Blepharoplasty (Eyelid aesthetics)
Op. Dr. Mehmet Fatih Arslan
At a young age, the eyelid skin is quite tense. The eyelid area is a moving area. With exposure to the sun and advancing age, wrinkles and sagging of the eyelid skin occur. The skin around the eyes is very thin. The membrane and muscle tissue that separates the fat bags, which we call the septum on the lower eyelid, from the eyelid skin, loosens and stretches with age, so the fat packs overflow outward and eye bags are formed together with the sagging skin tissue.
Why is eyelid aesthetics performed?
Blepharoplasty is a surgical procedure to remove excess skin and fat from the eyelids. Thus, under-eye bags, upper eyelid swelling and sagging are eliminated. Sometimes the upper eyelid skin hangs so much that the upper eyelid exceeds the level of the eyelashes and protrudes further down, this is what we call dermatochalasis. This may impair the quality of vision by narrowing the upper visual field. Further progression of the sagging causes the closure of the visual axis. This creates a patient population that requires functional operation. It is usually seen in older ages. The other patient group is not advanced age and prefers cosmetic surgery. In the group of patients who want to have cosmetic surgery, the symptoms may not be so advanced. After eyelid surgery, the excess skin tissue and bags are removed, resulting in a smoother skin and thus the eyes look young, vigorous and beautiful.
Who can have eyelid aesthetics?
Every person over the age of 30 who is physically and mentally healthy can have eyelid aesthetics. In addition, it should be evaluated whether the patient has any eye problems.
What should be considered before the operation?
The drugs of patients using blood thinners should be discontinued 1 week before the surgical procedure, in consultation with the relevant departments. If this situation is not taken care of, excessive bleeding and bruises may occur during the surgery. The physician should evaluate the patient’s expectations well. It will not be a realistic approach to expect crow’s feet, dark circles under the eyes and sagging in the eyebrow structure to improve with this surgery.
How is blepharoplasty operation performed?
Eyelid aesthetics is performed under local anesthesia. Just before the operation, the upper eyelid of the patient is drawn in a way that is specific to each patient, and the skin layer and fat packs are determined. The upper eyelid is anesthetized with local anesthesia to remove excess skin. If the patient has fat hernias on the upper lid, these fats are also removed. Then, with very thin sutures, suturing (suture) is performed in a way that is not visible under the skin. Since the seam is placed on the upper eyelid fold, it is not noticeable from the outside.
For lower eyelid aesthetics, the part to be removed is marked with a skin drawing for each patient before the operation. Local anesthesia is applied. Excess skin and fat packs are removed. The incision is made just below the lower eyelashes. Then, a hidden suture is performed under the skin with very thin sutures. The incision made just below the eyelashes cannot be noticed from the outside.
How long does blepharoplasty take and how is the recovery process?
Only upper lid aesthetics takes about 30 minutes. When the upper and lower lids are combined, the process takes approximately 1-1.5 hours. You can be discharged immediately after the surgery. The eyes are not bandaged, so your vision will not be blocked. For 1 week to 10 days, small bruises can reach. We consider these to be normal. Stitches can be removed after 10 days. The recovery period is about 2 weeks. It may take several months for the seam marks to go away or decrease. The scars of the seams are very reduced, become vague, but are not completely erased. No worries; In the upper lid aesthetic, the seams will remain under the fold areas of the lid skin, and on the lower lid, the eyelashes will pass right under it, so the scars will not be obvious.
How is patient satisfaction?
Many of the patients who have undergone blepharoplasty are quite satisfied with the procedure. The life of the operation is at least 10 years or more. No revision is usually required after surgery. Do not worry about sagging, which can be seen very rarely in the early period; Very good results are obtained from the revisions made.
