As Thoreau once wrote, “The eye is the jewel of the body”. But as we age, the eyelids can droop, fat around the eye can begin to protrude, making us look tired and prematurely old, distracting from the beauty of the eye.

Blepharoplasty is a procedure that removes redundant skin and restores support to the fat surrounding the eye in order to restore it to its youthful appearance. In the past, surgeons would remove much of this fat, creating a hollow look around the eye that was unnatural, especially as loss of fat in the face increases as we age. At the Center for Aesthetic Medicine, our goal is to restore support, not remove, and therefore keep the softness around the eye and in the face that is a hallmark of youth.

Depending on the health of our patients, blepharoplasty can be performed with sedation in our office, or under general anesthesia in the operating room. The procedure takes approximately 1.5-2 hours, with a recovery time of 10-14 days. Incisions are hidden in the natural crease of the eyelids. Often, other procedures, such as Botox, injection of dermal fillers, or fractionated CO2 laser therapy is combined with this surgery. Often a facelift, necklift, or browlift is also combined with this surgery to rejuvenate other parts of the face for a balanced look.

Some individuals have such significant redundant tissue that their vision is affected. For these patients, we recommend they undergo visual field testing to determine whether this procedure is medically necessary and can be covered by their medical insurance.

Call us today if you are interested in further information regarding this procedure.