Blepharoplasty

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Blepharoplasty can be both a functional or cosmetic oculoplastic surgical procedure intended to reshape the upper eyelid or lower eyelid by the removal and/or repositioning of excess tissue as well as by reinforcement of surrounding muscles and tendons. When upper eyelid descent is severe in the elderly, blepharoplasty may be undertaken to open up the field of vision impaired by overhanging skin. The procedure can also be used cosmetically to improve the appearance of sagging upper eyelids and puffy lower "bags".

Blepharoplasty is performed through external incisions made along the natural skin lines of the eyelids, such as the creases of the upper lids and below the lashes of the lower lids, or from the inside surface of the lower eyelid. Initial swelling and bruising take one to two weeks to resolve but at least several months are needed until the final result becomes stable. Depending upon the scope of the procedure, the operation takes one to three hours to complete.

The anatomy of the upper/lower eyelids, patients' skin quality, patients' age, and the adjacent bony and soft tissue all affect the cosmetic and functional outcomes after blepharoplasty. Factors which are known to cause complications after surgery include failure to recognize factors such as

preexisting dry eyes - which may become exacerbated by disrupting the natural tear film
laxity (loosness) of the lower lid margin (edge) - which predisposes to lower lid malposition
prominence of the eye in relation to the malar (cheek) complex - which predisposes to lower lid malposition

The American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery estimates the average physician/surgeon fee for blepharoplasty for 2005 to be around $2,813. These fees are for the physician/surgeon fees only and do not include fees for the surgical facility, anesthesia, medical tests, prescriptions, surgical garments or any other miscellaneous costs related to the surgery. Physicians most qualified to perform blepharoplasties are plastic surgeons, otolaryngologists, and ophthalmologists.

An upper blepharoplasy in someone who is Asian is termed Asian blepharoplasty or double eyelid surgery.^[1] It is the most popular form of cosmetic surgery among those of east and southeast Asian background. Due to anatomic differences between the asian and occidental eyelid, about half of this population are born without a supratarsal eyelid crease and are called single-lidded. Surgery can be used to artificially create a crease above the eye, thus making the eye appear more open and alert and facilitating the application of make up.

[edit] References

^ McCurdy JA Jr. "Upper blepharoplasty in the Asian patient: the 'double eyelid' operation." Facial Plast Surg Clin North Am. 2005 Feb;13(1):47-64. Review. PMID 15519927.