As we age, the structure of the skin, muscles, and fat pads around the eyes change shape. This is typically the first area to show the aging process. Sagging upper eyelids and baggy, lower lids with dark circles cause the eyes to take on a narrower cast, causing the person to look worn and tired when in fact they feel anything but. Dr. Slupchynskyj, a Board Certified, New York City-based Facial Plastic Surgeon, successfully and safely removes much of this tired appearance by lifting the upper and lower eyelids in a facial procedure known as Blepharoplasty or an Eyelid Lift.
What is Blepharoplasty?
Blepharoplasty pertains to a surgical procedure that removes excess fat, pulls the muscles and rearranges the skin from around the upper and lower eyelids. Blepharoplasty does away with swelling and bags under the eyes that cause a person to appear fatigued and worn out. The Upper and Lower Eyelid Lifts are frequently carried out in a single procedure if a patient shows aging in both areas. The Eyelid Lift, or Blepharoplasty, can be performed in combination with a Facelift, or even Skin Resurfacing to achieve a balanced youthful appearance.
Benefits of Blepharoplasty: Cosmetic
The Eyelid Lift surgical process has numerous benefits, the most conspicuous of which is an obvious enhancement to the general appearance of the area surrounding the eyes. Dr. Slupchynskyj can carry out the Blepharoplasty procedure to get rid of extra skin that obstructs the normal crease in the upper eyelids. The Eyelid Lift can also remove the puffy, swollen look of the lower eyelids that make the eyes seem tired and are often a reason behind those dark circles. Dr. Slupchynksyj’s Blepharoplasty technique is minimally invasive and can be performed under local anesthesia in under an hour.
Benefits of Blepharoplasty: Functional
Eyelid Surgery also has assorted practical benefits that can lead to improving a patient’s vision. Along with the cosmetic benefits of removing extra skin around the eyelids, the procedure can also bring back the peripheral vision that had been blocked by drooping, slack eyelids.
Since Blepharoplasty has some remarkable functional benefits, many health insurance policies that would not cover purely cosmetic procedures may cover the Eyelid Lift if vision is obstructed. The extent of the obstruction first needs to be ascertained in order to determine the best treatment option.
Benefits of Blepharoplasty: Convenience
When patients consult with Dr. Slupchynksyj, they may show aging in various areas of the face in addition to the eye area. The SLUPlift™ mini facelift procedure that is frequently provided in combination with the Eyelid Lift. Both procedures can be performed under local anesthesia with little if any sedation. Dr. Slupchynskyj understands how to combine these surgical techniques and bring the benefits of these procedures together at once, which also reduces the time and expense of carrying out each surgery separately.
Benefits of Blepharoplasty: Psychological
In addition to restoring a younger appearance, Blepharoplasty has brought back a youthful confidence to many of Dr. Slupchynskyj’s patients upon witnessing the final result. His patients report that the combination of the physical restoration and the renewal of their attitude has contributed to positively changing the quality of their social, business and family interactions.
Anatomy of Blepharoplasty
The tissues around the eyelids form a delicate, complicated structure. Nerves send messages to muscles, which in turn relocate fat pads and pull at the skin stretched over them. Ligaments and tendons connect these tissues and enable the patient to move his eyes, adjust his vision and alter his facial expression. The level of precision required for performing surgery on such a location calls for our highly qualified facial plastic surgeon who is familiar with how all of these tissues interact.
Traditional Techniques of Blepharoplasty: Transcutaneous
The traditional Transcutaneous (across the skin) technique, which Dr. Slupchynskyj does not employ, starts with an incision that goes through this lower eyelid muscle and the supporting ligament. The ligament is called the “orbital septum” and weakens with age, which often prompts many of the problems that cause patients to seek out the procedure. As the incision goes through the ligament, the surgeon can access the fatty pads that need to be removed. After removing the fat, the surgeon pulls the skin and muscle into place and fastens them with sutures.
Techniques of Blepharoplasty: Transconjunctival
While the traditional Transcutaneous method involves an incision along the outer layer of the skin, Dr. Slupchynskyj uses the advanced scarless transconjunctival approach where he places an incision along the lining of the eyelid (called the conjunctiva or inside the lid). Dr. Slupchynskyj opens the orbital septum from below and conservatively removes excess fatty tissue, which effectively eliminates puffiness, under eye circles and bags. A 1993 study on the technique also showed the risk of inverting the eyelid with the transconjunctival procedure was greatly reduced.
Risks of Blepharoplasty
It is critical to select a properly trained and experienced Facial Plastic Surgeon that employs state-of-the-art techniques in order to achieve the best possible results and reduce any risks or unnecessary complications.
One of the most common side effects Dr. Slupchynskyj has seen from Eyelid Surgery performed by another surgeon is scarring of the skin around the eyes using the traditional techniques. In the most severe cases, complications can occur following surgery. Some complication may involve mild discomforts, such as excessive tear production or dry eyes. The most dangerous complications include ectropion (the inversion of the lower eyelid), hematoma (blood clot under the skin), and damage to the retina. The odds of these complications are greatly reduced by selecting a Facial Plastic Surgeon, following that surgeon’s advice and complying with all post-operative instructions.