For most people, one of the first and most obvious signs of ageing is the eyes and the surrounding areas. For some, things like crow’s feet and wrinkles are the main point of concern but for others, puffy and droopy eyelids can also take a huge toll on their appearance. Thankfully, blepharoplasty surgery (which is the medical terminology for eyelid surgery) is a procedure that can be performed to tighten and tone the skin of the eyelids, giving long lasting results that have a drastic effect on a patients appearance.
There’s a number of reasons why the eyelids can start to appear droopy (and it’s not just down to age). For some people, they’re simply born that way and nothing that happens as they age does anything to change it, for others it could be down to damaged nerves that control the muscles within the eyelids following injury, it could even be caused by undergoing laser eye surgery to improve your vision.
Most often though, it tends to just be age that causes the problem and as we age, our skin loses its elasticity. Because the eyes are constantly in action, every day of your life, they tend to be one of the areas that is affected by ageing first due to the amount of movement in that area.
How long do blepharoplasty results last for?
Blepharoplasty surgery offers incredible and youthful results that will last for years to come. The surgery itself can be performed on either the upper or lower eyelid to assist with making the eyes look young again. Depending on which eyelid you opted to have operated on, it has a direct effect on the length of time that the results last for.
For patients who choose to have their lower eyelids treated, they very rarely need to have their results touched again in future and see a permanent change to their eyelid. For patients who choose to undergo surgery on their upper eyelids, the results tend to last approximately seven years so while they may require a repeat surgery in future, blepharoplasty surgery is capable of providing incredibly long lasting results that turn back the effects of time.
What happens during surgery?
For blepharoplasty surgery performed on the upper eyelid, a number of small incisions are made inside the natural creases of the eyelid. Any excess skin and fat that is in the area is removed before the incisions are stitched back up using very fine stitches.
For blepharoplasty surgery performed on the lower eyelid, the procedure is similar except the excess skin is removed from the bags beneath the eyes. The incision for this form of blepharoplasty is often made just below the eyelashes on the lower eyelid, although sometimes it’s performed on the inside of the eyelid instead.
The reason why the incisions are performed this way are to minimize any visible scarring associated with the treatment so that it can remain hidden away where possible.
What results can be expected with blepharoplasty surgery?
By undergoing blepharoplasty surgery to remove the signs of ageing around the eyes, you can expect to tighten the skin both on and directly around the eyelids. The surgery itself will also aid in opening up the eyes and rejuvenating the appearance of the entire face by giving a general younger looking appearance.
An added bonus of the surgery is that the results look completely natural, so there’s no worry of looking like you’ve undergone a drastic surgery that changes your appearance in a way that makes it appear unnatural.
Is there anything I can do to aid my recovery and preserve my results?
The first step after surgery is the recovery and this is probably the most vital point (post surgery) in achieving your best possible results. While most of your recovery is going to be resting and doing as little as you possibly can, there are some things you can do to help, such as;
- Wearing dark sunglasses on the way home from surgery and for a day or two afterwards, this will help to reduce any eye strain
- Instead of contact lenses (if you wear them), wear glasses instead for a few weeks
- Eat soft foods for the first few days after surgery to avoid straining any facial muscles
- Try to keep your head raised wherever possible, including resting and sleeping with additional pillows beneath your head
When it comes to prolonging and preserving the results of a blepharoplasty surgery, the most important thing you can do is trying to keep your skin as healthy as possible. This includes performing a good skincare regimen that includes moisturizing and exfoliating your face regularly, but it’s also important to make sure that you avoid sun damage to the face, particularly to the areas surrounding your eyes. Using sunscreen and wearing sun hats or sunglasses will help to preserve your results and make them last as long as they possibly can.
Will blepharoplasty surgery affect my vision?
Immediately after undergoing blepharoplasty surgery, it’s entirely possible that a patient may notice some form of change to their vision. When the tissues around the eye are healing, it’s fairly common that the vision can become slightly blurred or disoriented but this will naturally fade away and heal over time. Any negative effects to the vision are completely temporary and should return to normal over the next few days.
In a more long term sense, blepharoplasty is able to improve the vision of a patient by actually opening their eyes further and improving their field of vision.
To find out more about blepharoplasty surgery and the benefits that it can provide, take a look at our dedicated blepharoplasty page.