic goals and maintain harmony throughout your face. Combining procedures is beneficial for several reasons. First, it reduces the cost of your procedure since you do not have to pay twice for surgical, anesthesia or facility fees. Second, it lessens the total amount of recovery time you have to invest into achieving the results you desire.
An eyelid lift is often coupled with other procedures focused on removing signs of facial aging, such as a facelift or brow lift. By addressing the whole face, a more holistic, natural result is created. We have a comprehensive medical skincare salon, Skin Artisans, right in our clinic to complement our surgery services. We offer easy access for patients who want state-of-the-art skin care, as well as safe and convenient minimally invasive procedures such as injectable fillers, Botox®, chemical peels and laser treatments. These treatments can help address textural skin issues, which are not treated with surgery.
The Eyelid Lift Procedure
Eyelid surgery is performed on an outpatient basis (requiring no overnight stay) in our fully accredited onsite surgery center. The procedure begins with the administration of anesthesia. You can opt for either local anesthesia with sedation or a light general anesthesia, in which you are completely asleep during the procedure.
Once you are sedated, your surgeon will begin by making incisions in the appropriate locations. These incisions are made within the natural folds of the eye area so that the scars can be easily concealed. For an upper lid blepharoplasty, your surgeon will make an incision along the natural skin crease of the upper eyelid. Excess skin is removed and some fatty tissue may be excised.
For the lower lids, an incision is made just beneath the lash line, extending to the crow’s feet region of the eye. Excess skin and fat can then be removed. The lower lid can also be improved using a “transconjunctival blepharoplasty.” In this technique, an incision is made along the inner lining of the lower lid where it will not be visible. The procedure allows treatment of the fat pads, though no skin can be removed, and works best for people who have younger, elastic skin. Sometimes a transconjunctival blepharoplasty is combined with a skin pinch blepharoplasty where a skin excision is made right below the lower lash line. This can help preserve structural tissues of your lower lid to help prevent out-turning of the lower lid, or ectropion.
Using the most cutting-edge blepharoplasty techniques, our Edina Plastic Surgery surgeons often remove little, if any, fat from the eyelids. Fat has been recognized as a tissue element that is lost with aging, so more modern techniques focus on fat preservation and repositioning rather than excision. For example, fat redraping into the “tear trough” region just below the lower lid and at the lid-cheek junction, can help camouflage this area and give a more youthful appearance.
Eyelid Lift Recovery and Results
Plan in advance to have a loved one, family member or friend available to drive you home from our facility and care for you during the first 24 hours after surgery. Expect some swelling and bruising around your eyes; this gradually resolves in one or two weeks for most patients, although sometimes swelling lasts longer. Ice packs (bags of frozen peas work great) are recommended for the first 24 to 48 hours. Your eyes may feel dry after surgery and lubricating drops are routinely used for at least the first one or two weeks.
You cannot perform any strenuous activities for the first two weeks. Most people feel ready to return to work after seven to 10 recovery days, although mild swelling and bruising may still be visible. Scars are usually not noticeable once they mature. Full recovery from the surgery – and the best results – may require six to eight weeks, and additional improvements may continue for another six months. Patients can expect to see a stark improvement in the sagging or drooping of their eyelids and a much more youthful and alert appearance that is not weighed down by excess skin.
Request an Consultation Today
Your eyes convey so much emotion and information. Unfortunately, over time, your eyelids may develop a droopy appearance that gives you a permanently tired, aged or angry expression that doesn’t reflect how you really feel. Eyelid surgery can rejuvenate the skin and other soft tissues around your eyes, leaving you with a more youthful, refreshed and well-rested appearance. Our board-certified surgeons have extensive experience in eyelid rejuvenation and are proud to provide expert care for patients from the Edina metro area, greater Minnesota and beyond.
You deserve to feel great about how you look. At Edina Plastic Surgery, we are dedicated to helping you achieve your aesthetic goals in a way that ensures your safety and satisfaction. If you want to learn more about your options to improve the appearance of your eyelids, don’t hesitate to contact us today at 952-925-1765 or through our online form to request your consultation.
