Eyelid Surgery (Blepharoplasty)

Atlanta, Marietta, and Woodstock, Georgia Facial Plastic Surgery

While people often say that the eyes are the windows to the soul, your eyes can also let others know if you are healthy and give the impression of youth. If you have drooping upper eyelids or puffy lower eyelids, you will appear older than you are and your friends and family may frequently ask if you are tired, upset, or sick. Eyelid surgery, or blepharoplasty, can return your drooping, puffy eyelids to a more youthful appearance and improve others' impression of you.

Eyelid surgery is a good procedure for many people, but others may benefit more from other procedures instead or in combination. Although this page contains some basic information about the procedure, the best way to learn what procedure is right for you is through a personal consultation with a board-certified* plastic surgeon. For personalized recommendations, please call or email us to schedule your eyelid surgery consultation today.

Cause of Drooping and Puffy Eyelids

Your eyelids, like the rest of your body, can accumulate fat deposits over time. This is what creates the appearance of puffy eyelids even when you are well-rested. Additionally, as time and gravity break down the collagen and elastin in your skin, your skin can become loose and wrinkled.

The amount of collagen and elastin that your body naturally produces determines at what age your eyelids become saggy, puffy, and wrinkled, and while dermal fillers or BOTOX® Cosmetic may improve the appearance of minor wrinkles around the eyes, if your eyelids suffer from extreme laxity or puffiness, the most effective option is eyelid surgery.

Eyelid Surgery Procedure

Eyelid surgery may be performed on your upper eyelids, lower eyelids, or both, and is often supplemented by improving the brow with a forehead lift. Eyelid surgery is an outpatient procedure.

The first step in eyelid surgery is to surgically remove the excess skin from the drooping lid. A portion of the muscle under the skin may also be removed so that the skin will lay flat and the fatty tissue under the muscles can be accessed. The volume of the bags under your eyes is reduced by removing the excess fat, and this may also be necessary in your upper eyelids.

Your surgeon will place the incisions in the upper eyelid fold and just below the lower lash line. Though there will be some scarring, the scars will eventually fade to be virtually invisible, and will also be hidden in the crease of your eyelid and under your lower eyelashes.

Eyelid Surgery Recovery

Recovery time for eyelid surgery, as for many procedures, is variable, and this is only a generalized guideline. If non-absorbable sutures are used for your procedure they will be taken out approximately a week after surgery. If you took time off work to avoid revealing that you had surgery, you will probably be able to return at this time. Total recovery from bruising and/or swelling may require several weeks, but once your sutures are removed you can use concealing makeup and most people will not notice that you have had surgery. Once healing is complete, the result is smoother eyelids that enhance the shape of your eyes and help you look younger, healthier, and happier.

If you would like to learn more about eyelid surgery, please contact the experienced Atlanta facial plastic surgeons at Marietta Plastic Surgery today, serving patients throughout the southeastern United States including Atlanta, Marietta, and Woodstock, Georgia.

* = Certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery

† = Member of the American Society of Plastic Surgery