Your eyes are the windows to your soul, so why simply tolerate the signs of aging? If droopy eyelids or puffy under-eye bags mean those windows are looking a little old and tired, you may be considering eyelid surgery. Eyelid surgery, also known as blepharoplasty, can reduce the effects of aging and any obstruction they’re causing to your vision, leaving you with a more youthful, refreshed appearance. Of course, before you go ahead with the procedure, you’ll need to book a consultation with your cosmetic surgeon; these questions can help you make the most of it.

What Eyelid Surgery Experience Do You Have?

It’s a simple question, but a very important one to ask. During your consultation, you should make sure that your cosmetic surgeon has extensive eyelid surgery experience, not to mention being board-certified. Look for a board-certified cosmetic surgeon who focuses on eyelid surgery.

Can You Show Me Before & After Eyelid Surgery Photos?

As well as knowing that your cosmetic surgeon is experienced and qualified to perform your eyelid surgery, another of your questions should involve the results they achieve. You may well find that your final choice of cosmetic surgeon comes down to the one whose work you find most aesthetically pleasing. Be sure you ask for (and are shown) plenty of before and after photos showing real patients on whom your surgeon has performed eyelid surgery.

Is Eyelid Surgery Permanent?

Although your eyelid surgery can deliver long-term results, nothing can permanently stop the aging process. No matter what cosmetic surgery you opt for, your body will naturally continue to age, so you can expect results to change somewhat over time. That’s not to say that you won’t still see a long-lasting improvement, but you should be aware that even the best board-certified cosmetic surgeon can’t quite freeze time.

Should I Choose Upper Eyelid Surgery, Lower Eyelid Surgery or Brow Lift?

Perhaps all three? One of the main aims of your consultation is to allow your board-certified cosmetic surgeon to assess your individual circumstances, your eligibility for eyelid surgery and how best to tackle the eyelid-related woes that are bothering you.

Your cosmetic surgeon should be happy to answer your questions during your consultation but, in general, upper eyelid surgery and lower eyelid surgery deal with sagging, droopiness and puffiness, whereas a brow lift focuses on a fallen forehead. You may also find that your cosmetic surgeon recommends some complementary non-surgical procedures to boost your results, like BOTOX®.

Will I Need a General Anesthetic?

Eyelid surgery can be performed using either general or local anesthesia, making this an excellent addition to your list of consultation questions. Use your consultation as an opportunity to reassure yourself about all the details involved with eyelid surgery, including the anesthetic that your cosmetic surgeon intends to use. One of your cosmetic surgeon’s jobs is to address any concerns you may have to help you feel relaxed about your upcoming procedure.

How Long Will Recovery Take after Eyelid Surgery?

The specifics of recovery will vary from person to person, but your cosmetic surgeon should give you some guidelines as to what you can expect. Normally, any bruising or discomfort tends to clear within the first week to 10 days, although your final results will take time to develop. During your consultation, you should be provided with post-surgical instructions and following these can help you enjoy a smooth recovery.

You may be able to limit some signs of aging by wearing sunscreen and staying in shape, but your eyes can show your years long before the rest of your body. This is because the skin around the eyes is softer and more delicate than the rest of the face. Eyelid surgery, also known as blepharoplasty, can reverse signs of aging by tightening baggy or puffy eyelids. Eyelid surgery can address common eye appearance concerns and restore a more youthful appearance. But can the results ever look as natural as simply having good genes?

How Can Eyelid Surgery Reverse Aging?

Eyelid surgery is intended to remove excess skin and fatty tissue around the eyes, as well as tighten and repair the underlying muscles. This procedure can be performed under general anesthesia or sedation with local anesthesia. Both the upper and lower lids can be treated to eliminate droopiness and bags, helping you look years younger and more alert.

How Long Is the Recovery Time?

Because the procedure is relatively simple with a short recovery time, you can easily pass off eyelid surgery as simply having good genes or sufficient rest! Sutures should be removed after just 4 to 5 days. Bruising is often minimal and can be covered with makeup. After just 5 to 10 days, you should be able to return to work looking well-rested. Coworkers and friends might not even guess you’ve had surgery!

Will My Eyelid Surgery Results Look Natural?

Eyelid surgery can give you a revitalized yet relaxed appearance. Scarring is unavoidable, but incisions are hidden within the natural crease of the eyelid or along the lash line so they heal to virtually invisible. Your upper eyelid should look smoother, and your lower lid should seem less puffy. For more information, ask your cosmetic surgeon how eyelid surgery can reverse aging and help restore your youthful glow.

