Are You a Good Candidate for Eyelid Surgery?

Friday, February 28th, 2020

If your upper eyelids have become heavy and saggy or your undereye area has developed bags or dark circles, you may have tried more creams and serums than you care to admit. The fact that the skin around the eyes is thinner than most other areas of the body means that it is the first to show the signs of aging. Although the skin on the face and body does benefit from the use of quality products and ingredients, they cannot correct all the signs of aging, especially where there is excess or stretched skin. In those cases, surgery is the ideal approach.

If you’ve considered the idea of having eyelid surgery, you may be wondering if you are a good candidate for this procedure. This is an excellent question to discuss with Dr. Buchanan. Here, we offer some tips for determining if eyelid surgery is right for you.

How are your upper eyelids?

The upper eyelid skin loses collagen and elastin, the proteins that keep tissue firm and stretchy. The lid area also loses fat, which creates room beneath the skin making it seem looser. In combination, these losses contribute to sagging and upper eyelid hooding. Heavy, saggy upper eyelids can make the eyes look tired and unfriendly. Occasionally, with time, the muscle that holds the lid open also stretches, lowering the lid. In severe cases, excess skin or lowered lid can obscure vision.

Upper blepharoplasty is the eyelid surgery performed to correct these problems. The outpatient procedure is performed in the office using a local anesthetic and, if desired, a mild sedative. To smooth the eyelids, Dr. Buchanan makes an incision in the natural crease of each eyelid. Underlying muscle is tightened and trimmed using small instruments. Excess fat is removed as needed to make the eyelid look more youthful. Finally, the right amount of skin is trimmed to recreate a smooth appearance. If necessary, the muscle elevator of the lid is shortened to elevate the lid to give you a more wide awake look.

How is your forehead?

Why would you pay attention to your forehead when it is your eye area that is exhibiting the signs of aging? Because the forehead can contribute to tired-looking eyes. Sometimes, the forehead muscles and tissue lose resiliency and cause the eyebrows to drop lower than their normal position. This drop in itself can cause the upper eyelids to look bulky by pushing extra tissue into the  lids. When this happens, a brow lift is added  to the blepharoplasty to return the brow to its normal position. On rare occasions, elevating the brow is all that is needed to rejuvenate the eyes.

How is your undereye area?

The skin under the eyes is as delicate as that on the upper eyelids. Its thinning and loss of under eye fat can lead to dark circles or hollowing. This produces bags and puffiness. If the skin is only mildly stretched, a filler below the orbital ligament can return the tissues to a normal appearance. If the skin is too stretched, however, Dr. Buchanan can reverse these age-related changes with lower blepharoplasty. Using the same techniques common for the upper eyelids, lower blepharoplasty smooths the undereye area to look rejuvenated for many years.

Eyelid surgery can bring your face back to life. To learn more, call our Highlands, NC office at (828) 526-3783.