If you are considering eyelid surgery

Orange County Eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty) is a procedure which can improve the appearance of your eyes by removing excess skin and excess fat of your upper eyelids, tightening your lower eyelids, and smoothing bags of your lower eyelids as well.  Occasionally upper eyelid skin interferes with vision.  It may be done in conjunction with other facial surgery procedures such as a facelift or browlift.  All individuals are different and your surgeon will discuss tailoring the eyelid procedure to your specific needs and expectations.  Be sure you ask your surgeon any questions about the procedure which you may not understand.  Eyelid blepharoplasty can enhance your appearance and significantly improve your self-confidence and self-esteem.  Before you decide to do eyelid surgery, make sure you discuss with your surgeon your expectation.  Usually the best candidates for eyelid surgery are patients who are physically healthy and emotionally stable.  There are certain diseases which may make eyelid surgery a little risky; including dry eyes, diabetes, or hyperthyroidism and also included is a history of retinal detachment or glaucoma.  Complications from eyelid surgery when performed by a qualified, board-certified Plastic Surgeon are quite rare.  Initially after surgery you may have some difficulty completely closing the eyes and it is common to have blurry vision for two or three days.  Also after a few weeks some small white bumps may appear along the scar.  These are small whiteheads where the stitches were placed and these are easily removed.  Your surgeon will discuss your eyelids in detail and any other significant medical history that you have.  He may require that you visit your local optometrist or ophthalmologist for specific examination and measurements.  Your expectations, goals, and questions should be answered thoroughly and your surgeon should offer before and after photographs of eyelid surgery which he has performed in the past.  Eyelid surgery can be performed under local or general anesthesia depending upon the extent of the surgery and the patient=s desires.  Blepharoplasty is usually performed as an outpatient in a certified surgery center with a board-certified anesthesiologist available if necessary.  For upper and lower eyelid surgery together, blepharoplasty normally takes one to three hours, depending upon the complexity.  Sometimes the lower eyelid is lax or loose and needs to be tightened with canthopexy which is a method of tightening the ligaments to keep the eyelids firm.  There are times when there are circles beneath the eyes that are a bothersome problem for patients and in these particular cases it may be necessary to soften these circles by releasing structures internally and transferring fat to fill the defect.  In this case the operation takes a little bit longer but the results are quite satisfying.  The surgeon makes incisions which follow the natural creases of your eyes for your upper eyelid and usually along the eyelashes of your lower eyelid.  These incisions commonly extend into the crow=s feet areas in the corners of your eyes.  Occasionally patients have puffy bags beneath the eyes but have tight skin.  In these cases the puffy fat bags can be removed without leaving an external scar.  Afterwards you will be instructed regarding cleaning your eyes, using lubrication, keeping your head elevated, and using cool packs.  You will be followed very closely by your surgeon in the first few weeks after surgery to make sure the healing is appropriate and the stitches are removed in time.  It is not uncommon to have blurry vision as previously mentioned.  This usually lasts a few days.