Eyelid Surgery – Upper

Your eyes are one of your most expressive facial features, but are they expressing sadness or fatigue rather than your inner vitality? Are your eyes making you look older than you feel? The aging process, heredity, skin type and environmental factors, such as sun damage, can cause the eyelids to sag and droop or become puffy and heavy, making you appear sad, tired or older than you feel. Eyelid surgery, also known as blepharoplasty, may be performed on the upper eyelids, the lower eyelids, or both.

 

Depending on your specific needs, your surgeon may also suggest a brow lift to improve your upper eyelids.

 

This animation describes upper eyelid blepharoplasty, which can reduce the appearance of heavy and sagging upper eyelids.

 

Introduction

Your eyes are one of your most expressive facial features, but are they expressing sadness or fatigue rather than your inner vitality? Are your eyes making you look older than you feel? The aging process, heredity, skin type and environmental factors, such as sun damage, can cause the eyelids to sag and droop or become puffy and heavy, making you appear sad, tired or older than you feel. Eyelid surgery, also known as blepharoplasty, may be performed on the upper eyelids, the lower eyelids, or both.

 

Depending on your specific needs, your surgeon may also suggest a brow lift to improve your upper eyelids.

 

This animation describes upper eyelid blepharoplasty, which can reduce the appearance of heavy and sagging upper eyelids.

 

What Causes Eyelids to Change?

layer of muscle is located just beneath the eyelid skin and is separated from fatty tissue by a thin tissue membrane, called the orbital septum. Muscle layers and the orbital septum weaken and sag with age, and fat deposits shift in response to weakened muscles, causing puffiness and drooping.

 

In addition, changes occur in the skin itself. The collagen and elastin that provide support to the skin, break down over time, causing the skin to lose elasticity and become lax. Additionally, eyebrows may droop with age, causing the upper eyelids to sag.

 

How Upper Eyelid Surgery Works

Upper eyelid blepharoplasty typically involves removing or redistributing fat deposits, as well as removing excess skin and muscle to improve the contour of the upper eyes.