Modern eyelid surgery can rejuvenate your eyelids and eliminate tired eyes, bags under the eyes, hoods, dark circles, and eye wrinkles with much less downtime and fewer complications than ever. The new laser eyelid surgery is faster with less bruising and no changes in the shape of the eyelids after surgery. Waiting for an eye cream to get rid of bags under your eyes is like putting aspirin on top of your head to cure a headache.
What is also new is that the laser is used for eyelid surgery and a visible incision in the lower eyelid is no longer required. The new technique is called transconjunctival blepharoplasty, which means that the incision for the lower eyelid surgery is made on the inside of the eyelid, so there is no visible scar or changes in the shape of the eyelid.
What can be achieved with modern laser transconjunctival blepharoplasty?
o Take off your hoods and tired eyes– As our eyes age, sagging skin develops on the upper eyelid and the tissue falls over the lashes. This is called dermatochalasia, but it is commonly called hoods or tired eyes. The new laser blepharoplasty uses the laser to remove sagging skin and reveals an awake, youthful and bright look to the eyes.
o Remove bags under the eyes and puffy eyes– Eye bags and puffy eyes are corrected through a small laser incision made on the inside of the eyelid through the pink tissue called the conjunctiva, hence the term transconjunctival blepharoplasty. The benefits of the transconjunctival approach for eyelid surgery are:
1. No visible incision on the eyelid.
2. No change in the shape of the eyelid-Traditional blepharoplasty through an external incision weakens the lower eyelid. The eyelid is turned down at the outer corner creating a sad or hunting dog look. Modern transconjunctival eyelid surgery does not damage the eyelid support, so the beautiful shape of the lower eyelid does not change
o Eliminate dark circles under the eyes-The new transconjunctival laser blepharoplasty can also be used to remove dark circles. A structure called arcus marginalis is released that attaches or ties the skin of the lower eyelid to the bone of the eye socket and creates the dark circle under the eye. The protruding eyelid fat that is causing the puffiness or puffiness under the eye is removed and a small portion of the fat is placed in the eye to fill in the dark circle. This new eyelid surgery technique has revolutionized surgery to remove dark circles under the eyes.
o Eliminate eyelid wrinkles and crow’s feetNew fractional laser resurfacing techniques can smooth eyelid and crow’s feet wrinkles with much softer lasers and one-third the downtime of traditional laser resurfacing techniques. Botox (TM) is used to calm the muscles that cause crow’s feet and eyelid wrinkles after the skin has been smoothed out by the laser.
What are the benefits of blepharoplasty surgery for tissue preservation?
o No hollow eyes after eyelid surgeryOlder excisional blepharoplasty techniques removed skin and fat and often left eyes sunken and corner-down. The new approach to transconjunctival tissue-conserving blepharoplasty has avoided this problem.
o No change in the shape of the eyelids-The oldest blepharoplasty methods that removed the skin shortened the eyelid and weakened the eyelid support. The result was a sad look.
o Give volume to the depressed cheek-As we age, our cheek near the lower eyelid sags because fat and skin sink into the lower part of the cheek. By repositioning the eyelid fat in this depression instead of pulling the fat, the lower eyelid and upper cheek are plump and rejuvenated.
How long does recovery take?
The only recovery is the time it takes for the swelling and bruising to disappear, usually a week to 10 days, although many patients do not bruise when the laser is used. The laser seals the blood vessels as the surgery is performed, so there is less bruising with the laser.
It is important to rest with your head elevated for the first few days. This helps to remove the swelling. Do not lift heavy objects or exercise during the first week, as these activities can cause postoperative bleeding.
Most people are ready to put on eye makeup on the fourth day, and many people are comfortable in public wearing sunglasses after a day or two.
Who should I see for eyelid rejuvenation?
I recommend a board certified plastic surgeon who specializes in laser surgery and eyelid resurfacing. Transconjunctival laser blepharoplasty with tissue preservation and fat grafting or repositioning is a fairly new procedure and not many plastic surgeons are familiar with this technique.
Even fewer plastic surgeons use the laser technique.
You will have to do your homework. Look for laser transconjunctival blepharoplasty and fat grafting or fat repositioning.
Try to see at least two surgeons and see photos of your results with the newest technique. Ask how many of these operations they have performed and evaluate their answer.
Modern transconjunctival blepharoplasty and tissue-conserving laser techniques are a vast improvement over techniques that were available only two to three years ago. Nowadays a beautiful eyelid rejuvenation is possible with a quick recovery and a normal shape of the eyelids after the operation. Under-eye bags, puffy eyes, eye hoods, eyelid wrinkles, and crow’s feet can be removed with minimal downtime and very little evidence that you’ve had surgery.
Do your homework and find a surgeon who is up to date with the latest techniques.