Are you tired of looking into the mirror and seeing sagging eyelids or pouches of bulging fat underneath your eyes? If so, then you know just how much older your eyes can make you look. However, there’s really no reason to live with drooping eyelids or saggy skin under the eyes. In fact, there are two options for drastically improving the appearance of your eyes and allowing you to look younger: surgical blepharoplasty and non-surgical blepharoplasty.
Surgical vs. Non-Surgical Blepharoplasty
Both types of blepharoplasty essentially involve giving the eyelids a lift resulting in a more youthful and less-tired appearance. With surgical blepharoplasty, a surgeon will create small incisions in the upper eyelids hidden in your natural anatomic contours and will then remove excess skin or unwanted bulges of fat. The lower eyelids can be treated with a variety of techniques depending on the degree of excess skin, fat and wrinkles.
Non-surgical blepharoplasty involves the injection of a filler, such as Restylane, to reduce the appearance of hollowing and bags underneath the eyes.
How Blepharoplasty Can Improve Your Appearance
What benefits can you enjoy from a blepharoplasty procedure? For starters, with brighter and more youthful looking eyes, you can enjoy a nice confidence boost. Furthermore, depending on the extent of your eyelid sagging, you could even enjoy a greater range of vision. Believe it or not, some health insurance policies will occasionally cover blepharoplasty (even though it’s typically viewed as a cosmetic procedure) for those whose sagging eyelids have impaired their ability to see well.
What to Expect from a Blepharoplasty Procedure
So, you’re thinking about having blepharoplasty done; what should you expect? For starters, you’ll need to meet with a plastic surgeon to ensure that you’re a good candidate for the procedure—especially if you’re opting for surgical blepharoplasty.
If you are a good candidate, then you can discuss risks and benefits of the procedure, then schedule the date and time for your procedure. In the meantime, you may also be directed by your surgeon to stop taking certain medications, stop smoking, and avoid taking aspirin at least 10 days before your actual procedure (please ask your primary care physician about any risks of pausing your aspirin).
On the day of your blepharoplasty procedure, you will arrive at the surgicenter and have IV sedation and local anesthetic. You will remain awake and conscious during the procedure, but the areas of concern will be numb. The entire surgery should take anywhere from one to two hours. For upper eyelids only, if desired, this procedure can be performed in the office under local anesthetic without sedation in under an hour
After the procedure, if sedation has been given, you can be discharged within the hour. You will need to have somebody drive you or accompany you home, so be sure to make arrangements for this before your surgery.
Choosing the Right Surgeon for the Procedure
One of the most important aspects of a successful blepharoplasty procedure is choosing the right surgeon for the job. Surely, there are a number of plastic surgeons in your area who offer blepharoplasty, but you’ll want to go with one who specializes in this type of procedure and who has completed many of them in the past. This will give you the greatest peace of mind and confidence in your surgeon and give you the best chance at great results.
Of course, when meeting with a potential surgeon for your blepharoplasty, you’ll also want to ask questions to make sure they’re Board Certified. You’ll also want to ask as many questions as you have regarding what you can expect from the procedure, such as how long your recovery is expected to take and how much of an overall improvement you should see. This will help you prepare yourself for realistic results and help set your expectations.
Once you’ve found the right surgeon for your blepharoplasty, all that’s really left to do is prepare for the procedure by following your surgeon’s orders and to arrive at the surgeon’s office or hospital on time on the day of the surgery. From there, you will be just a few hours away from brighter and younger looking eyes that help to boost your overall confidence and self esteem.