Eyelid surgery in Las Vegas, NV, is a popular cosmetic procedure. Here, you can combine a long-awaited makeover with a vacation, or avoid travel to a faraway city if you live locally. But why choose an eyelid surgery, and what does it involve?
Our eyes convey many messages. They can show surprise, happiness, excitement, or sadness. They convey subtle hints and provide important information during human conversation. The eyes tell another story—a story not everyone wants to tell. The eyes tell a person’s age. Premature aging of the eyes may tell the wrong story, making people seem older, more tired, and less healthy than they really are. Fortunately, eyelid surgery or blepharoplasty can set the story straight, by removing “years” from a person’s eyes.
How Eyelids Age?
While the visible surface of the eye stays virtually the same throughout life, the eyelids go through some profound changes with age. As with most skin, eyelids lose their elasticity with age. The upper and lower eyelids begin to sag; upper eyelid sagging causes ptosis (drooping eyelid), while lower eyelid sagging gives the appearance of puffy eyes. Moreover, the lower eyelids tend to bulge out as fatty deposits under the eye become more prominent. Sometimes aging eyelids are simply a function of normal aging, but they can also be due to certain illnesses or even genetics.
Eyelid Surgery Helps To Get Rid Of…
There are a number of reasons why patients seek eye surgery for droopy eyelids, or ptosis:
- To restore a youthful appearance, as aging-related collagen loss leads to ptosis.
- Difficulty reading or performing other activities where the head is tilted downwards
- Poor visual acuity
- Reduced peripheral vision
- Eye strain or fatigue
- Dermatitis from sagging eyelids.
How Eyelid Surgery Is Performed?
When preparing for eyelid surgery, you must see your surgeon for a consultation, where you can discuss your goals and see a CGI impression of how you will look after your chosen procedure. Advice you may be given includes quitting smoking and pausing use of anti-clotting medications or supplements for a few weeks before and after surgery.
Eyelid surgery can be performed under general anesthesia or local anesthesia using conscious sedation sedatives. Recovery tends to be quicker with local anesthesia and is the better option in patients with other health problems that may not be good candidates for general anesthesia.
Patients may opt for upper lid surgery, lower lid surgery, or both. In upper eyelid surgery, the facial plastic surgeon will remove a thin strip of the eyelid and reattach the cut ends, thereby shortening the vertical length of the eyelid. Care is taken not to make eyelid too short so that it can still cover the eyeball when the eyes are shut, but the lid no longer droops over the eyeball when the eyes are open. In fact, recent innovations to the procedure call for a more subtle skin removal with superior results. Since the incision is made along the natural crease of the eye, the surgical scar is hardly noticeable after the area has healed.
In lower eyelid surgery, an incision is usually made along the lash line. This allows the facial plastic surgeon to remove unwanted fat in the lower eyelid, but is also an excellent place to “hide” the surgical scar. In other words, the small surgical scar will be indistinguishable from the bottom of the lash line.
Blepharoplasty is an outpatient procedure, which means people will not need to stay overnight in the hospital. All that is required is 1-2 hours of monitoring in the office. Patients will need transportation after the procedure, regardless of whether they have general or local anesthesia. This is because the eyes will stay bandaged for after surgery.
Eyelid surgery patients should not lift anything heavy during recovery and should avoid strenuous activity. Treated patients should also use lubricating eye drops and topical antibiotic ointment in the eyes during recovery. Sutures may be removed within 3 to 7 days after the surgery.
Types of eyelid surgery
- Upper eyelid blepharoplasty: Through an incision inside the crease just above your eyelid, excess skin and fat is removed to correct sagging.
- Lower eyelid surgery: An incision along the rim of your eyelid, below the lashes, is made to remove excess skin and reshape the fatty tissue.
- Circular eyelid lift: Both the upper and lower eyelids are lifted.
- Transconjunctival blepharoplasty: More common in reconstructive procedures, this type is performed through the conjunctiva inside the lower eyelid.
Recovery After Eyelid Surgery
Recovering from eyelid surgery may not feel long, with light exercise and returning to work permitted after just one week. However, it takes two weeks before you can wear makeup again, six weeks until the swelling completely disappears, and at least three months before you can train in high-intensity activities and contact sports. Most patients return to near-normal activities after two weeks, when they can wear makeup and redness or swelling has almost disappeared.
Overall, eyelid surgery patients should not lift anything heavy during recovery and should avoid strenuous activity. Treated patients should also use lubricating eye drops and topical antibiotic ointment in the eyes during recovery. Sutures may be removed within 3 to 7 days after the surgery.
Contraindications For Blepharoplasty
There are some situations where eyelid surgery is not recommended:
- Dry eye syndrome, which can worsen with surgery
- Inflammatory skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis
- Multiple revision surgeries of past eyelid lifts
- Psychological factors, including unrealistic expectations and unwillingness to follow after-care instructions
Results Of Blepharoplasty
Eyelid lift surgery is the only permanent option for correcting droopy eyelids. With modern techniques, you can expect a natural-looking result, that takes years off of your face. Patients show a brighter appearance, with greater comfort too. The procedure does leave a scar, but this is hidden within your eyelid creases, so you are unlikely to notice it after recovery.
How Much Does Eyelid Surgery Cost In Las Vegas?
The cost for a blepharoplasty, also known as eyelid surgery, varies within a range. Top-tier blepharoplasty surgeons in Las Vegas typically command higher fees compared to the average, but the potential outcome often boasts superior, more natural-looking results.
