Plastic Surgeon Questions Eye Surgery

What's involved in an eyelid lift?

There is a lot of excess skin around my upper eyelids, and it's causing them sag. Since I'm getting older, I'm considering getting this excess skin removed from them. I want an eyelid lift, but I'm entirely sure what's involved in it. What would I expect from this surgery?

9 Answers

Hello,

You will get a good result from the eyelid lift. The excess skin on your upper eye lid will be removed.
During the procedure. If you have surgery on your upper eyelids, the surgeon cuts along the fold of the eyelid, removes some excess skin, muscle and possibly fat, and closes the cut. Depending on your own unique requirements and desired results a surgical plan would be created that is unique to you as a patient. This would help us determine your outcomes and recovery plans. I highly suggest you see a board certified surgeon by the ABMS. I personally do the surgeries alongside a board-certified ophthalmologist and together we offer our patients a unique dual surgeon approach to the operation giving you both a plastic surgeon and a ophthalmologist.
The excess upper lid would be marked and then the skin removed. If you have any areas of excess fat, they will also be removed. After which the incision would be closed with stitches. The stitches are removed after one week. No strenuous activity for two weeks. You will look better after 3-4 weeks and even better after 3 months
The first question is, what is the position of your eyebrows? If your eyebrows are low, they contribute more skin to your upper lids. If that is the case, you need a brow lift. If the brows are above the rim of your eye and there is still extra skin, then you need that upper lip skin removed. Either procedure is outpatient.

Roger Friedman, MD
Upper lid surgery is a straight forward operation done to remove the upper lid hooding, It opens the eyes and improves your visual fields if you have a lot of hooding. It is done as an outpatient - usually takes less than 1 hour and you are fully healed within a week to 10 days. There is very little discomfort and some black and blue and bruising, but it is gone quickly. The result in my hands usually lasts 10 to 20 years.

William B. Rosenblatt, M.D.
Upper eyelid surgery requires removal of excess skin fold +/- fat bulge near the nasal complex. You must be evaluated for brow prosis as this may contribute to upper lid skin excess. Dry eye symptoms must be assessed and treated prior to surgery and may be exacerbated after. Lower lid surgery involves assessment of 3 fat pad bulges, skin elasticity, and laxity.
Approach varies from inside lower lid without skin removal/ trans conjunctival, per cutaneous skin excision beneath lower lash line with skin removal, or additional procedures added for laxity such as a canthopexy.

Dr. Anne Nickodem
Thank you for your question. In most instances, an upper eyelid lift is an in-office procedure done under local anesthesia. The surgery takes 35-45 minutes. Most patients take a week off from work, but the aftercare is only for 2 days with ice compresses. Sutures are removed after 6-7 days.

Flora Levin, MD
Skin is removed and sometimes the lifting muscle is shortened.
Fairly simple approach by carefully pinching excess skin in upper eye lids resecting redundant skin and closing with linear absorbable sutures.