Livingston,NJ:   Bridgewater/Martinsville:  

Eyelid Surgery (Blepharoplasty)

The eyes are a prominent feature of the face and the part of us that conveys emotion. The skin that surrounds the eyes has a very significant effect on our appearance. Drooping upper lids and puffy bags below your eyes are features that make you look older and tired.

As skin ages, it gradually loses its elasticity. This in combination with the pull of gravity causes excessive skin to collect in the upper and lower eyelids. Excess skin on the lower eyelid causes wrinkles and bulges and on the upper eyelids an extra fold of skin forms which can hang over the eyelashes. Bulges in the upper and lower eyelids can also be caused by protrusion or prolapse of the fat due to a membrane in the eyelid that weakens with age.

Eyelid surgery, called blepharoplasty is a procedure to remove excess skin and fat (and occasionally muscle) from the upper and lower eyelids. In older individuals the surgery may need to be performed as the extra skin is blocking vision. Blepharoplasty won't remove crow's feet, eliminate dark circles under your eyes, or lift sagging eyebrows, though a brow lift can be performed at the same time if this is a concern.



The best candidates for eyelid surgery are men and women who are physically healthy, psychologically stable, and realistic in their expectations. Most are 35 or older, but if droopy, baggy eyelids trouble you at an earlier age, surgery can be performed to improve your appearance as well. When eyelid surgery is performed by a qualified plastic surgeon, complications are infrequent and usually minor.

Some of the medical issues that might complicate blepharoplasty include thyroid problems such as hypothyroidism and Graves' disease, dry eye or lack of sufficient tears, high blood pressure or other circulatory disorders, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. A detached retina or glaucoma is also reason for caution.

click for non-surgical alternative


The Eyelid Surgery

Blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery) usually takes one to three hours, depending on the extent of the surgery. In a typical procedure, the surgeon makes incisions following the natural lines of your eyelids; in the creases of your upper lids, and just below the lashes in the lower lids. The incisions may extend into the crow's feet or laugh lines at the outer corners of your eyes. Working through these incisions, the surgeon separates the skin from underlying fatty tissue and muscle, removes excess fat, and often trims sagging skin and muscle. The incisions are then closed with very fine sutures.

If you have a pocket of fat beneath your lower eyelids but don't need to have any skin removed, your surgeon may perform a transconjunctival blepharoplasty. In this procedure the incision is made inside your lower eyelid, leaving no visible scar. It is usually performed on younger patients with thicker, more elastic skin.

Mild swelling and bruising is common. Most people feel ready to go out in public and back to work in 7-10 days. Strenuous activities should be avoided for about three weeks.


As people age, the eyelid skin stretches, muscles weaken, and fat accumulates around the eyes, causing "bags" above and below.




The surgeon closes the incisions with fine sutures, which will leave nearly invisible scars.





Before eyelid surgery, the surgeon marks the incision sites, following the natural lines and creases of the upper and lower eyelids.





Underlying fat, along with excess skin and muscle, can be removed during the operation.





In a transconjunctival blepharoplasty, a tiny incision is made inside the lower eyelid and fat is removed with fine forceps. No skin is removed, and the incision is closed with dissolving sutures.





After surgery, the upper eyelids no longer droop and the skin under the eyes is smooth and firm.