Blepharoplasty/Eye Lid Surgery

Even after a good night sleep it can be hard to feel alive and vibrant when you see tired drooping eyes looking back at you from the mirror. It's also annoying because no matter how good your diet, lifestyle and cosmetic practices, this makes you look and feel older than you are. Nor is it your fault.

Over the years, heredity, age and sun combine to damage our skin and cause unwanted folds of skin. This usually manifests as a loose skin over the top of the eye creating a hooded look and bags of skin that hold fat under the eye.

Fortunately Laser Eye surgery (or blepharoplasty) is now highly developed and we can restore the youthful appearance of your eyes. There are a number of minimally invasive procedures that we can use to achieve this.

How does Laser Eye area surgery work? What can it do for you?

Upper eyelid surgery

The most common procedure for people is upper blepharoplasty, which removes the loose hood of redundant skin from your upper eyelid. As we age and the sun damages our skin we develop increasing laxity of the very thin eyelid skin. This causes the skin of the eyelid to lengthen. When the eye is opened the redundant skin has to go somewhere so it tends to fold like a concertina door forming a hooded look in the upper eyelid. We achieve a younger look and effectively turn back the clock by removing this redundant skin either with the laser or through conventional surgery.

Lower eyelid surgery

Bagginess under the eyes is generally not caused by fluid but rather by fat pads. There are two of these in the upper eyelid and three in the lower. If bagginess is your problem then these fat pads may need to be treated either by removal or by replacing them deeper below the skin. This procedure is known as lower blepharoplasty.

Who can benefit from Laser Eye area surgery?

Laser eye surgery is an extremely popular treatment and can be performed on virtually any patient who is fit to undertake minor surgery.

What happens in a typical treatment? How will you feel during treatment?

Both Upper and Lower procedures are simple walk-in, walk-out treatments.

You are first given light sedation and a local anesthetic. This is not a general anesthetic and you should feel comfortable throughout the procedure.

Upper eyelid surgery

In upper blepharoplasty, excess skin is treated by removing it. This can be by traditional scalpel surgery, but at YOUnique Medical Spa we prefer to use a CO2 laser. The benefit of the laser option for you is that it seals the blood vessels and reduces your risk of bleeding. At the end of treatment, the wound is expertly stitched so that it is invisible to others while your eye is open.

Lower eyelid surgery

The conventional way to remove redundant skin in the lower eyelid is by cutting this out. This can be visible as a fine scar below the lower eyelashes. At YOUnique Medical Spa our preferred method is to remove the fat pads from the incision on the inside of the eyelid (so there is no external scar) and then tighten the skin by laser skin resurfacing the lower eyelid. The advantage of this is that there is no fine scar under the eye and laser resurfacing can be used to tighten the lower eyelid skin. There is a limit to the degree of skin tightening achieved by laser skin resurfacing and in some patients excess skin needs to be removed in the traditional way, by cutting below the lower eye lashes.

How will you feel after treatment?

You will feel very little sensation during the treatment but are likely to feel drowsy afterwards and should avoid driving until the following day.

When will you see results? What do you need to do after the treatment to ensure the best result?

Your skin will normally heal completely within two to three weeks. Unless we have had to use conventional surgery to remove excess skin on the lower eyelid there should be no visible scarring.

With upper eyelid surgery the upper eyelid does have a fine scar buried in the crease, therefore this is normally not visible.

The area around your eye may be bruised and swollen for up to two weeks. Patients should keep their head upright and place cold, compresses on their eyes periodically. Where a suture is used they are removed after three to five days. You should avoid swimming till healing is complete as this carries with it a risk of infection.

How many sessions are necessary?

While the eyelid skin can slacken again, in the long term one procedure usually gives results for a number of years.

While this information is intended to give you a good overall picture of how Laser Eye Surgery may help you, your situation is unique. The best way to find out if this is the right answer for you is to come and see us. There are no sales pitches and we will explain all the options and help you to make the right decision.

How much does it cost?

We understand you are curious to know how much the procedure you are thinking of having might cost.

The truth is that with many procedures your cost can fall within a fairly wide range. While we do offer online consultation, we believe it is unethical to give a cost estimate without gaining a proper understanding of your needs.

Your body, your skin and your expectations are different to anybody else's. Some patients have been attracted by an initial quote only to find the final price was a lot higher. Sometimes these initial estimates do not cover such elements as operating room fees or the cost of an anesthetist.

Contact Us - Click here for a free assessment and to discuss your needs.