As with any plastic surgery procedure, my patients usually have questions about eyelid surgery during their consult. Here are seven of the most common questions I hear:

1. What is an Upper Blepharoplasty? What is Lower Blepharoplasty?

Blepharoplasty is commonly referred to as “eyelid surgery.” This procedure involves reducing excess or drooping skin from the eyelid area, reducing excess fat deposits, and overall creating a more youthful appearance. Some patients also choose blepharoplasty to change the contour of their eye shape regardless of their age; for example, blepharoplasty can be performed to create a more prominent eyelid crease. Depending on your cosmetic goals, you may have an upper blepharoplasty, which reshapes the upper eyelid, a lower blepharoplasty, which reshapes the lower eyelid, or a combination.

2. What Results Can I Expect from Eyelid Surgery?

Eyelid surgery is generally performed to create a more open, alert, and youthful eye. In addition to these cosmetic changes, some patients have improvements to their eyesight if drooping eyelids blocked their field of vision. After surgery, you will have some swelling and discoloration, but you’ll begin to see your results emerge after a couple of weeks.

Results from blepharoplasty are long-lasting, but not permanent. This is because the aging process will gradually continue after your surgery, so you may eventually see your skin loosening again after 10 or more years.

3.What Type of Anesthesia is Used for Blepharoplasty?

Upper blepharoplasty can often be performed with local anesthesia in the office. For lower lid surgery, we typically recommend IV sedation.

4. Are There Risks to Eyelid Surgery?

There are some risks to eyelid surgery as with any surgical procedure. These include temporary blurry vision, swelling bruising, asymmetry, dry eyes, change in shape of the eyelid. We’ll discuss the risk of any of these issues as they relate to your particular case.

5. Will I Be Able to See After Eyelid Surgery?

After blepharoplasty, you may have blurry vision for a very short period of time. This is due to the eye lubricants or ointments that I may apply after the procedure as well as swelling. Your vision should return to normal in the first few days of the recovery process.

6. What is Recovery Like After Blepharoplasty?

Most patients require one to two weeks of downtime after blepharoplasty. During this recovery period, you can expect swelling, redness, or bruising in the eye area. It’s best to rest with your head elevated and avoid bending at the waist or strenuous activity. You can apply cold compresses and artificial tears as needed to stay comfortable through the healing process.

7. Will I Have Scars After Eyelid Surgery?

With upper blepharoplasty, I make incisions so scars fall within the eyelid crease, making them barely noticeable. The redness you may see immediately after healing will fade with time.

With lower blepharoplasty, incisions are often made on the inside of the eyelid, leaving no external scar. If an external incision is necessary for skin removal, it hugs the lower lashline and heals so well that it is barely noticeable in most cases.

Request a Consultation

To learn more about blepharoplasty, give us a call at Mountain Lake Plastic Surgery at (802) 231-4284 or contact us online.