Blepharoplasty: Before and After The Procedure

As you get older, the skin in your eyelids may get more wrinkles everyday; the gravity pulls down on the tissues and gives you an older look. If you’re thinking about getting a surgery to remove the excess skin from your eyes and tighten your skin in this area of your face, a blepharoplasty is what you’re looking for. We’ll tell you about every step of this procedure.

All You Need to Know About Blepharoplasty

A blepharoplasty is a surgery that removes excess skin from your eyelids. As you get older, the skin in the eyelids stretches, and the muscles beneath them become weaker. This often ends up in fat gathering around your eyes, causing undereye bags and making the eyebrows lose their natural shape.

Besides the appearance of these effects, having sagging skin above and below the eyes can make you lose your peripheral vision, blurring the upper and outer parts of the visual field. Getting a blepharoplasty can not only help you get a younger look on the face, it can help you avoid these vision problems.

How Do You Know if You’re a Good Candidate for Blepharoplasty?

The ideal age for patients who qualify for a blepharoplasty is starting at fourty years old. Yet, you fit any of the following, you can be a candidate for a blepharoplasty:

Eye diseases: glaucoma, dry eyes or a detached retina.
Thyroid disorders: Graves’ disease, Hashimoto’s, hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism.
Cardiovascular disease: high blood pressure or other circulatory disorders.
Diabetes.

What happens during a blepharoplasty procedure?

Depending on your previous diagnosis from a trusted doctor, this surgery can involve your upper eyelids, lower eyelids or both.

Upper blepharoplasty

During an upper blepharoplasty, the surgeon will make an incision in the natural crease of the upper eyelid. These small cuts will not be noticeable when you open your eyes. After the incision is done, the excess skin and fat is removed from the inside of your eyelids, and then the cut will be closed with stitches.

Lower blepharoplasty

Instead, in a lower blepharoplasty, the surgeon will make the incision below the lower eyelash line. Once it’s done, they will also do the process of removing excess skin from the lower eyelid zone. The surgeon can also use a technique to correct any issues in this zone and redistribute excess fat.

Post-Operative Care for Blepharoplasty

After the surgery, your face may present swelling and bruising, this is a normal reaction during the first 7 days post-blepharoplasty. To control this response from your body, it’s recommended to carefully apply ice packs or cold compresses, without causing any damage on the surgery incisions. Professionals also recommend keeping your head elevated to avoid more swelling and decrease blood flow, and taking pain medication.

After the initial swelling starts to heal, the next step is the suture removal. This delicate procedure indicates that the skin is recovering on time, however, it’s important to to remember that you can’t go back to your normal routine too fast, blepharoplasty patients need rest to avoid the strain on their healing tissues.

Do blepharoplasty results last?

Normally, the results after a blepharoplasty surgery last for more than 4 years, this applies for both upper and lower eyelid surgeries. They rarely need to get retouched after the first procedure. It’s important to know that this procedure won’t alter your facial structure or your natural features, it will only give your eyes a fresh, younger look and help you avoid vision problems.

If you’ve definitely decided to get a blepharoplasty, Riviera Medical Center is your place to go. Contact us and give your eyes a new look!