With this procedure we aim to reshape the upper and/or lower eyelids by removing and/or repositioning excess tissue, and in some cases reinforcing surrounding muscles and tendons. The surgery can help improve peripheral vision when performed on the upper eyelids, which is important in activities such as reading and driving. It will also give you the appearance of your eyes being more open and alert.

This particular procedure does not alter dark circles, fine lines or wrinkles around the eyes – if these are also problems you would like to address, Skin Institute’s other appearance medicine and cosmetic surgery options can help sort out those issues.

You need all the information possible before you can make decisions about what to do with your body. Here are the basic facts about eyelid surgery at Skin Institute:

• Upper blepharoplasty (upper eyelids) can be either a functional or cosmetic procedure depending on the case.
• It can be performed under a local anaesthetic alone, with no sedation, in our clinic. This would be done as a day case, and you can leave shortly after the procedure is finished. Someone must drive you home, as your eyelids will be slightly swollen. Or you can have the procedure done with a local anaesthetic and some intravenous sedation. This will be performed at the hospital, as a day case, but you will need to stay a few hours to recover from the sedation effects.
• You will need about 1 week to recover, by which most of the bruising will have resolved.
• Lower blepharoplasty (lower eyelids) can be done in conjunction with the uppers, or on their own. However lower blepharoplasty must be done under a general anaesthetic (you will be completely asleep), as it is a more involved operation. If you have both uppers and lowers done, we recommend that you stay overnight in the hospital, so that you can relax, have the nursing staff put cold compresses on, and have any pain relief required.
• You will need 7 – 10 days to recover, when most of the bruising will have resolved. Any remaining should be able to be covered with makeup.

These surgeries are daycase procedures performed under local anaesthesia, with intravenous sedation used for lower blepharoplasty. Your eyeball will be protected with a metal shield, and antibiotic ointment will be administered throughout the procedure to avoid infection.

Here’s what you can expect from the surgery:

• For the upper eyelids, local anaesthesia is administered with or without the IV sedation, depending on which you and your surgeon have decided upon. An incision (cut) is made in the skin crease of the upper eyelid.  Skin will be removed in a crescent shape and in some cases a small amount of fat is removed. Typically, dissolvable sutures are used and do not require removal.  These dissolve between 5 – 14 days. With time the scar will be virtually invisible.
• In lower eyelid operations, this procedure is done under a General Anaesthetic. A variety of incisions can be used depending on your case, and these are rarely visible once healing is complete. Fat and skin is removed through the incision.
• A trans conjunctival approach (through the inside of the lower lid) can be used, and this leaves no scar, but is only appropriate if no skin is to be removed, and it is just fat deposits under the eyes that are the problem. This fat can be repositioned and/or removed through this small incision.
• 24 hours after the procedure, the dressings will be removed so that you can shower. You’ll need a few days at home to recover before going back to work. Usually you’ll be fully recovered within 7 – 10 days. By that time, your eyes may still be mildly swollen, and they’ll continue to improve every day. If you received non-dissolving sutures, they’ll require removal after five days.
• By the end of the second week, most of the bruising will have disappeared, the sutures will have dissolved, and you can usually start getting back to your normal activities. If you have discolouration that bothers you, you can conceal it with make-up.
• After a month, you can get back into exercise, and after 12 weeks, you should see your final result.