January 2020

iStock 1013725178 1 669x272 1

There’s Hope for Eyelid Scarring

An eyelid that has been damaged may not adequately protect and lubricate the eye. Injuries and scars can cause retraction in which the lower eyelid is pulled downward. Depending on the degree of scarring or retraction, symptoms such as tearing, blurry vision, and chronic eye irritation may occur. These symptoms can exacerbate the frustration that already exists due to the cosmetic effects of eyelid scarring.

What Is Eyelid Scarring?

Eyelid scars may result from trauma or facial or eyelid surgery. This can affect the normal position of the eyelid to such an extent that mobility is interrupted. Sometimes, eyelid scarring makes it impossible to fully close the eye, leading to chronic dryness and irritation. When the lower eyelid is scarred, the eye may show more white than the other eye.

What Is Eyelid Retraction?

Eyelid retraction is usually diagnosed when the upper eyelid sits in an abnormally high position compared to the other eye. Likewise, retraction could affect the lower eyelid when the position is unusually low. What’s normal? The upper eyelid should rest just above the iris, the colored part of the eye. The lower eyelid should rest just below it.

An eyelid may become retracted due to trauma or poor surgical healing. Retraction is also a common side effect of thyroid eye disease, or Grave’s disease.

Correcting Eyelid Scarring or Retraction

Treatment for eyelid scarring or retraction may first focus on controlling symptoms like chronic dryness and excessive tearing. This may be achieved with bandages, ointment or eye drops, or other comfort modalities. Strategies such as these may control symptoms but they do not correct the problem. This is only possible with surgery.

  • Upper eyelid correction may involve adjustments to the levator muscle. This muscle controls where the eyelid sits over the eyeball.
  • Lower eyelid correction may require more extensive repair. When possible, canthoplasty is performed to tighten the skin and tendons under the eye. In some cases, tissue grafting or a mid-face lift may also be necessary.
  • Eyelid retraction that is related to Grave’s disease may benefit from orbital decompression, in which space is created in the eye socket for the eyeballs to sit back in a normal position.

Dr. Fante has extensive experience in performing cosmetic and reconstructive eye surgery. To learn more, call our Denver office at (303) 839-1616.

iStock 1153941204 669x272 1

Oh, How Your Skin Loves Peptides!

Natural aging has troubled humans for ages. Throughout many centuries, our ancestors sought both simple and sophisticated ways to keep the skin looking young. Now the responsibility for our cosmetic aging is squarely on our shoulders. This is a good thing. Today, we’ve got high-tech treatments like lasers and light therapies to promote more youthful behavior in the skin cells. We also have surgery if we choose to go that route. Whichever one chooses, there is still a need for quality skincare. Fortunately, we’ve grown by leaps and bounds in that area, too.

Peptides: The Powerful Ingredient Your Skin Needs

Peptides aren’t just potent ingredients in skincare products, they are amino acids that are found in the body. We see them in the skin, as well as the joints and muscles, when vital proteins break down. It’s as if collagen and elastin break down and create the fragments of amino acids we now know as peptides. The reason they are beneficial is clear: peptides are the body’s messengers that generate new collagen and elastin as well as regenerating enzymes.

How Peptides Work

Peptides are complex particles of amino acids; there are several types that the body uses. Copper peptides, for instance, are known for supporting damaged collagen fibers as well as new collagen that is produced. Carrier peptides invite various minerals to a damaged area to fortify new protein fibers. Messenger peptides simply tell the body that collagen and elastin have broken down and that tissue needs repair.

The findings of research are exciting because we now know that we can apply peptides to the skin to stimulate a repair response. Having peptides available in skincare products means that we can ask the body for healthy new collagen and elastin every day. This is a necessity because, as we age, the body doesn’t produce the same amount of these vital proteins as it once did. The lack of protein consistency is the very reason we see lines, wrinkles, and sagging skin.

In our medspa at Fante Eye and Face Center in Denver, we offer medical-grade skincare products that contain peptides in combination with various other ingredients that promote younger-looking skin. Get to know what your skin needs to look its best. Call (303) 839-1616.

READY TO TALK?

Contact Us

* All indicated fields must be completed.
Please include non-medical questions and correspondence only.

COME VISIT US IN

Denver

Accessibility Toolbar

Scroll to Top