Blepharoplasty is a rather simple cosmetic surgical procedure in comparison with other forms of cosmetic procedures. The goal of having blepharoplasty done is to improve the appearance and shape of your eyes and eye lids. The procedure has become quite popular as it often leads to an improvement in your overall facial appearance, resulting in a permanent fresh and rested look.
The blepharoplasty surgery typically is exactly the same for every patient; plastic surgeons sometimes perform a number of other related procedures such as brow lifts. Additionally, blepharoplasty doesn't always include both the upper and lower eye lids, it really depends on each patients age and initial appearance. More times than others, blepharoplasty is performed on individuals who are 40 years or older. Before reaching your 40's most people don't experience any stretching or sagging in the tissue surrounding the eye, thus, the surgery isn't usually desired. There are exceptions, of course, as some people unfurtunately age faster than others.
Basics of the Blepharoplasty Procedure
Often, the actual blepharoplasty surgery only lasts from two to three hours. Again, it depends on the additional procedures performed, but overall it's a relatively short procedure. Most patients receive only a local anesthetic but others choose to have use either general anesthesia or even fast-acting short term sedatives.
The procedure is performed on the upper eye lid by the surgeon making an incision in the crease (naturally occurring line) of the upper eye lid. He then removes the excess tissue, skin, and sometimes muscle. The surgeon then closes up the incision using small sutures/stitches. The procedure on the lower eye lid is very similar except the incision is made just below the lower eye lashes. Cosmetic surgery technology has been advancing rapidly and has recently led to CO2 lasers being used for blepharoplasty. This quite often is a great alternative to traditional blepharoplasty because it will typically allow a patient to recover much faster with less pain or bruising.