Blepharoplasty is a surgical procedure to remove excess skin and muscle from both the upper and lower eyelids. Underlying fatty tissue that produces bagginess can be selectively removed or repositioned. Blepharoplasty can improve drooping skin and bagginess. It can help improve vision in older patients who have hooding of their upper eyelids. Although it can add an upper eyelid crease to the Asian eyelid, it will not erase evidence of one’s racial or ethnic heritage. Blepharoplasty will not remove “crow’s feet” or other wrinkles, eliminate dark circles under the eyes, or lift sagging eyebrows.
Blepharoplasty surgery is customized for every patient, depending on his or her particular needs. It can be performed alone involving upper, lower or both eyelid regions, or in conjunction with other surgical procedures of the eye, face, brow, or nose. In some patients, who have looseness between the lower eyelid and the eyeball, consideration for tightening of the lower eyelid (canthoplasty/canthopexy) at the time of blepharoplasty may be recommended. Eyelid surgery cannot stop the process of aging. It can however, diminish the look of loose skin and bagginess in the eyelid region.
Dr. Massiha’s lower eyelid blepharoplasty unique technique also lifts the mid face improving the appearance of the neck and nasolabial folds. He has won the Award of Excellence from one of the most prestigious plastic surgery organization in the world for this innovation. He has been using this method since the 80’s and has been published in many journals for this technique. He has been courses on this technique at the American Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery’s annual meeting since the early 90’s. The procedure not only has a high patient satisfaction rate, other plastic surgeons compliment Dr. Massiha’s good natural-looking results which preserves the natural shape of the eye. One must be very careful when choosing a plastic surgeon to operate on his or her eyes. One of the most common concerns we hear from patients about eyelid surgery is the fear of looking unnatural. Surgical skill and dexterity, as well as, experience is necessary for this delicate operation.
Blepharoplasty can be performed while awake with local anesthesia or under general anesthesia. The procedure takes about 30 minutes for the upper eyelids or about 1 ½-2 hours for upper and lower eyelids. Patients will have bruising and swelling which will begin to subside after 7-10 days. Cosmetics can be used to disguise bruising. Herbal supplements such as bromelain and arnica Montana also decrease the healing time. Sutures are removed approximately 5-7 days after surgery. Most patients experience little discomfort from the procedure. This discomfort can be reated with acetaminophen with or without codeine. The most common complaints is dry, itchy eyes which can be minimized with the use of natural tears and a tight feeling which subsides when the swelling improves. As with all surgeries, blepharoplasty surgery does have risk. Theserisk should be considered carefully and discussed with your doctor prior to undergoing surgery.
