EYELID CORRECTION
What is eyelid surgery?
Eyelid correction involves removing just enough sagging skin below or above the eye to restore a tight, young and healthy look to the eyes but not too much, such that the normal functions of the eye are not compromised.
Eyelid surgery can be performed on both upper eyelids and lower eyelids. In the former case, it is called upper-blepharoplasty and in the latter, it is called lower-blepharoplasty.
It happens both that people opt for either procedure and have a combination of both performed.
When will you benefit from eyelid surgery?
With age, the elasticity of the skin decreases very much. Puffiness can also develop with age due to busy or sad periods in your life. Or the slight drooping of the eyelids may also be hereditary. In that case, you may benefit from eyelid surgery at a young age. Often, this procedure is performed for aesthetic reasons but drooping eyelids can also cause you physical discomfort and lead to facial reduction or a constant feeling of eyestrain.
Eyelid correction can be performed on both upper and lower eyelids. You will definitely benefit from eyelid correction of the upper eyelids if you suffer from a sad look, narrowed eyes, a reduced field of vision or constantly tired eyes. Lower eyelid surgery will surely help you if you suffer from sagging skin under the eyes, unsightly puffiness, dark circles or a tired look.
At an initial consultation, we will discuss with Dr Lemmens whether you would benefit from an eye correction and which method would best suit your specific problem. You will be thoroughly briefed on the procedure, the preparation for it, the consequences and possible side effects so that accurate and immediate action can always be taken.
An eye correction is done under local anaesthesia. In the surgical correction of the upper eyelid, a small incision is made in the natural crease of the upper eyelid. Then the excess skin is carefully removed along with the sagging muscle tissue and any fatty tissue. Sometimes this treatment is combined with a brow lift to restore the sagging eyebrows to their natural position and counteract a sad appearance. This is done through the same incision. The wounds are sutured and given a water-resistant plaster. This procedure normally takes about 30 minutes.
When correcting the lower eyelid, the incision is made just below the eyelashes, in a fold of skin. Excess fatty tissue and excess skin is carefully removed and the sagging skin is lifted. The small incision wound is sutured subcutaneously and protected with adhesive strips. This procedure takes about three quarters of an hour.
After the procedure of lower eyelid correction, it is recommended to put ice on for about three hours. You must make sure that the adhesive strips do not get wet. These may also not be removed for a week after the procedure. An hour after the procedure, the anesthesia wears off and pain may occur. This can easily be satisfied with a simple painkiller. But not all patients need a painkiller afterwards.
The effective result is only fully visible after two to three months for the upper eyelid and for the lower eyelid after about four months. A week after the procedure, a check-up will be scheduled with Dr. Lemmens to remove the stitches and monitor the recovery of your skin. If necessary, a second check-up is provided about six weeks after the procedure.
After the procedure, swelling of the eyelids and small bruising are a normal consequence. After two weeks, the blue discoloration should hardly be visible anymore. The slight swelling may still be visible two to four months after the procedure. The pain is quite limited although the intensity and duration varies from patient to patient. The incapacity for work of the procedure varies from no incapacity to one week for upper eyelid correction and from a few days to two weeks for lower eyelid correction, depending on the profession you practice.
With upper blepharoplasty, there is usually no scar visible after the full recovery of the skin and subcutaneous tissue. It is possible that you can see a thin white line when you close your eyes, but this is very inconspicuous and not visible in every patient. The same applies to lower eyelid correction. There may be a fine short line visible on the outside next to the eye, but this is not always the case.