Upper Eyelid Surgery

CONSULTATION

Meet with Dr. Apostolakis to discuss your goals and create a tailored treatment plan.

PROCEDURE

The procedure itself takes about 30 minutes. Many patients choose to have it done under local anesthesia only because of the simplicity of doing it this way, but most choose sedation for the sake of putting their minds at ease. If local anesthesia is chosen, expect it to hurt for about 5 seconds on each eyelid as the anesthetic is infiltrated into the tissue.

RECOVERY

Recovery from this surgery is typically well-tolerated. To minimize bruising and swelling, we use great care and patience. We use a radio frequency tissue cutting device that seals the microscopic vessels as we operate, which is a key factor in keeping bruising to a minimum. There is typically no pain during the recovery. Makeup may be worn a day after the sutures are removed. The day after surgery, you may resume sedentary activities such as driving and moving about. Some patients will even return to work a day or two after the surgery if they have desk jobs. Exercise is resumed a week after surgery and gradually ramped up to 100% by 2 or 3 weeks.

RISKS

Complications of upper eyelid surgery include dry eye, injury to the eye, asymmetry, excessive bleeding, poor scar, and infection. Dry eye is the most common complication but typically resolves in weeks or months. Patients with dry eye conditions need to consider this before surgery and may choose to be more conservative or simply forgo the procedure.

RESULTS

Unveil your refreshed, natural-looking appearance and renewed confidence.

BROWLIFT

There is an important relationship between eyebrow position and upper eyelid shape. Raising the eyebrows draws out tissue from the upper eyelids and improves the flap and droop. However, it is typically not necessary to do a brow lift to get a very satisfactory upper eyelid result. Before doing a brow lift, you must appreciate that the eyebrow will also change, not just the eyelid. This is very important. If you like the shape and height of your eyebrow do not do a browlift. Many surgeons will insist on doing a brow lift as part of upper eyelid surgery, but I strongly disagree with this. I am not opposed to brow lifting when we are confident that it is the change the patient wants. It is also quite reasonable to do an upper eyelid surgery first, then re-evaluate and decide if you think you might like a brow lift. A simultaneous brow lift and upper eyelid lift will also raise the risk of dry eye. Finally, be aware that the dreaded “surprised” look is not a complication of upper eyelid surgery; it is a result of an over-zealous brow lift.