Newport Beach, Orange County, CA
Cosmetic/Plastic Surgeon Bruce J. Dubin, M.D., F.A.C.S.
Click here to view Eyelid Lift procedure before and after photos
The eyes are the first feature we notice when we meet someone new in either a social or business setting. Beautiful eyes can make up for other features that are less than ideal. Also, eyes that droop or appear swollen (bags) project an image of being tired or sad and may not reflect a vibrant inner self. You may observe this yow-self and feel that the eyes looking back at you in the mirror are old and tired looking. Possibly people are commenting on whether or not you had a good night's sleep. Fortunately, Dr. Bruce Dubin can give you the appearance of dramatically younger looking eyes through an eyelift procedure, which is medically known as blepharoplasty. With age, eyelid skin looses elasticity and becomes redundant. This makes the upper eyelid skin look saggy. lbinning ofthe skin with age also makes the skin appear crepelike. In some individuals, thinning of the supporting structures of the lower lid (orbitalseptum) allows orbital fat to protrude creating the appearance of lower eyelid bags.. Conversely, in other individuals there can be atrophy of soft tissue of the lids leading to a hollowing of the lids, which makes one look old. As the lower eyelids relax with age, mal-position of the lower eyelid with respect to the eye may appear.
Surgery
Blepharoplasty can be done as a separate procedure or in combination with other facial rejuvenation surgery such as endoscopic foreheadplasty or facelift. In the upper lids, a precise amount of skin is removed. In modem techniques very little if any underlying muscle is removed and upper lid orbital fat is treated more conservatively than in the classic older techniques. Usually minimal central fat is removed in order to maintain pleasing orbital fullness; upper lid medial fat (the bulge near to nasal side) is more aggressively removed for optimwn contour. Iflo\\o-eT lid fat (bags) is the only issue, surgery can be done completely from the inner surface ofthe lid so there is no visible scar at all. This approach is known as a trans-conjunctival blepharoplasty. If there is excess lower eyelid ski~ then this must be removed from an external approach with the incision and the resultant virtually invisible scar located immediately below the eyelashes.
If the lower lid is weak or has poor position, the various fonns of lid repositioning procedures can be done, known as canthoplasties and canthopexies. Lid surgery is generally a quick procedure and all four lids can be done in about one and one-half hours. Surgery is usually done under monitored intravenous sedation ("twilight" anesthesia) administered by the anesthesiologist but in extremely motivated patients it is possible to do under local anesthesia alone. There is very little post-operative discomfort but there usually is a bit of bruising. Most patients take about a week to feel socially comfortable with make-up application. Patients can resume exercise and full activities at two weeks.
If you are concerned about the appearance of your eyelids or if people are commenting that you look tired or sad, it may be time for you to contact our office for a consultation with Dr. Dubin to determine if you are a good candidate for eyelid surgery. Please call our office at 949 640- 4911 or click on our contact form for more information.
Visit our plastic / cosmetic surgery office located in Newport Beach, CA, near Costa Mesa, Irvine, Huntington Beach and Fountain Valley, CA.
