Blepharoplasty: Eyelid surgery
Blepharoplasty is surgery that aims to treat the eyelid area. It usually consists in correcting the tired look of the glance by giving it a more relaxed appearance.
The corrections can treat the following:
- Drooping heavy upper eyelids with excess skin
- Under-eye bags in the lower eyelid area
- Falling eyebrows which give a sad look
- Wrinkles in the eye area, horizontal under the eye or external (crow’s feet)
- Hollow under-eye
These corrections are suited to men and women and are usually performed on those who are 40 or older. Crow’s feet and under-eye lines may be treated with aesthetic medicine whereby no surgery is needed (botulinum toxin and hyaluronic acid).
Before the procedure
Please allow yourself an unavailability period of 1 to 8 days after surgery. An ophthalmologic evaluation will be prescribed, and in case of dry eye syndrome, patients will need to use artificial tears.
A homeopathic preparation with arnica (5CH) can be taken 3 to 4 days before the surgery in order to limit bruising.
The procedure
The surgery is usually done in the day care department and lasts from 1 to 2 hours. A local anesthesia may be sufficient, but a mild sedatve may be used as a complement.
- Upper eyelids: the scars are situated in the eyelid’s midway point and they are very discreet. If an internal hernia -fatty pocket in the inner eye corner- is identified, it will be treated at the same time.
- Lower eyelids: in case of isolated pockets, the scar is situated inside the eye and it is completely invisible. If the pockets have a large size, they may be associated with hollow under-eyes and a lipofilling may be carried out in order to avoid a hollow effect after the blepharoplasty. In case of major skin excess, a scar will be located under the eyelashes. It heals quickly and does not leave any visible mark.
After the procedure
There is no real pain, but possibly a feeling of pressure in the eyelids.
- Please ask someone to help take you home.
- Patients will wear smoke-tinted glasses which will help the eyes to rest.
- Physiological serum single doses can be placed in the fridge and used to refresh the eyes and help reduce the edema more quickly.
- Visual fatigue, TV, reading, should be avoided for a week.
Slight bruising may appear after the treatment, it will disappear in about 8 days.
If stitches are required, they will be removed on the 4th day after surgery.
Patients can use make-up one week after the treatment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I have eyelid surgery without a scar?
Blepharoplasty, or eyelid surgery, without a scar is possible for the lower eyelids by going through the inside of the eye to remove the fat tissue deposits.
For the upper eyelids, eyelid surgery always leaves a scar, but it becomes almost invisible over time. The scar is situated in the natural fold of the eyelid. It is worth noting that eyelid skin is the skin on the body that heals best. The scar becomes undetectable after about a month. In the meantime, you can always use make-up to conceal it.
What are the potential risks with cosmetic eyelid surgery?
Risks are extremely rare with blepharoplasty. However, any patient undergoing upper eyelid surgery must be informed of the risk of lagophthalmos, inability to close the eye completely, for a few days. Epidermal cysts can form on the scar. In most cases, they clear up on their own.
For skin resection on the lower eyelid, i.e. when skin is removed, an eye deformation known as “round eye” can be observed (but only with advanced modern techniques). This deformation regresses within a few weeks with daily self-massages.
How long does a blepharoplasty procedure last?
The operation itself lasts between 45 minutes (excess skin on the upper eyelids) and 2 hours (upper and lower eyelids). Surgery can be performed as an outpatient procedure, meaning you’ll be admitted and released from the clinic the same day.
Results generally last from 10 to 15 years.
How much does it cost?
As with any procedure, the cost depends on the work involved. The price is totally different for “simply” removing excess skin from the upper eyelids than for removing under-eye bags or treating excess skin and bags on the upper and lower eyelids at the same time. Prices range from €3 500 to €7 000.
That’s why you can only have an idea of the exact cost of the procedure after a consultation.
Should I plan time off work?
After blepharoplasty (either upper or lower eyelids), you’ll want to plan to avoid going out in public for eight days if you want to hide the procedure. Eyelid surgery can result in varying degrees of ecchymosis (bruising) and edema (swelling) that are visible for five to eight days. Despite a few ways that can help you get back to normal life faster (using arnica, ice packs on the eyes after surgery, etc.), it’s always better to plan for a few days of living discreetly…
