Blepharoplasty (blef'ah-ro-plas"te), also known as eyelid surgery, is a procedure performed on the upper and/or lower eyelids to remove excess skin and fat.  Our goal is to give your face a more alert, youthful appearance by correcting drooping eyelids (upper lid blepharoplasty) and puffy bags below the eyes (lower lid blepharoplasty).

    Our eyes are our "windows to the world" and show expression more than any other part of our anatomy.   Changes in the structures surrounding our eyes may falsely convey impressions of our feelings.  For example, lower lid puffiness may indicate recent crying or sadness; overdeveloped fat pads in the  upper lids may indicate fatigue or deep sagging eyebrows can indicate a great burden.

    As we age, our skin looses its elasticity and stretches, the muscles weaken and fat accumulates around the eyes.   This is the cause of "bags" above and below our eyes.

    While many of our patients have found that they need one or both of these procedures five to ten years prior to needing a facelift, blepharoplasty may also be performed in conjunction with a face lift and/or forehead lift.

    This procedure usually takes between one and three hours to complete and is generally performed under local anesthesia with sedation or general anesthesia.  Most of our patients elect this surgery on an outpatient basis and are able to begin reading in two to three days and return to work within seven to ten days.

    While we strive to minimize complications and maximize patient satisfaction, we would be remiss if we did not remind you that as with any surgery, there may be side effects and there are risks.  These will be covered in detail during your consultation.

    For further information on blepharoplasty or to schedule a consultation, please contact our office at 520/297-3300 or by e-mail.

Additional References:

     Frequently Asked Questions - Eyelid Surgery (Blepharoplasty)

    American Society of Plastic Surgery's Eyelid Surgery web page.