If you have droopy eyelids or bags under your eyes, blepharoplasty can help smooth these out to give you a more alert and youthful appearance. This procedure, also known as eyelid reduction or eyebag removal, can be carried out on the upper eyelids, lower eyelids, or both.
Blepharoplasty cannot, however, remove crow’s feet or change the colour of dark shadows under the eyes. If you want to improve the appearance of crow’s feet and other wrinkles around the eye socket, we offer other cosmetic procedures such as anti wrinkle treatment by injection or brow lifts.
About the eyelid surgery or eyebag removal (blepharoplasty) procedure
Blepharoplasty removes excess skin, fat and muscle from around your eyes. For surgery on the upper eyelids, your surgeon will make cuts into the natural lines and creases in the lid and into the laughter lines at the corner of your eye. On the lower eyelids, the cut will usually be just below your eyelashes. This means the scars run along the eye’s natural folds, concealing them as much as possible. If only fat is being removed and no excess skin, the cut may be made inside the lower eyelid, leaving no visible scar.
Blepharoplasty takes around one or two hours, or less if you’re having just the upper or lower eyelid done. It may be performed as a day-case, but an overnight stay in hospital is sometimes required. The operation can be performed under general anaesthetic, which means you will be asleep during the procedure, or under local anaesthetic where the area around your eyes will be numb but you will be awake. You will need to plan some time off work to rest and recover.
You should expect to have bruising and swelling for up to three weeks after the operation. This might make your eyes feel tight and difficult to close when you go to sleep. Your eyes may also feel sticky, dry and itchy for the first week or so. For some people they become watery for a few weeks.
As with any cosmetic procedure, it is important that you review your expectations thoroughly before you decide to proceed. Your surgeon will explain the results you can expect, and will discuss the associated risks and alternatives to the procedure before going ahead.
With Spire Healthcare you will see a consultant of your choice at a time that suits you. You will be treated in a premium private hospital, not a clinic, and you can be assured of our commitment to healthcare standards and infection control excellence.