Eyelid Surgery / Blepharoplasty

Book a consultation with me to discuss what you would like to improve. During the consultation I will examine your eyes, brows and cheeks and discuss the procedure with you. I will explain the techniques I use to obtain the most natural results. These discussion should give you a good understanding of what can be achieved realistically so you can make an informed decision.

The eyelid surgery procedure or blepharoplasty mostly involves the removal of excess skin and tissue. Often I like to combine this with a canthopexy (tightening up of the lower lid) and carefully placed microfat grafts.

Because periorbital ageing involves a combination of fat volume loss, loss of skin elasticity, thinning of the skin and descent of other tissue structures, sometimes skin excision alone is not enough.

Depending on the pathology I will either leave an incision just beneath the lashes or within the eyelid itself.

Before your surgery, you may be asked to stop smoking for 2 – 4 weeks prior to the procedure. Nicotine retards the healing process, and quitting for as long as possible before surgery helps improve blood flow.

You might also have to have a blood test before surgery is performed.

Let your surgeon know whatever medication you use since you may need to adjust these. You may be advised to stop taking certain medication, like aspirin and some anti-inflammatory drugs. You may need to stop taking some vitamins and supplements so be sure to disclose what you are taking.

Avoid recreational drugs.

Be sure to arrange for transport to and from the clinic, since you will not be able to drive yourself after the procedure.

After eyelid surgery you should not experience much pain. Initially you may experience some swelling, bruising, dry eyes or irritation. You can relieve these symptoms with medication and cold compresses.

There should be very little sign of surgery after about two weeks. However, final healing may take a few months.

Most people can return to normal activities after 7 – 10 days. The bruising and swelling should disappear within 2 weeks.

The risks involved with eyelid surgery may include:

• difficulty in closing your eyes;
• pulling down of lower lids (often temporary);
• photo-sensitivity;
• sensitivity to bright light; and
• scarring.

We will discuss these and other risks during the consultation.

With any surgery, there is a (low) risk of post-operative infection, bleeding and swelling.