When it comes to a fresh, youthful appearance, the eyes can make a huge difference. Wrinkles, puffiness and drooping skin are inevitable in most cases, but they can add years to the face.
The hands of time don’t stop and before you know it, your reflection in the mirror is not what it used to be. Maybe the skin around your eyes isn’t as taut as it used to be. Maybe there are hoods on your upper lids that never used to be there. Or maybe you’ve got dark circles and bags under the eyes, making you look tired and aged.
In some cases, tear trough fillers can refresh the undereye area, and Botox can correct crow’s feet, but in many cases, that’s just not enough.
Enter Blepharoplasty (Eyelid Lift).
Blepharoplasty (BLEF-uh-roe-plas-tee) is a facial plastic surgery procedure that aims to correct the eye area, whether it’s the lids above the eyes or the undereye area. In layman’s terms, this is how you aesthetically modify the eyes.
“The goal is not to look different -- just rested, natural, younger and more beautiful,” said Dr. Jean-Paul Azzi, a Palm Beach facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon who prides himself on providing his patients with the most advanced, up-to-date, natural, long-lasting results in facial plastic surgery.
There are two types of blepharoplasty: upper eyelid surgery and lower eyelid surgery.
Both procedures are painless, and they’re performed right in Dr. Azzi’s office using a local anesthetic only (no risks from general anesthesia).
Here's the difference between Upper Blepharoplasty and Lower Blepharoplasty.
LOWER BLEPHAROPLASTY
Lower blepharoplasty helps with skin sagging, bags, dark circles and wrinkles all under the eyes. A lower eyelid blepharoplasty also has the slight ability to modify the eye shape. Typically, small incisions are made just below the lash line. It is not uncommon for patients to get a lower eyelid surgery in addition to another cosmetic surgery procedure like a facelift, or a brow lift.
UPPER BLEPHAROPLASTY
An upper blepharoplasty, or upper eyelid lift, addresses the skin on the top part of the eyes. Sometimes with aging, you’ll notice the upper lids feel “heavy” or start to appear hooded. This is caused by slight sagging of upper eyelid skin. For this blepharoplasty procedure, a very small incision is made above the upper eyelid eyelash crease.
CAN I GET BOTH PROCEDURES AT THE SAME TIME?
Yes. Both lower blepharoplasty and upper blepharoplasty produce results that last many years, and the two procedures can actually be performed together if a patient wants both done. Each procedure can take anywhere between 30 minutes to an hour.
RECOVERY
Recovery can vary from patient to patient. Regardless of whether a patient gets an upper eyelid surgery, lower eyelid surgery, or both, it is not uncommon to see some minor swelling, and some bruising immediately afterwards, which will typically last 5-7 days. Bruising can be covered with makeup. Sutures typically come out 5 days post-op. Many patients take a few days off of work. Click here for tips to avoid bruising.
If you want to learn more about blepharoplasty, check out our Frequently Asked Questions about Eyelid Lifts.
You can also view our “Before & After” photo gallery here.
Doctor Azzi is highly trained and experienced in upper and lower eyelid surgeries. He also is a revision blepharoplasty expert. Secondary surgery of the eyelids can be very challenging and fraught with complications. These revision eyelid lifts require very specialized training. Make sure to trust your face to an expert.
At The Palm Beach Center for Facial Plastic & Laser Surgery, Dr. Jean-Paul Azzi and his team strive to provide patients with natural results. If you are considering a blepharoplasty procedure, we invite you to schedule a consultation so that Dr. Azzi can discuss whether an eyelid lift is right for you.
Dr. Azzi and his staff serve patients in the following South Florida areas and beyond: Jupiter, Palm Beach Gardens, Palm Beach, West Palm Beach, Tequesta, Hobe Sound, Stuart, Palm City, Jensen Beach and Vero Beach. If you're not local, no problem, click here.
Call us for a complimentary virtual or in-person consultation at (561) 429-5403 or click here to contact us online.