Upper Eyelid Surgery

Conveniently located to serve Washington DC, Arlington, Bethesda

What is an upper blepharoplasty?

An upper blepharoplasty is a surgery performed to remove loose skin and possibly fat of the upper eyelid.  This alleviates the heaviness, skin sticking and makeup smudging that sometimes occurs.  In some patients, this extra skin can even cause some visual obstruction..  Heavy eyelid skin can sometimes cause patients to involuntarily raise their forehead muscles to alleviate visual obstruction.  This is done subconsciously, but can make you feel tired and create forehead creases.  This procedure is sometimes combined with a browlift to address both lid and forehead drooping.

Who is a good candidate?

An upper blepharoplasty is a great surgery for patients who have hanging extra eyelid skin and/or blockage of their upper visual fields.

How is this procedure performed?

This surgery can be done under local anesthesia in the office.  An incision is made in the natural crease of the upper eyelid to hide the incision. Extra skin is removed (pinch blepharoplasty) and extra bulging fat is removed.  Sutures are placed and ointment is applied to the upper eyelid.

Recovery

Recovery is fast and you should be nearly fully healed without any bruising/swelling by the 2 week mark.  The incisions tend to fade well over time.

Risks

1. Bruising/swelling – common
2. Recurrence of fat – although fat is removed, there is still some fat around the eye that may project more over time.  Removing too much fat can lead to an aged, hollow look.
3. Injury to the eye – extremely rare, but could lead to vision problems
4. Dry eyes– the tear ducts are identified and avoided, but there is a very minor risk of injury
5. Need for revision – scarring or poor aesthetic outcome could lead to the need for revision.  Skin excision is conservative to avoid not being able to close your eyes, so rarely more skin may need to be removed.