According to the annual report from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, more than 209,000 blepharoplasties were performed last year. This eyelid-rejuvenating procedure has ranked in the top five cosmetic surgeries for the past several years. Seeing that a simple eyelid lift can refresh the entire face, it’s hard to find a reason to put this procedure off.

We certainly don’t recommend that you postpone your eyelid lift if you’re struggling to make peace with the signs of aging around your eyes. A good blepharoplasty can take years off of the face and can bring new vibrancy to the eye area. That is if it is done well. There is no reason to forego an eyelid lift. There is every reason to spend a reasonable amount of time finding and speaking with your surgeon.

In a recent post, we discussed the potential for complications after eyelid surgery and how to avoid them by selecting a highly qualified, specifically-trained surgeon to perform your procedure. Here, we present a few questions that can further improve the outcome of your surgery. Keep in mind that the way your surgeon answers your questions provides clues to the suitability of your partnership. Whether you choose our Denver practice for your eyelid rejuvenation surgery or not, we wish for you to obtain the best possible results from your procedure.

Questions for Your Surgeon

 Is Eyelid Surgery The Best Option For Me?

There are suitable non-surgical solutions to the signs of aging that affect the eyes. Botox is a popular treatment that lifts the brows and creates more openness around the eyes. This injectable can also reduce the appearance of crow’s feet. Dermal fillers can decrease the prominence of undereye bags, and laser treatments can subtly tighten the skin. However, surgery is the best way to achieve lasting results. If you have already used injectable solutions or laser treatments to rejuvenate your eyes and want longer-lasting effects, blepharoplasty may be the most appropriate option.

Is Blepharoplasty The Best Surgical Choice?

The appearance of the eyes is based on the eyelids as well as on the position of the brow. In many cases, it is necessary to address both features at once. Furthermore, there are some people for whom a brow lift makes more sense than an eyelid lift. An experienced oculoplastic surgeon has the strong familiarity with facial muscles to determine the underlying source of aging eyes, and therefore the best ability to discuss the best surgical techniques to achieve the desired outcome. For some patients, we combine blepharoplasty eyelid surgery with a non-surgical brow lift using Botox. For others, it is a combination of brow lift and eyelid lift surgeries that achieves the best results.

Is Fat Added or Taken Away During Surgery?

There are fat pads beneath the upper and lower eyelids, and these are integral to the structure of the overlying tissue. Fat can be addressed in a few different ways; your surgeon can remove it, redistribute it, or add fat from another part of the body (or add volume with dermal fillers). Your experienced surgeon can explain how fat will be handled to achieve the best results.

Schedule a Consultation

Ask us your questions about blepharoplasty! Contact our Denver office at (303) 839-1616.

Blepharoplasty has quickly become one of the most sought-after cosmetic procedures. It’s easy to see why. Correcting age-related laxity in the eyelids has a way of brightening the entire face. The results of blepharoplasty are indefinite, meaning that the eyes never go back to how they were before surgery but will continue to age normally. Recovery is relatively short and, and the risks associated with surgery are minimal. However, they do need to be discussed. Here, we examine why some people cannot entirely close their eyes after they have cosmetic or corrective eyelid surgery.

The complication that prevents full eyelid closure is referred to as lagophthalmos. It is not painful, but it certainly can be a pain. Daily tasks like showering, washing your face, and sleeping may be severely impacted if your eyes don’t close. There is also an increased risk of chronic dry eye and corneal damage when the eyelids do not close completely.

How Does This Happen?

The skin on the eyelids may be the most delicate on the whole body. It is definitely the thinnest. Modifying the eyelids is, therefore, a complex matter that requires extensive skill and a great deal of patience. Any one of the following surgical events can lead to lagophthalmos:

• Eyelid laxity that was present before surgery is not adequately addressed.
• Too much skin is removed.
• Too much fat is removed.
• Damage to the orbicularis oculi muscle is sustained.

Avoiding Potential Surgical Complications of Blepharoplasty

While there is a bit of unpredictability in all tissue, an experienced and extensively trained surgeon accounts for the nuances of eyelid skin, muscle, and fat when performing delicate procedures like blepharoplasty. There may be nothing a patient can do to improve complicated eyelid closure after blepharoplasty other than to undergo a second procedure to revise the eyelid. The best way to avoid this complication is to choose your surgeon with the utmost care.

Dr. Fante has been performing eyelid surgeries for more than twenty years. A Fellow of the American Society of Ophthalmic Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery and other esteemed organizations, he has also authored several academic articles on facial and orbital surgeries.

We care about results. We care about our patients. Learn more about blepharoplasty in our Denver office. Call (303) 839-1616.