60 Strathallen Avenue, Northbridge NSW
Monday to Friday - 9am to 5pm
Blepharoplasty
Excess and loose skin of the upper eyelid can sag and sometimes interfere with your field of vision. This can be corrected by blepharoplasty surgery.
Why is Upper Lid Blepharoplasty Performed?
It can affect one or both upper eyelids and may not be symmetrical. It is different to excess, droopy skin of the upper eyelid, although both can occur together. The ptosis can obstruct the top part of your visual field or reduce light entering the eye. It can also cause difficulty in keeping the eyelids open, eye strain or brow ache from compensatory effort to raise the eyelids, or fatigue particularly when reading.
What Causes Eyelid Skin Sag?
The most common cause is age related weakening or stretching of the skin and deeper eyelid tissue.
The weakened tissue may also cause bulging due to orbital fat prolapsing forward. As eyelid skin is much thinner than other parts of the face, it is often one of the first facial regions to exhibit signs of aging.
Blepharoplasty Surgery
The abnormal upper lid skin sag and folding can be corrected by blepharoplasty surgery. This surgery tightens the eyelid tissues and removes excess skin +/- underlying fat. Each patients’ eyelids are unique and our surgeons tailor the surgical technique to achieve the best functional and aesthetic outcomes.
Blepharoplasty surgery is performed as a day procedure under local anaesthetic and sedation, and typically takes 60 minutes. A thin incision is created in the natural skin crease. Often browpexy sutures are added to the deeper tissue to achieve deeper support to the brows resulting in a more symmetrical outcome. The incision is closed with either tissue glue or a thin suture which runs along the incision line and is removed 10 – 14 days post operatively.
Performing the procedure under local anaesthetic with sedation allows dynamic adjustment of the height and contour of the lids intraoperatively resulting in better post-operative symmetry of the lids.
What to Expect During Recovery from Blepharoplasty Surgery
- Blepharoplasty surgery can cause significant amounts of swelling and bruising that can last up to 4-6 weeks post surgery. The majority of swelling and bruising occurs within the first 2 weeks and invariably settles down with time. This is a normal part of the post-operative recovery.
- Itch along the incision site can occur and usually resolves with removal of sutures
- Tearing and a gritty feeling to the eyes post-surgery is normal, particularly in the first 2 weeks
- Your vision may be slightly blurred or sensitive to light for the first week post operatively
- If browpexy is performed temporary numbing of the forehead can occur
- Complete recovery can take 4-6 months post operatively
- If tissue glue was used, this will spontaneously fall off. If sutures were used, these will be removed 7 – 14 days post operatively.
Possible Risks of Entropion Surgery
In general blepharoplasty surgery is very safe with infrequent and usually minor complications. However as with all surgery there are certain risks and complication:
- Although scars from blepharoplasty are well-concealed and usually fade with time, there is a small chance of excess scarring, swelling, bruising or wound infection.
- There may be some asymmetry of the healing, contour or position of the lids. Further surgery may sometimes be required.
- Dry eye may occur or become exacerbated following blepharoplasty surgery. This can be due to a change in tear distribution or incomplete eyelid closure. Dr Kaushik takes great care in determining the appropriate amount of skin reduction at the time of surgery to help reduce this.
- Although there is a theoretical risk of vision loss and double vision, this is incredibly rare but has been reported in the medical literature.
Outcome of blepharoplasty surgery
Although the eyelids are still subject to aging, it is expected that blepharoplasty produces long-lasting results.
Our surgeons have extensive experience and expertise in blepharoplasty surgery utilising minimally invasive techniques that reduce both scarring and healing time. Post operatively it is helpful to expect an improvement in symptoms and appearance of the lids rather than a complete change in appearance, with a refreshed natural look that is not overdone.
Want to know more about blepharoplasty (upper lid) surgery? At Northern Sydney Cataract, we are here to help!
If you have specific questions, please call our friendly staff on 02 9958 0552 or email us at info@nscataract.com.au
For appointments and enquiries, please phone 02 9958 0552
Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm
© 2015– Northern Sydney Cataract | Privacy Policy | Disclaimer | Website by: 