"I knew I looked tired all the time. Bags under my
eyes and droopy eyelids masked one of my best features—my eyes. I
didn't look like me anymore. I wasn't ready for a full facelift, and
the eyelid lift gave me the look I was after without excess surgery."
—T.M. (age 37)
Who is a Candidate?
Men and women from all walks of life choose eyelid lift, a procedure also known as blepharoplasty. Frederick, Hagerstown, and other Maryland and West Virginia patients choose this procedures to remove puffy pouches of fat in the upper or lower lids that make them look old and tired. Excessive sagging or wrinkled upper and lower eyelid skin often hides your natural upper eyelid crease and can sometimes interfere with vision. Look refreshed and see better with an eyelid lift.
Ready to learn more about eyelid lifts? Start seeing what's possible when you view eyelid lift photos from actual patients of the practice. When you're ready, request a consultation with Dr. Kress at the office of Plastic Surgery One on Opossumtown Pike in Frederick.
Eyelid Lifts in Frederick, Maryland
Dr. Kress performs this procedure on an outpatient basis. Patients are under sedation and local or general anesthesia. During the procedure, Dr. Kress makes incisions along the natural
crease of the upper lids and below the lash line of the lower lids. Excess fat, muscle, and skin are precisely removed.
Recovery Time
All sutures are removed within 4 to 6 days. Minimal discomfort is easily controlled with ice compresses and elevation. Bruising and
swelling, if present, usually resolve within 10 to 14 days. Eye makeup can be used after the sutures are removed, and contact lenses can be
worn within ten to fourteen days.
Your Result
When you return to work (within 2 weeks) you will be the envy of your fellow employees. The scars are barely noticeable and everyone
will assume that you are just back from a wonderfully relaxing vacation. The final result is a more relaxed, rested, alert and
youthful appearance.
Eyelid Lift FAQ's
- I've seen ads for eye surgery using lasers rather than sharp instruments. Is this a better method?
Although there are many excellent uses for lasers in surgery, incision
in the skin should not be made by a laser because the wounds will not
heal as well as incisions made by a scalpel.
- Are there newer eyelid procedures on the horizon?
There is a lot of work being done in the area of redistributing the
fat, particularly of the lower lid, rather than simply removing it.
There are some thoughts that excess fat removal can lead to a
hollowness beneath the eye. The most anatomical way of correcting this
hollowness would be to redistribute the fat for a more natural look.
Several procedures are currently being developed, and this is an area
that deserves some consideration. If you have areas of hollowness of
your face already, excess fat removal can lead to a skeletal look. This
needs to be discussed with your Plastic Surgeon prior to surgery.
- Can fat be injected into the eyelids to correct the hollowness?
No. Because of the anatomy of the eyes (the eyelid skin is resting
directly on the muscle with the fat buried underneath) it is
inappropriate to attempt to inject any fat into the area. This
procedure cannot be safely performed. The area between the nose and the
lower lid known as the "tear trough" does benefit from fat injections.
- Can liposuction be done to remove the excess fat of the lower lids?
There are many delicate structures in the same compartment as the fat;
therefore, I think this would be a very risky maneuver. In relation to
the delicate eye area, a liposuction cannula is a very crude
instrument. To place it into an area that contains all of the delicate
muscles that position and move the eye, along with some critically
important nerves and other structures, would be perilous.
- I've heard the eyes are the most important visual aspect. Is this true?
Yes. Generally when you are meeting somebody for the first time, the
first thing that you notice about their appearance is their eyes. There
is a fairly characteristic pattern that has been studied when one
person meets another for the first time. The first thing they do is
look at the eyes and then gradually sweep over the rest of the face.
Sometimes, however, when looking at the eyes, an opinion has already
been formed upon noticing heaviness of the lids, premature aging,
tiredness, fatigue, etc. Just think of all the adjectives used to
describe human emotions that are directly reflected in the eyes, and
imagine how important they are for your first impression.
- What other effects might I notice from the eyelid surgery?
Most people are very impressed with how much brighter the world is.
Because of the heaviness of the upper lids, they don't fully realize
how much of their field of vision has been lost over time.
Also, many people have tension headaches related to drooping eyelids.
To have adequate vision, it is sometimes necessary for an individual to
keep tension in the forehead to elevate the brows and to take up the
excess skin of the upper lids, thereby creating the headache. Once the
surgery is performed and the extra skin is removed, the forehead is
able to relax, the tension goes out of the forehead, and the headaches
disappear.
Have a question that isn't answered here? Request a consultation with Dr. Kress or call us toll-free at 888.671.2400.
"The eyes have one language everywhere."
—George Herbert
