If this sounds familiar, you're not alone. Each year thousands of women and men choose eyelid surgery to help restore a more energetic and youthful appearance. Eyelid surgery, or blepharoplasty, is performed by Dr. Elan Reisin and Dr. Jorge Reisin for patients from Washington DC, suburban Maryland and Northern Virginia to correct sagging eyelids by removing fatty pouches beneath the eyes and excess skin from the upper eyelids.
Blepharoplasty can be done alone or in conjunction with other facial surgery procedures such as a facelift, a brow lift or laser skin resurfacing.
Your eyelid surgery consultation
During your initial cosmetic consultation, your doctor will discuss your particular condition, your expectations, and the probable outcome of treatment. You will be shown several before and after treatment photographs of patients having similar conditions, and you will receive an explanation of your treatment. Before and after photos will be taken of the area to be treated to document your results.
The eyelid surgery procedure
Blepharoplasty is usually performed in an outpatient surgical facility or a hospital. It is most often performed under general anesthesia. The surgeon places fine incisions in the crease above each eye to correct problems of the upper eyelids. Then a thin crescent of excess skin and muscle is removed. The incisions are closed with very fine sutures. To remove the fatty deposits beneath the eyes, the incisions are placed just inside the lower eyelid. After the fat is removed, the incisions may be closed with absorbable sutures or may be left to heal naturally. When excess skin and muscle needs to be removed from the lower lids, the incisions are placed in the natural smile crease below the lashline. The procedure can take between 1 - 2 hours, depending on the extent of the surgery.
What about insurance for eyelid surgery?
Eyelid problems are common, even in younger people. Correcting eyelid problems that interfere with your vision should be covered by your health insurance but is it often necessary to have a vision study done by an ophthamologist to document that condition. It is the patient's responsibility to check with their insurance provider for information on the degree of coverage. When eyeid surgery is performed solely for cosmetic reasons, however, it is not covered by your health insurance.
What about recovery for eyelid surgery?
After the surgery, the area around your eye will be bruised and swollen for about 2 weeks. Patients should keep their heads up and place cold compresses on their eyes periodically. Antibiotic eye drops or ointment may be prescribed. Patients can't wear contact lenses for about 2 weeks, since the eyelids may be stiff and sore. Make-up may be worn after about a week. The resulting hairline scars which follow the natural contour of the eyelids tend to fade in a few months.After cosmetic surgery, our patients have a softer, more youthful look to their faces. Many seem to have a new spring in their step after facing their fresher reflections in the mirror.