Natural Eyelid Surgery: An Alert, Rested Look that Belongs to You
What makes natural eyelid surgery natural is the way people look and feel after it. Our eyes are among our most expressive features, and so staying true to form is the result most people would like to see.
In fact, change is what brings most people to consider natural eyelid surgery, often as soon as in a person’s early 30s or even late 20s. Sagging, heaviness, or puffiness can show up prematurely because the tissue around the eyes is so tender. As such, blepharoplasty, as it is called officially, is one of the most-requested plastic surgery procedures.
The Cause is Part of the Solution
Fortunately, the same factors that cause eyelids to age quickly make them very receptive to the techniques of natural eyelid surgery. The thin skin of the eyelid accepts shape readily. The excellent blood supply supports rapid healing. And the natural folds of the eyelids offer opportunities to make incisions invisible.
Upper, or Lower, or Both?
The roles of the upper and lower eyelids are different, and so the ways they age and the issues they present are different, too.
Upper eyelids can sag and, in some cases, narrow a person’s field of vision. This is the effect that brings so many men to consider natural eyelid surgery, but the same effect is seen in women, too. Excess skin and fat can accumulate with age and blepharoplasty removes this and restores smoothness and openness using fine sutures and incisions placed in natural folds that become unnoticeable.
Blepharoplasty alone cannot relieve a heavily overhanging brow – or “crow’s feet.” So often, natural eyelid surgery is conducted in concert with one or more other procedures to achieve a person’s overall goals.
Lower lids, in many cases, collect excess fat and sagging skin that can be removed with natural eyelid surgery. Each patient’s needs are different, but the surgeon’s options include placing the incision where the work will remain virtually unnoticeable.
What You Can Expect
In the hands of an experienced, board-certified facial plastic surgeon, most people who are in generally good health and have reasonable expectations for the procedure can be candidates for natural eyelid surgery.
The procedure is usually performed on an outpatient basis using twilight or general anesthesia. Some results are apparent immediately, and any post-procedure swelling is resolved in a week to 10 days for most people. So, downtime is limited – especially for people who don’t mind sunglasses.
Your first conversation with a plastic surgeon will tell you a lot. Choose one who is board certified in facial plastic surgery and thoroughly experienced, not only in this procedure, but also in the full range of facial plastic surgery, because natural eyelid surgery takes place within the setting of the face as a whole. Balance, symmetry, and the look of “belonging” are important elements in achieving a natural result, so blepharoplasty should not be considered in isolation.
We welcome the opportunity to discuss these eye-opening possibilities with you.
About Mike Majmundar, M.D.
Dr. Mike Majmundar has been named a Top Doctor by Atlanta Magazine, a National Top Doctor by U.S. News & World Report & Castle Connolly, a Top Beauty Expert by The Atlantan, Best Self, and Northside Woman, and Best Botox and Filler Injector by Jezebel. To read his patient reviews, visit RealSelf or Google+. Dr. Majmundar is also a member of the American Association of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery (AAFPRS), the world’s largest association of facial plastic and reconstructive surgeons (with over 4,000 members) and the only organization dedicated to the advancement of plastic and reconstructive surgery of the face, head and neck, as well as the American Board of Facial Plastic Surgery.
