Are you tired of looking tired? You’re not alone. If you’re looking to get rid of the excess skin from your eyelids, you may want to look into blepharoplasty. This popular surgical eyelid procedure has been helping men and women look more alert, more awake and more interested in everyday activities, while reducing signs of aging, by decades. Let’s take a deeper dive into what blepharoplasty is and how it can positively impact your life.
What is Blepharoplasty?
Blepharoplasty, more commonly known as eyelid surgery, is a surgical procedure in which excess skin, muscle, and fat are removed from the upper or lower eyelid area. Because everyone’s blepharoplasty case is different, upper eyelid surgery and lower eyelid surgery can be done together or a patient can opt for one or the other, depending on individual concerns.
How Do I Know if I Need Eyelid Surgery?
Patients usually come in asking about blepharoplasty for either functional or cosmetic reasons. These are the most common complaints from patients coming in for either functional or cosmetic eyelid surgery:
- Functional blepharoplasty. Patients who come in for a functional blepharoplasty often experience irritation from the excess folds of their eyelid skin rubbing together or have discomfort from overusing muscles that strain to lift the sagging skin in the eyelid area. Patients who undergo functional blepharoplasty also have disrupted vision from the weight of their eyelids weighing heavily around their eyes.
- Cosmetic blepharoplasty. Patients who come in for a cosmetic blepharoplasty most often are concerned that their drooping upper eyelids or puffy under-eye area make them look endlessly exhausted, bored or older than they actually are. Choosing to undergo eyelid surgery can help alleviate this appearance and boost the patient’s self-confidence.
While a functional blepharoplasty and cosmetic blepharoplasty may feel like they’re on two opposite ends of the spectrum, realistically, may patients who come in for a functional blepharoplasty also are impacted by the appearance of their sagging eyelids and look forward to the cosmetic benefits as well.
What Happens During Eyelid Surgery?
An upper eyelid operation and lower eyelid operation have the same overall goals, but very different ways of getting to that goal.
During an upper eyelid blepharoplasty, a small, discrete incision will be made into the natural crease of the upper eyelid. Through that incision, Dr. Garcia will remove excess skin from the eyelid and excess fat from the inner corner of the eye.
During a lower eyelid blepharoplasty, a small incision will be made at the lower lash line, and excess tissue or fatty deposits will be removed from the area to decrease unwanted sagging and puffiness.
Am I a Good Candidate for Eyelid Surgery?
If you’re unhappy with the appearance of your sagging upper or lower eyelids, or if your droopy eyes are getting in the way of your overall comfort, eyelid surgery may be right for you. Ideal blepharoplasty candidates are in good general health and do not suffer from any major ophthalmologic conditions.
If you’re interested in learning more about how you can benefit from blepharoplasty, contact us today to schedule your one-on-one consultation with Dr. Garcia today.
