Top 8 questions to ask your surgeon before eyelid surgery -

Eyelid surgery helps the upper and lower eyelids to regain the normal appearance. Also popular as blepharoplasty or eyelift, it eliminates additional skin from your upper eyelids. Likewise, it is equally effective in minimizing bagginess from the portion of lower eyelids. Overall, it intends at taking care of deformities and defects cropping up in the eyelids. People also opt for this method to make the portion around their eyes aesthetically more appealing.

Prior to choosing this treatment for correcting your eyelids, it is wise to make a list of relevant questions about the surgery that you should ask from the surgeon. This will help you to make up your mind for the treatment. And who knows, you may also end up recommending the procedure to others once you go through it. Just to assist you, here is a list of some relevant questions in this regard. Asking them from your surgeon will help you get ample information about the surgery before deciding for it.

1. Are you an ideal candidate for the surgery?

If you satisfy the following points, you are a good candidate for the eyelid surgery.
• You have drooping or excess skin in your upper eyelid
• You have sagging skin on the lower eyelid and undereye puffiness
• You are facing vision problems due to excess or loose skin on the upper eyelids or because of mal-positioned lower eyelids.
• You want to get away with the hooded eyelids produced naturally
• You are healthy, do not smoke, and are free from any severe eye problem.
• You are 35 years of age or more
• You have realistic expectations from the surgery

Besides, detailed consultation followed by thorough checkup by your surgeon would be ideal to help you know about your candidature for the surgery.

2. Do you need upper or lower eyelid surgery?

The Upper eyelid surgery can help you get away from additional eyelid skin. It tightens back the drooping muscles and can regain the position of fat pads on your upper eyelid.

Likewise, if you have undereye bags, lower eyelid surgery can improve your appearance around the problematic area appreciably. It involves repositioning the fat, but the surgeon is careful enough not to eliminate more than required fat. The result will be a youthful look that complements your eyes.

After knowing both the conditions, you can better identify your existing situation. You can choose for the upper or lower eyelid surgery accordingly to attain your cosmetic goals. Indeed, your surgeon can be of much help in determining the right surgery.

3. How should you prepare for the eyelid surgery?

You should do some important things before and after the surgery as a preparatory measure.

Preparations before the surgery

While gearing up for blepharoplasty, the surgeon may ask you to abide by certain important points:
• Go for complete medical checkup of your body through a trusted lab
• Adjust or stop medications if any few days before the surgery
• Avoid taking medicines that could raise the chances of bruising and bleeding
• Quit smoking and drinking habits

Preparations after the surgery

• Make sure that the surgeon has arranged for an accredited facility office-based surgical procedure, a hospital or an ambulatory surgical center, etc.

• Ask a friend or relative to drive you to the hospital and back to home. Also, ask someone to stay with you for a day or two after the surgery, as the case may be.

• Try staying at home for as much as possible post surgery. Take leave from work and do limited activities till your eyelids show healing signs.

• In case dry eyes are bothering for two or more weeks, consult your surgeon.

Also, ask someone to keep certain items handy while you reach home, or do it yourself before leaving for the surgery:
• Ice cubes and Icepacks
• Small gauzd pads
• Clean towels
• Recommended eye drops and OTC painkillers

Prefer not to use medicines like Aspirin, Advil, Motrin, etc. as they increase bleeding risks.

4. What is the process of surgery?

The surgeons perform this inpatient surgery by administering local anesthesia with sedation or through general anesthesia, as per the severity of the case. The experts can perform upper, lower or both the eyelid surgeries simultaneously. The process involves creating incisions around the eyelids, such as in the:
• Natural folds
• Upper eyelid crease
• Below the eyelashes, or
• Behind the lower eyelid

The surgeon may cut one or more of these portions depending on the areas that need treatment. Prior to the surgery, the plastic surgeon will assess your overall health condition to find out if you are fit enough to go for the treatment.

5. Is your surgeon the best in the business?

To select the best surgeon, it is important to visit him in person and ask certain essential questions.
• Is he a board certified surgeon?
• Is he a specialist eyelid surgeon or performs other surgeries as well?
• Does he own ample facilities to perform the operation at a well-equipped facility?
• Ask him to explain the entire procedure in detail
• Ask him about the benefits of the surgery
• Are there any complications/side effects of the surgery?
• What steps to follow for aftercare?
• What will be the recovery time of the surgery?
• Ask him to show before and after photos of the previous patients
• Will he allow you to interact with any of his previous patients?
• Ask him to show any testimonials or case studies citing the success of his treatments
• What should be the precautions before and after the surgery?
• Where will the surgeon shift you after the surgery?
• Will you undergo dressing or bandage after the surgery?
• When will he remove the stitches?
• How long will it take for complete recovery?

In addition, you can ask him many more questions that crop up in your mind. The motive here is to satisfy yourself completely about the surgeon and the surgery before going under the knife.

6. What are the possible risks and side effects?

Eyelift surgeries are generally free from complications, but you cannot rule out their possibility either. Here are some of the probable risks that you may encounter:
• Bleeding from the lines of incision
• Risks due to anesthesia
• Bruising and swelling
• Unwanted scars
• Dry eyes
• Abnormal eyelid coloring
• Unusual folding in and out of the eyelids
• Vision impairment
• Complete loss of vision
• Inability to close eyes completely
• Pain that persists
• Possibility of another surgery

7. What to expect after the eyelid surgery?

You can expect the surgery to improve your appearance in the area round your eyes, but it will have no effect on your natural aging. To cut it short, you can be happier if you set realistic goals and do not expect miracles. Here are few pointers regarding recovery and expectations:
• The stitches in both your eyes will remain till around a week. In the first two weeks, swelling and sporadic bruising are usual, but your eyes will regain normalcy thereafter.
• At times, more than one surgery would suffice your requirement, as merely one surgery won’t settle the things permanently.
• To get favorable results, it is advisable to follow the recommendations of your surgeon.
• Try your best to protect the surgical incisions from abrasion, excess force or injuries during the recovery period.
• Sun protection is a must to retain long-lasting surgery results.
• At the most, you will be back to your usual life within 1- to 14 days, but it may take several months for complete healing.

8. What is the cost of the eyelid surgery?

The cost of eyelid surgery depends on your respective location. Still, if you decide to go for it in India, you will end up spending comparably lesser than in other countries. Furthermore, your insurance may cover the treatment if you are doing it for a functional medical cause. This may include improving your vision that has gone faulty due to drooping eyelids. But the insurance may not cover it if your motive is to enhance esthetic appeal. For more transparency on the cost and insurance cover for your eyelid surgery, it is advisable to interact with your surgeon in person. This will help you clear all the apprehensions.

Takeaway

Eyelid surgery is an important and long lasting procedure that helps you to get rid of sagging upper and lower eyelids. You can regain your visual appeal, but natural expectations are far better than expecting miracles. For best results, consulting an experienced and board certified surgeon is the best move. Make sure to ask him all the relevant questions before deciding for the procedure.