Blepharoplasty is the general term used to refer to eyelid plastic surgery. However, the name blepharoplasty should only be applied to a specific procedure, that is, removing excess upper eyelid skin to treat what patients refer to as droopy eyelids or eyelid hooding. The proper name for this procedure is upper eyelid blepharoplasty. It is different from the lower eyelid blepharoplasty, an operation that helps us get rid of under-eye bags and wrinkles.
Upper eyelid blepharoplasty has its primary purpose of rejuvenating the tired appearance of the eyes due to age-related skin laxity, wrinkles, and hooding. This operation allows eyelid surgeons to restore a youthful eyelid contour by defining the eyelid crease, restoring an eyelid platform, and improving the smooth and elegant anatomical relationship between the brow fat pad and the upper eyelid. This procedure must not be confused with ptosis repair, an operation that raises the upper eyelid height. Therefore, the term droopy eyelid should not refer to excess skin hanging over the eyelashes but rather to a condition called eyelid ptosis, caused by congenital or age-related weakness of eyelid muscles.
The procedure’s success depends on a proper preoperative examination to ensure that the patient is a good candidate for blepharoplasty and would do better with alternatives, such as a brow lift.
Upper eyelid blepharoplasty is an outpatient operation done with local anesthesia or under intravenous sedation. The first and most crucial step of the procedure consists of marking the area of the skin to be removed, respecting the patient’s natural eyelid crease contour according to age and ethnicity. It’s essential to consider upper blepharoplasty a volumizing procedure, not one whose sole purpose is to remove tissue. Therefore, the surgeon should preserve the eyelid muscle and fatty tissue in most, if not all, cases.
Blepharoplasty is the art of carefully manipulating and rearranging upper eyelid tissues to create a new but natural and attractive eyelid shape. Fortunately, oculoplastic surgeons specialize in cosmetic eyelid procedures, and blepharoplasty is one of the most popular procedures they perform. Additionally, oculoplastic surgeons are further recommended for having completed full training as ophthalmologists, which prompts them to consider eyelid health and the protection of the ocular surface as a priority when performing our surgery.
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