Cosmetic Surgeries - Blepharoplasty

Blepharoplasty can be both a functional and cosmetic surgical procedure intended to reshape the upper eyelid or lower eyelid by the removal or repositioning of excess tissue as well as by reinforcement of surrounding muscles and tendons. When an advanced amount of upper eyelid skin is present, the skin may hang over the eyelashes and cause a loss of peripheral vision. The outer and upper parts of the visual field are most commonly affected and the condition may cause difficulty with activities such as driving or reading. In this circumstance, upper eyelid blepharoplasty is performed to improve peripheral vision. Patients with a less severe amount of excess skin may have a similar procedure performed for cosmetic reasons. Lower eyelid blepharoplasty is almost always done for cosmetic reasons, to improve puffy lower eyelid "bags" and reduce the wrinkling of skin.

Blepharoplasty is performed through external incisions made along the natural skin lines of the eyelids, such as the creases of the upper lids and below the lashes of the lower lids, or from the inside surface of the lower eyelid. Initial swelling and bruising take one to two weeks to resolve but at least several months are needed until the final result becomes stable. Depending upon the scope of the procedure, the operation takes one to three hours to complete.

The anatomy of the eyelids, patients' skin quality, patients' ages, and the adjacent bony and soft tissue all affect the cosmetic and functional outcomes after blepharoplasty. Factors which are known to cause complications after surgery include failure to recognize factors such as

• preexisting dry eyes - which may become exacerbated by disrupting the natural tear film
• laxity (looseness) of the lower lid margin (edge) - which predisposes to lower lid malposition
• prominence of the eye in relation to the malar (cheek) complex - which predisposes to lower lid malposition