Blepharoplasty
Eyelid lift

The eyes and their exposure have a significant importance to a person's beauty and personal charisma. With ageing the elasticity and stability of the soft tissues and skin diminishes and the skin appears loose and wrinkled. Some individual properties and personal habits such as smoking and extensive sun exposure can accelerate this ageing. The lowering of the eyebrows by age render a hooding to the upper eyelids. The attenuation of the connective tissues and the orbital muscle makes the orbital fat protrude like bags. Principally the aim of the operation is to stretch the skin and to remove bags. The skin does not regain its elasticity and the operation neither accelerates nor prevents continued ageing. The longevity of the operation can never be estimated. A timid look will disappear.

Technique: On the lower eyelids the incision goes just below the eyelashes extending into a natural wrinkle at the sides for a short distance. Depending on the deformity, either the skin alone or the skin and muscle are elevated and shortened. In cases of fatty components, these are either repositioned or removed. On the upper eyelids the estimated excess is marked and removed correspondingly. Fatty components are removed if necessary and the wound is closed leaving a tiny, almost invisible scar in the reconstructed globus line extending out over the orbital rim depending of the looseness at the sides of the eyes.
If an eyebrow-lift is needed, this is described elsewhere.
Sometimes it is more suitable to do a lower eyelid correction with invisible scars by altering the fatty component only from the inside of the eyelids combined with a light peeling of the skin.

Anaesthic: Conscious sedation and local anaesthetic.

Operating time: 1 - 2 hours.

What happens afterwards?

• When the anaesthetic subsides, a short intensive pain can be felt for about ½ an hour. After that there is no pain.

Complications

Referred unwanted biologic events can occur with a certain low frequency and must be regarded as calculated risks. Other risks not mentioned can also occur. For patients this must be considered before a decision for plastic surgery is set.

Bleeding: All operations can cause postoperative bleeding. These risks increase by the intake of analgesics and Vitamin E. These should be avoided 2 weeks prior to the planned operation.

Infection: All operations can cause infections that in case it happens will be treated with antibiotics.

Smoking: Smoking does compromise bloodcirculation and healing. Smoking should be abandoned prior to a planned operation.