Upper eyelid lifts

Ageing is unfortunately one of life’s guarantees, and the first place it is often most noticeable is around the eyes. There are a number of reasons why this happens, but frequently a combination of loss of skin elasticity and a subtle lowering of the eyebrow position result in skin excess in the upper eyelid.

Initially this can be addressed using non-surgical means, such as Botulinum toxin (Botox^TM) anti-wrinkle injections, which can be used to gently raise the brow. In addition, improving the crêpey skin around the eye using facial peels or medical grade skin care can be very effective. However, there inevitably comes a point when non-surgical approaches are no longer adequately effective.

An upper eyelid lift (upper blepharoplasty) is one of the simplest and safest facial surgical rejuvenation procedures we perform as plastic surgeons. Indeed, it is frequently performed under a local anaesthetic at Purity Bridge itself, in our treatment room, as a walk-in walk-out procedure.

So who is the typical upper eyelid patient at Purity Bridge? Well, actually there is no “typical” patient! When we asked our surgeons what sort of jobs people did who came to see them for upper blepharoplasty they proffered teachers, lawyers, other doctors, social workers, shop workers, beauty industry professionals, a couple of judges, a cleaner…and the list goes on!

What they virtually all have in common is the way they describe what bothers them – they pinch the excess skin on the upper lid and say, “please get rid of this” Not only does it make them feels they look tired and aged, but it can interfere with make-up application, and in the extreme situation even interfere with vision.

Initially a thorough medical and eye history is taken, after which a careful examination of the eyes and eye area is performed. Special attention is paid to the eyebrow position, as in a number of people, the main “issue” is actually the brow (even if this is not apparent to the patient) and an eyelid lift alone will not produce a satisfactory outcome…or a happy patient! Therefore this needs to be discussed where relevant, and the other options explained, in addition to the consequences of performing an upper blepharoplasty alone without any other adjunctive procedure.

As for the operation itself, this is normally performed under local anaesthetic. After carefully marking the skin excess in a particular pattern, local anaesthetic is administered before cleansing the area. The excess skin is removed, along with any other tissue as required (sometimes muscle and occasionally fat). The wound is carefully stitched in a way to ensure a natural new eyelid crease is created and surgical tapes are applied.

 

The stitches are removed in a week and the bruising can take up to two weeks to settle. There is continual improvement for 3-months as the swelling continues to improve.

Our Consultant Plastic Surgeons all agree that an upper blepharoplasty gives an excellent natural and refreshed result for relatively little downtime. It is also one of the more affordable procedures, which makes it more accessible. For more information, please read our upper blepharoplasty page here › or get in touch to book a consultation with one of our specialists.