Eyelid Surgery

What to expect

During your initial consultation, inform your surgeon if you have any allergies, take any medications (prescription or over-the-counter), or smoke. You should also provide relevant information from any recent eye exams. If you wear glasses or contact lenses, be sure to bring them along.

You and your plastic surgeon will carefully discuss your goals and expectations for this surgery. You will need to discuss whether to operate on the upper or lower eyelids or all four, whether skin, as well as fat, will be removed and whether any additional procedures are appropriate. The surgeon will explain the techniques and type of anesthesia used, the facility where the surgery will be performed and the risks and costs involved. We encourage any questions you may have, especially those regarding your expectations and concerns about the results.

Blepharoplasty usually takes one to three hours, depending on the extent of the surgery. Incision locations will also depend on which eyelid features are being corrected. Upper-eyelid procedures have the incision placed within the natural lines of the eyelid. The incision for lower-eyelid procedures is generally just below the lower lash line.

Another technique, the transconjunctival blepharoplasty, places the incision inside the lower eyelid, leaving no visible scar. This is generally performed on younger patients with thicker, more elastic skin. Once an incision is made, your surgeon can remove or reposition fat, tighten muscles, and remove excess skin (skin is not removed with the transconjunctival procedure). Very fine sutures or skin glue is used to close the incisions.

This surgery is usually performed under local anesthesia, which numbs the area around your eyes, along with oral or intravenous sedatives. You will be awake during the surgery, but relaxed and insensitive to pain. If you prefer to sleep through the operation, we do offer the option of general anesthesia.