Lower Eyelid Blepharoplasty

Lower Eyelid Blepharoplasty

 

Fast Facts:

  • Lower eyelid blepharoplasty or eye bag surgery is performed to improve the appearance of the undereye area.
  • It addresses lower eyelid bags, tear troughs, sagging skin and wrinkles in the lower eye area.
  • The procedure can be done under local or general anesthesia and takes less than an hour to perform.
  • Recovery time is usually 10-14 days.  The recovery is primarily a social recovery.  Most people feel ok, but they look rough during the recovery.

 

What is lower eyelid blepharoplasty?

Lower eyelid blepharoplasty is a cosmetic surgery procedure that is performed to rejuvenate the eyes. Lower eyelid surgery treats loose skin, excess fat, and wrinkles in the lower eye area and gives it a tighter, less puffy appearance. Simply put, lower eyelid blepharoplasty helps correct those pesky lower eyelid bags that make you look old and tired.

 

Surgical technique for eye bag surgery

Multiple different techniques can be used to perform a lower eyelid blepharoplasty. The goals of these techniques are all the same. What we want to do is to smooth out the junction between the lower eyelid bag and your cheek. We call it the lid-cheek junction. The problem when you develop lower eyelid bags is that there’s essentially a sausage of fat that is trapped. What we need to do is release that sausage of fat so the ground beef can spill out. We can then smooth out that junction between your lower eyelid and your cheek. Another way to think of it is that we’re kind of dumping the hill into the valley to smooth out your lid-cheek junction.

The way I like to do a lower eyelid blepharoplasty is to do it all from the inside of your lower eyelid. I don’t want to put any incisions on the outside of your lower eyelid because that can lead to an increased risk for complications like lower eyelid malposition or ectropion.

The way I do eye bag surgery is through the inside of your lower eyelid. I will disrupt that sausage of fat, so it can no longer develop, and that bulge or hill will decrease in size. Some of the fat I remove. Some of the fat I push down underneath that valley.

That is one part of the operation. The other part is that I’ll harvest a little bit of fat from your abdomen or your thighs, process that fat, and graft it or inject it into that valley to further blend the junction between your lower eyelid and your cheek. And the last thing I’ll do, if you have loose or wrinkly skin of your lower eyelid or if you have too much loose skin, I’ll treat it with the erbium laser to sort of shrink wrap and tighten up that lower eyelid skin. And that’s how I can smooth out your lid-cheek junction without actually putting any incisions at all on your lower eyelid.

 

What to expect after lower eyelid surgery?

Unless you’re having other procedures performed at the same time, lower eyelid blepharoplasty is an outpatient procedure and you should be able to go home the same day as your surgery.

You’ll need to follow some post-surgery instructions at home.  If you had any fat grafting or fat transfer to the area, do not apply anything cold, this will reduce the amount of fat that survives transfer.   It’s normal to have some bruising and swelling after the surgery.  It is important to keep your eyeball and eyelids moist with eyedrops and eye ointment.

You’ll need to avoid strenuous exercise and heavy lifting for about a week. I recommend wearing sunglasses to protect your eyelid skin from the sun, wind, and dust when you’re outdoors. Most of my patients have healed enough in 10-14 days that they feel comfortable to go out in public. 

 

See me immediately if…

Lower eyelid blepharoplasty is a safe procedure with a high probability of success. But like all surgeries, there are some risks associated with it. Complications are rare, but can sometimes occur. You should see me immediately if you experience these symptoms after your eye bag surgery:

  • Blind spots.  It is normal to have blurry vision from the ointment, it is not normal to have a blind spot.
  • Fever or chills
  • Bleeding that won’t stop
  • Worsening pain

 

Alternatives to lower eyelid blepharoplasty

Lower eyelid surgery can give you tighter, more youthful skin in the undereye area. But if you’re not quite ready for surgery, there are less invasive options that can improve eyelid sagging, skin wrinkling, and baggy undereye area. I’m happy to discuss laser skin resurfacing and dermal fillers with you.

 

More About Us

To learn more, check out our website RestorePlasticSurgery.com where you can upload your photos and concerns for a virtual consult. You can also check out our price estimator to get pricing information for all the various procedures we offer. And finally, if you’d like to have your questions answered on a future podcast or Q&A video session like this, please leave a message on our SpeakPipe. You can go to our login page and our SpeakPipe is located there.

Contact Us To Explore The Possibilities

For inquiries and information, you can email our team at [email protected] or [email protected].

Location

Gulf Breeze Office

1645 Nantahala Beach Road
Gulf Breeze, FL 32563

Office Hours

Monday: 9am - 5pm
Tuesday: 9am - 5pm
Wednesday: 9am - 5pm
Thursday: 9am - 5pm
Friday: 9am - 5pm
Saturday: Closed
Sunday: Closed

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