BLEPHAROPLASTY OR EYELID SURGERY

Blepharoplasty is a surgical procedure intended to reshape the upper eyelid or lower eyelid by the removal and/or repositioning of excess tissue as well as by reinforcement of surrounding muscles and tendons. It can be done for either functional or cosmetic reasons.

When an advanced amount of upper eyelid skin is present, the skin may hang over the eyelashes and cause a loss of peripheral vision. The outer and upper parts of the visual field are most commonly affected and the condition may cause difficulty with activities such as driving or reading. In this circumstance, upper eyelid blepharoplasty is performed to improve peripheral vision. Patients with a less severe amount of excess skin may have a similar procedure performed for cosmetic reasons. Lower eyelid blepharoplasty is almost always done for cosmetic reasons, to improve puffy lower eyelid "bags" and reduce the wrinkling of skin.

An upper blepharoplasy in someone who is Asian is termed Asian blepharoplasty or double eyelid surgery. It is a popular form of cosmetic surgery among those of East and Southeast Asian background (known as single-lidded) to artificially create a crease above the eye.

Transconjunctival blepharoplasty involves removing lower eyelid fat through an incision on the back of the eyelid, eliminating the need for an external incision. Because there is no external incision, excess skin can not be removed during the surgery, but skin resurfacing with a chemical peel or carbon dioxide laser may be performed simultaneously. This allows for a faster recovery process.

DETAILS OF THE PROCEDURE

Either intravenous sedation or general anesthesia is administered before the surery begins. Blepharoplasty is performed through external incisions made along the natural skin lines of the eyelids, such as the creases of the upper lids and below the lashes of the lower lids, or from the inside surface of the lower eyelid. After making the incisions, your surgeon repositions the fat deposits, tightens the muscles and tissue, and/or removes excess skin. The incisions are then closed with removable or absorbable sutures, skin adhesives or surgical tape. Your surgeon may use a laser chemical peel to erase dark discoloration of the lower eyelids. Depending upon the scope of the procedure, the operation takes one to three hours to complete.

Initial swelling and bruising take one to two weeks to resolve and the results will become stable after a few months.

COST OF BLEPHAROPLASTY

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