Eyelid Surgery

What is a eyelid surgery (Blepharoplasty)?

If you are concerned with sagging upper eyelid skin or bags beneath your eyes, blepharoplasty may be right for you.

Your eyes are your windows to the world. They also reflect your mood, telling people you are happy, tired, curious, awed, or perplexed. When the eyes show telltale signs of aging, they may affect the way you are perceived by giving people the wrong impression of your mood.

Eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty) is one of the most popular facial plastic surgery procedures available. The procedure gives countless men and woman a renewed sense of self confidence.

Upper Eyelid Surgery

In upper eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty), individual lines and creases of the lids are marked in order to keep the scars as invisible as possible along the natural folds. The incision is made, excess fat, and loose skin are removed, and if necessary the muscle is tightened. Fine sutures are used to close the incisions, minimizing the visibility of any resulting scar.

Upper blepharoplasty should be considered when the upper eyelid skin feels heavy and begins to droop toward the lash line. This can make it difficult to put on eye makeup and your eyes may appear very small and tired.

Note: Sometimes what appears to be sagging of the upper eyelids is actually from drooping of the brow, and can be corrected by a brow lift. During your blepharoplasty consultation, Dr. Kienstra can determine which procedure will best meet your needs.

Lower Eyelid Surgery (Blepharoplasty)

In lower eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty), Dr. Kienstra will individualize the technique he uses based on your anatomy. During the blepharoplasty procedure he will either remove fat in the lower eyelid or retain and reposition the fat pad (lower blepharoplasty with fat-repositioning) to restore youthfulness underneath the eye. Incisions will be made inside the lower eyelid or just below the eyelashes, where it is inconspicuous.

For patients with wrinkles of the lower eyelid skin, Dr. Kienstra can also smooth the skin simultaneously during blepharoplasty with deep Erbium laser skin resurfacing. To remove loose, excess lower eyelid skin, he may also use what is known as a "pinch technique."

Dr. Kienstra may recommend that the fat in your lower eyelids be preserved and repositioned to reduce the loss of volume that can sometimes give a hollowed look to the eyes. Lower blepharoplasty with fat-repositioning gives patients a natural, refreshed look that retains the youthful fullness in the area under the eyes.

In lower blepharoplasty with fat-repositioning, instead of removing the excess fat, it is repositioned and secured with sutures. Special tape worn on the skin to hold the sutures in place is removed at the one week post-operative visit.

Recovery

For a week following blepharoplasty, you will be required to clean the eye area daily and apply ointment as directed. During your one-week blepharoplasty post-operative visit any permanent sutures used during surgery will be removed; self-absorbing sutures will dissolve on their own. Swelling and bruising will resolve in the 2nd week. Patients most often return to work in two weeks or less after eyelid surgery.