Eyelid Correction - Process

An upper eyelid blepharoplasty is normally an out-patient procedure; in severe cases (and especially for lower eyelid corrections), a one-day in-patient stay may be sensible in order to guarantee greater safety with regard to possible secondary bleeding. Typically, the procedure is executed under the administration of local anaesthetic. Additionally, you will be given a sedative which will allow you to experience the procedure in a state of light sleep. The type of anaesthesia will depend, however, on your individual situation as well as the scope of the procedure and the procedure can, at your request or per the recommendation of your doctor, be carried out under general anaesthesia.

In an upper eyelid correction, the skin is disinfected after the anaesthetic has been administered. The amount of excess skin is determined and demarcated while you are in a sitting position. The surgeon then makes a fine incision a few millimeters above the edge of the lid and, using a scalpel or scissors, painstakingly removes the excess lid skin as well as a part of the muscle tissue at the level of the eyelid crease. Depending on the extent to which the eyelids droop, additional fatty tissue may be removed at this time. After the removal of the excess skin, a tautening of the skin and musculature are normally performed. The wounds are subsequently closed using stitches. The stitching material used to do this is so fine that one typically cannot easily recognize the stitches after the procedure. A cool compress should alleviate the initial swelling.

In a lower eyelid correction, the type of treatment depends on the initial situation. If there is simply a discreet amount of excess lid skin, the eyelid lift can be accomplished via laser treatment (laser skin resurfacing). In the case of a larger amount of excess skin, an incision close to the lower edge of the lid is made. After preparing the area to be treated and determining the extent of the excess skin, the skin is removed. Additionally, the lid is tautened via a special stitch at the outer angle of the eye. If there is a simple bulging of fatty tissue from the eye cavity at the onset, it may be possible to forego an incision entirely - the fat can be sucked out over the inside of the lower lid. Stitches are not necessary for this method; thus, scar formation is bypassed. Depending one's individual outset situation, a combination of several of the above-mentioned processes may be applicable.⁹

The entire procedure generally lasts from 60-90 minutes.¹⁰