What does an eyelid operation involve?

During a blepharoplasty the surgeon will make small incisions in the natural creases of your eyes while you are under general anaesthetic. Excess skin and fat are then removed or redistributed to eliminate the areas causing problems. During upper eyelid surgery the incision can extend outwards slightly beyond the corners of the eyes into existing creases or “crow’s feet.” Scars afterwards are consequentially extremely well camouflaged and often invisible to the naked eye. During lower eyelid surgery the incision is usually placed along the crease below the eyelashes, which again, completely hides the resulting tiny scars. Working through these incisions, the surgeon separates the skin from underlying fatty tissue and muscle, trimming any sagging skin away. Fat and muscle is removed if need be. The incisions are then closed with very fine stitches composed of one of the thinnest suture materials available.

 

In some cosmetic eye surgery operations, there may not be any need to have skin removed at all. If there is just a pocket of fat beneath the lower eyelids and no sagging skin, the surgeon may perform a transconjunctival blepharoplasty. This means that there will be no visible scars at all, as the incision is made actually inside the lower eyelid, leaving the outer skin untouched. A transconjunctival blepharoplasty is usually performed in younger patients with thicker, more elastic skin.

 

If you are having all four eyelids done during your operation the surgeon will probably start work on the upper lids first, before proceeding to the lower part of the eyes. All types of wrinkles around the eyes will be lessened by blepharoplasty, but not totally eliminated. If you would like more eyelid surgery information ask your surgeon or GP for a more detailed explanation.