Eyelid surgery is done to return a more youthful appearance to the face by repairing droopy lids or removing crow’s feet, fine lines and wrinkles, which can be aging. If you’re bothered by showing signs of aging around the eyes, you may consider eyelid surgery as a revitalizing solution. The procedure can also be done for medical reasons. As with any cosmetic procedure, it will take some time to recover from eyelid surgery, and following these recovery tips can help to make the process easier.

1. Rest Up

One of the main tips for smooth recovery after eyelid surgery is make sure you get sufficient rest after the procedure. It’s perfectly fine to resume normal activities shortly afterwards, but energetic or particularly taxing tasks and exercise should be avoided. It’s also advisable to avoid heavy lifting for a while.

2. Follow Your Cosmetic Surgeon’s Advice

Your cosmetic surgeon will provide you with post-surgery advice. This information will include their own recovery tips, based on their knowledge and experience.

3. Keep Your Eyes Clean

Washing your eyes is an important part of recovery after eyelid surgery and your cosmetic surgeon will teach you how to do it effectively. When administering eye drops or applying ointment, one top recovery tip is to apply from the inside of the eye, working outwards.

4. Eat Healthily

A healthy diet is always advisable, but even more so when your body is healing from eyelid surgery. To aid recovery, make sure to include plenty of vitamins C and E and maintain a balanced diet. Properly nourishing your body will help it to recover more quickly and efficiently.

Eyelid surgery, or blepharoplasty, can be a great option for men and women who want to restore a more alert and refreshed look to their eyes. Eyelid surgery can also improve your quality of life if you suffer from chronic watery or dry eyes or the skin around your eyes has drooped to the point where it obscures your vision. Your insurance company may be willing to cover the procedure if a doctor recommends eyelid surgery for those reasons.

There are a few factors that can impact the cost of eyelid surgery.

What You Get

During eyelid surgery, a cosmetic surgeon can remove and tighten loose or sagging skin around the eyelids and improve the appearance of puffiness in the eyelids or bags under your eyes. The surgery can be done on upper and lower lids or just one depending on what your surgeon recommends.

Adding Up the Cost

The price of eyelid surgery varies depending on your end goal. We tell our clients that the average cost range is $2,900 to $5,000.

• Some people decide to add BOTOX® to their eyelid surgery to help reduce the appearance of crow’s feet, which can add to the price tag, yet may mean achieving the best results.

• Opting to having both lids done versus just the upper or lower lids can have an effect on the cost too.

• Where the surgery will be done and if a local or general anesthesia is used may also impact the price tag. An onsite surgical suite with a local anesthetic may be less expensive than a general anesthetic in a hospital setting.

Whether insurance is covering the costs of your eyelid surgery or not, most people feel the results are well worth the investment.

During eyelid surgery, which is also called blepharoplasty, a cosmetic surgeon tightens and repairs the complex muscles in the lid and removes any excess fat or sagging skin to improve puffiness in the lids and bags under the eyes. The surgery can include just the upper or lower lid or both.

While eyelid surgery can restore a more alert and youthful look, the procedure can also offer medical benefits. Your insurance company may even agree to cover eyelid surgery if you have any of these three conditions.

1. Obstructed Vision

Loose or sagging skin in your upper eyelid may droop to the point that your vision is obscured. Without optimal peripheral vision, daily activities like driving can become challenging and even dangerous. Eyelid surgery can tighten sagging lids to reveal your full scope of vision.

2. Chronic Watery Eyes

Sagging skin in the upper lid can also cause chronic watery eyes. The weight of your drooping lid presses too low on the eye, which creates space for tears to gather and leak out. By correcting drooping eyelids with blepharoplasty, you can resolve chronic watery eyes for clearer, crisper vision.

3. Dry Eye Syndrome

A drooping lower lid can lead to chronic dry eyes. Without adequate tears, your eye cannot function properly because tears keep the surface of the eye smooth, clear debris and help protect against infections. Tear production also declines in people older the 50, which may compound problems with eyelids. To correct this, your surgeon can tighten the underlying musculature surrounding the eyes before carefully removing loose skin to create a more youthful lower eyelid.

Talking with an ophthalmologist and cosmetic surgeon can help you decide if eyelid surgery for medical reasons could be beneficial to your eye health.