Blepharoplasty
It is said that your eyes are the windows to your soul, but if you think about it, they are a lot more than that. As you grow old, signs of ageing always start somewhere around the eyes. The eyelids are usually the most affected as the skin here is the thinnest compared to any other body part – making it the easiest to stretch and deform with age.
While ageing is natural, most people would prefer to delay the outward signs of old age for as long as possible to hold on to their more vibrant, youthful spirit. But who doesn’t want to look and feel younger anyway? That’s where blepharoplasty (or eyelid lift surgery) comes in. This is a form of surgery that helps correct the loose skin around the eyelids to prevent them from looking aged, fatigued, or even affecting your vision. Mind you, NHS may cover the surgery if an ophthalmologist or optometrist conducts a visual field exam to ascertain that the sagging upper eyelid is indeed causing vision difficulties.
The eyelid lift surgery involves removing excess skin, muscle, and fat from the target areas. The procedure can be performed on upper eyelids, lower eyelids, or both. And just in case you are not ready to undergo surgery, you can have alternative treatments like medical-grade eye correcting strips, laser resurfacing, plasma pen treatments, chemical peels, and fillers to smooth the puffiness. The main problems caused by loose skin on the eyelids include exposure of the white of the eye when the lower eyelid is droopy, puffy eyes, saggy skin on the upper lids, and dark circles around the eyes.
The Surgery: Upper Blepharoplasty vs Lower Blepharoplasty
When you come to our plastic surgery UK clinic for eyelid lift surgery, our surgical experts will conduct your initial exam. Our doctor will chat with you to understand your concerns and then review your medical history, including any allergies, history of dry eyes, or current prescriptions. The doctor will then be able to develop a customized treatment plan for you to avoid any common risks associated with blepharoplasty.
At our plastic surgery clinic, UK, local anaesthesia is used in both upper and lower blepharoplasty, which means that the procedure will be performed when you’re awake. When performed on the upper eyelid, an incision is made directly in the skin fold in the crease of the eye, and the excess skin is removed. This procedure may be conducted alongside a brow lift, lower eyelid blepharoplasty, or a forehead lift to create an even more vibrant and youthful appearance. However, some patients may choose to undergo the other procedures later on.
Lower eyelid blepharoplasty is either done by removing excess fat under the lids or re-dressing the eyelid and neatly putting in sutures. Canthopexy may also be performed to tighten the eyelid’s skin to improve the eye’s shape. Our surgeon always tries to make the final look as natural as possible, and that’s why the stitching is done very carefully so that the wound can heal perfectly.
Care After Surgery
After the surgery, you will receive a prescription for pain medication like paracetamol for the first 24 to 48 hours. However, this may not even be necessary as the pain level in most cases is often relatively low, if at all. Recovery from both types of blepharoplasty surgeries is speedy and easy. Some bruising will be noticeable for some time as the patient continues to heal. The aesthetic results don’t show right away due to the bruising, but the outcome is far more permanent and impactful than any other solution.
