Loose, puffy eyes make you look unhappy and tired, but when people think that is the real you, they can also make you feel less like yourself. Eyelid surgery can tighten those tissues, helping to brighten and refresh the face, and in the process even improve your range of vision.
Top Options in Eyelid Surgery
Eyelids may look puffy or wrinkled because of loose skin and muscle, excess fat, or both. A qualified surgeon will assess which factors cause your "saggy" eyelid tissues, and recommend one of these approaches:
• Upper-eyelid surgery typically involves an incision along the crease of the eyelid, allowing the surgeon to remove loose fat, tighten sagging muscle, and trim away excess skin. The scar is hidden along the natural line of the eyelid crease, and in the process the doctor can also help reshape that crease to flatter the eye more effectively.
• Lower-eyelid surgery can take one of two forms. In the traditional technique the surgeon will trim away excess skin and/or fat through an incision hidden along the lash line. If the patient's "puffy" lower eyelids are due almost entirely to enlarged fatty pockets rather than loose skin, the surgeon may remove these fatty pockets through a laser incision inside the lower eyelid. This newer approach avoids exterior scarring entirely, but usually yields better results when loose skin is not a problem.
Lower-lid puffiness due to loose skin can sometimes be temporarily corrected with an injectable filler placed in the tear trough, but if enlarged fatty pockets are the cause, surgery is still the most effective solution.
Is It Right for You?
Most patients choose eyelid surgery because loose, sagging skin is obscuring their vision, and/or because their loose or puffy eyelid tissues frequently lead other people to assume that they are unhappy, tired, or angry – even when they are not.
The typical candidate for upper-eyelid surgery has upper lids that sag enough to lower the lid crease to near the lash line. Most lower-lid surgery candidates have "puffy" lower lids, loose skin that creates lines under the eyes and deepens the "tear trough," or both.
Tips for Better Results
• Choose a surgeon who is board-certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, and preferably has fellowship training in facial surgery or oculoplastic surgery. While eyelid surgery is not one of the most complex plastic surgery procedures, it deals with very delicate tissues, and a more qualified surgeon will be more capable to hide your incision and avoid over-tightening the lid.
• Follow your doctor's recovery instructions to the letter, and do not overexert your eyes too soon after surgery – this will help prevent visible scarring.
Top Options in Eyelid Surgery
Eyelids may look puffy or wrinkled because of loose skin and muscle, excess fat, or both. A qualified surgeon will assess which factors cause your "saggy" eyelid tissues, and recommend one of these approaches:
• Upper-eyelid surgery typically involves an incision along the crease of the eyelid, allowing the surgeon to remove loose fat, tighten sagging muscle, and trim away excess skin. The scar is hidden along the natural line of the eyelid crease, and in the process the doctor can also help reshape that crease to flatter the eye more effectively.
• Lower-eyelid surgery can take one of two forms. In the traditional technique the surgeon will trim away excess skin and/or fat through an incision hidden along the lash line. If the patient's "puffy" lower eyelids are due almost entirely to enlarged fatty pockets rather than loose skin, the surgeon may remove these fatty pockets through a laser incision inside the lower eyelid. This newer approach avoids exterior scarring entirely, but usually yields better results when loose skin is not a problem.
Lower-lid puffiness due to loose skin can sometimes be temporarily corrected with an injectable filler placed in the tear trough, but if enlarged fatty pockets are the cause, surgery is still the most effective solution.
Is It Right for You?
Most patients choose eyelid surgery because loose, sagging skin is obscuring their vision, and/or because their loose or puffy eyelid tissues frequently lead other people to assume that they are unhappy, tired, or angry – even when they are not.
The typical candidate for upper-eyelid surgery has upper lids that sag enough to lower the lid crease to near the lash line. Most lower-lid surgery candidates have "puffy" lower lids, loose skin that creates lines under the eyes and deepens the "tear trough," or both.
Tips for Better Results
• Choose a surgeon who is board-certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery, and preferably has fellowship training in facial surgery or oculoplastic surgery. While eyelid surgery is not one of the most complex plastic surgery procedures, it deals with very delicate tissues, and a more qualified surgeon will be more capable to hide your incision and avoid over-tightening the lid.
• Follow your doctor's recovery instructions to the letter, and do not overexert your eyes too soon after surgery – this will help prevent visible scarring.
