Upper Blepharoplasty Surgery
When you look in the mirror, do your eyelids appear hooded? Do your eyelids feel heavy, or are they interfering with your vision? If so, you may have a condition called eyelid droop. It affects people of all ages. Genetics and environmental conditions, like overexposure to UV rays, can all contribute to the condition, and both your upper and lower lids can be affected. Thankfully, the condition can be surgically corrected by a procedure known as upper blepharoplasty surgery. Our Elmquist Eye Group surgeon, Dr. Rodriguez, is one of the best at diagnosing this condition and performing the corrective surgery.
What is Blepharoplasty?
Blepharoplasty is a surgical procedure used to restore the upper eyelids to a more natural position. At an initial consultation at Elmquist Eye Group, our team will learn about your detailed medical history, which can help them understand possible underlying causes of your eyelid droop. They will take the medical history and severity into consideration when recommending one of several treatments.
We often see patients with minor cases of eyelid droop that do not interfere with vision; in these cases, no treatment may be needed. In some cases, our team may recommend that you wear specialized glasses called a ptosis crutch to help support the eyelids. However, in most cases of eyelid droop, the doctor will recommend surgery because it is a progressive condition that will only worsen over time. Fortunately, most patients are good surgical candidates.
Is the Surgery Risky?
Most surgeries carry some degree of risk, but upper blepharoplasty is a very low risk surgery. Common issues associated with the surgery include dry eye, a scratched cornea or a hematoma.
We perform upper blepharoplasty surgery on an outpatient basis, using local anesthesia for your comfort throughout the entire procedure. Each lid takes about 20 minutes to repair, and we can correct both upper lids and even lower lids all in the same procedure.
The surgeon creates an upper eyelid incision along the eyelid’s natural crease, then tightens the small levator muscle to create lift in the lid. Quite frequently, the surgeon also repositions fat to make the lid appear more natural, and may even remove excess skin from the lid. The surgeon then uses very fine sutures to close the incision.
Is the Recovery from This Surgery Easy?
Upper blepharoplasty surgery has an easy recovery. For about a week, we want you to sleep with your head slightly elevated to reduce the swelling that occurs post-surgery. Most of our patients experience mild to moderate swelling. The second day is usually the worst day, but the swelling does subside fairly rapidly after that. Bruising is also minimal.
Most patients experience minimal pain which subsides about two or three days after the surgery. Most patients report that they don’t even need any pain medication, but if you do, over-the-counter Tylenol can easily control the pain.
The day after your surgery, you will need to come in for a follow-up appointment so that we can check your progress and healing. About six days after surgery, we will remove the sutures, then you can resume normal activities and even wear makeup.
Trust in Elmquist
If your eyelids are drooping and interfering with vision, or if you just don’t like your appearance and want a younger, more natural look, trust in the eye care professionals at Elmquist Eye Group to do a safe and effective upper blepharoplasty surgery. Call us today to make an appointment at Elmquist Eye Group.