As you grow old, the muscles supporting your eyelids become weak and stretched, allowing excess fat to gather above and below the eyelids. This will result in sagging eyebrows, hanging upper and lower lids. Apart from making you look frail and older than your actual age, sagging eyelids will also block your peripheral vision (upper and outer parts of your range of vision).
This problem can be rectified through plastic surgery. Commonly referred to as blepharoplasty, this type of plastic surgery helps restore your full range of vision and make your face look younger and healthy. But what exactly is blepharoplasty and how does it work? This article will answer this and other related queries.
What Is Blepharoplasty?
As mentioned above, blepharoplasty is a type of plastic surgery designed to correct defects and disfigurations of the eyelids. It enables you to modify the eye region of your face for aesthetic purposes. That’s why it is also commonly referred to as eyelid lifting. This procedure involves the excision and removal, or repositioning of excess tissues around your eyes, including the excess skin and adipocyte fat.
It also involves strengthening the corresponding muscle and tendon tissues in this area to resolve functional and cosmetic problems of the periorbita, which is the area around your eyebrows and the upper parts of your cheeks.
How Is It Done?
Before your plastic surgeon agrees to perform blepharoplasty on you, they must examine you thoroughly to make sure that you qualify for the procedure. This includes physical examination of the sagging eyelids, vision examination, and eyelid photography. They will also talk to you about the procedure and what you should expect during and after surgery.
During the surgery, your plastic surgeon will make an incision along the fold of your eyelid and remove some of the excess skin, fat, and muscle in this area. They will also tighten the loose muscles and close the cut. If your lower eyelid also needs to be operated on, the surgeon will make an incision slightly below your eyelashes in your natural crease or inside your lower eyelid. Then, they will remove or redistribute the excess fat, muscles, and sagging skin and close the incision.
Sometimes plastic surgeons combine blepharoplasty with a ptosis procedure, which offers additional support to your eyebrow muscles. After the procedure, your doctor will put you in the recovery room, where you will be monitored for a few hours before you are allowed to go home. Immediately after surgery, you might experience watery eyes, light sensitivity, double vision, swelling, and discomfort. But these effects will clear up over time.
For more information on blepharoplasty, talk to Dr. Alspaugh today.
