Blepharoplasty – An tried and tested procedure to get rid of Eyebags!

Let’s start by answering few questions.

• Are you fed up of sagging or loose skin around your eyelids?
• Are loose folds on your upper eyelid disturbing the natural contour of that portion?
• Do you want to get rid of drooping lower eyelids?
• If your answer to any or all of these questions is ‘Yes’ then blepharoplasty is your savior!

What is Blepharoplasty?

Also termed as Eyelid surgery, blepharoplasty is a surgical procedure to improve the appearance of upper and lower eyelids. The procedure acquires its name from the terms ‘Blepharoptosis’ or ‘ptosis’ meaning drooping eyelids. If left untreated, this condition can affect your eyes heavily, thereby engulfing the iris and the pupil completely. This ultimately leads to astigmatism or amblyopia. The treatment hence becomes inevitable.

The surgery can treat the bags under your eyes and help you to rid yourself of fine wrinkles and excess skin of your eyelid, that makes you look aged. It also enables you to remove the fatty deposits that make your eyelids appear puffed. In short, it can spruce up the area around your eyes, to give you an almost new and refreshed pleasing appearance.

Types of Blepharoplasty treatments

Generally, plastic surgeons perform three types of blepharoplasty procedures:

Upper Eyelid Blepharoplasty: Carried out to restore accurate vision among aged patients, it helps them to do daily activities easily.

Lower Eyelid Blepharoplasty: Performed to treat eye bags accumulated in the lower eyelids, it can boost one’s appearance appreciably.

Double eyelid surgery: Also known as Asian eyelid surgery for its popularity among Asians, it requires the surgeon to introduce a lid crease in the upper eyelid to give the appearance of double lid.

Are you an ideal candidate for Blepharoplasty?

If you satisfy any of these criteria, you are good to go for the treatment:

• Healthy person without any medical history that could affect healing.
• Non-smokers and non-drinkers.
• Those having sagging eyelids yet have good eye health.
• Individuals who expect realistic results and hardly believe in miracles.
• Positive frame of mind.

Preparing for blepharoplasty

The patient should know all the pros and cons of the surgery prior to going under the knife. He/she should allay all their apprehensions with the concerned surgeon and must pay attention to all the preoperative instructions. Proper body and eye checkup is necessary to make sure that you are fit enough for the surgery. On the suggestion of your surgeon, keep certain things like gel packs, gauze, etc. handy at home so that they could help you get prompt relief from pain after the treatment.

The Procedure

Here are the steps to blepharoplasty:

Giving Anesthesia: The surgeon administers general anesthesia or intravenous sedation to help you remain at ease during the surgery.

Creating incision: Next, he marks the incision line to hide the scars beneath the natural structure of the treatment area. He carries out the incision accordingly.

Closing of incision: He uses skin glue or sutures to close the eyelid incisions. The sutures will hence undergo removal in a week.

The outcome: The result will emerge slowly as the effects of bruising and swelling start diminishing with time. You are more likely to get a smooth and neatly defined eyelid to give your overall appearance a big boost.

For detailed info on the treatment, consult your plastic surgeon at the earliest.

After surgery concerns and their resolution

Before deciding for the surgery, you can ask certain questions from your plastic surgeon regarding recovery period:

• Where will the surgeon shift you after the surgery?
• What medication you will get after surgery?
• How to deal pain after surgery?
• Whether you will undergo dressing post surgery?
• When will the surgeon remove the dressing?
• Will he use removable stiches or self-absorbing ones?
• When do you need to turn up for the after care?
• By when you could get back to your normal life?

Here are some of the possible answers to these questions categorized under different sub headings, which you are likely to get from your surgeon.  

Aftercare

The surgeon can remove thin bandages from the treated area in few days, but the stitches will remain for around a week. Often, surgeons use self-absorbing stitches that dissolve by themselves and do not need manual removal. The patient may bear little to severe pain in the starting days after the surgery, followed by bruising or swelling around the eyes, but they will disappear with time. Using lubricating ointment or cool compresses could reduce swelling and bruising during the first 2 days post surgery. For quick healing, walking is advisable.

Recovery time

The efficacy of the results varies on the individual’s strength to heal; the results will however last long.You will be fit for public appearance within 2 weeks, but final healing may take several months. For protection from sun, surgeons recommend putting on dark sunglasses, at least for the first two weeks. In addition, timely naps are equally important for the eyes to remain relaxed during the recovery time.

What to expect?

The blepharoplasty treatment can be instrumental in correcting many eye related conditions with long lasting and positive results. Still, there is no guarantee for 100% results as per your expectations. At the best, you can opt for another surgery if you are not getting favorable results in a single session. Taking precautions is important after the surgery as the healing time is very crucial. Make sure not exert undue pressure or abrasion on your eyes. In any case, abiding by specific instructions by the surgeon is indispensable.

Cost of Blepharoplasty

The surgery can cost somewhere above 1000 USD in India. This fee includes:

• The fee of plastic surgeon
• Hospital charges
• Medical tests
• Medication or prescription

The qualification, experience and expertise of the concerned plastic surgeon also maters a lot in deciding the cost of the treatment. This is in addition to the type of chosen procedure and the location of hospital. Similar factors apply in India as well and the cost of Blepharoplasty here starts from above USD 1000, which may obviously fluctuate depending on different reasons.

Mostly, cosmetic procedures do not get insurance cover and the same holds for the eyelid treatment. As a positive aspect, if the procedure involves removal of redundant skin generated on the eyelashes, it may get the insurance cover. You will have to go through your policy very carefully.

Takeaway

If you are not so aged, but look like an aged person, probably you are having sagging eyelids. Blepharoplasty or the eyelid surgery is an ideal treatment for this ailment as it can correct the sagging in both your upper and lower eyelids respectively. The treatment may have long lasting results, but much depends on the choice of your plastic surgeon. The ideal way is to keep realistic expectations and to be prepared for another surgery if the first one does not bear the intended results. Prior to going for the treatment, make sure to consult with your surgeon on all the precautions related to pre-operative and post-operative care. If performed successfully, you can get back to your life in 2 weeks, but complete healing may take few months. Overall, it is a safe and effective treatment in the armamentarium of the plastic cosmetic surgeon.