‘You look tired! Didn’t you get any sleep last night?’ This question is all too common for many people - young and old alike.
‘You look tired! Didn’t you get any sleep last night?’ This question is all too common for many people - young and old alike. Drooping, sagging or naturally-hooded eyelids can give the impression of emotional or physical exhaustion which does not necessarily reflect what we feel inside.
Blepharoplasty is the removal of loose skin either from the top, bottom or both, eyelids. For those seeking plastic surgery in Melbourne, the procedure is a relatively safe, fast and affordable way to revitalise their appearance, open up the eye and even improve vision which has been impeded by overhanging eyelids or congenital Ptosis.
What does blepharoplasty involve?
As a standalone procedure, blepharoplasty can be performed using a local anaesthetic, which is administered to numb the eye area. The surgeon then carefully removes any redundant skin from the upper and/or lower eye area, then closes the incision point using fine sutures.
To gain the best results from the procedure you need to select a surgeon with an aesthetic eye who understands the proportions and character of your face. In this way, the surgeon can achieve natural results which improve but don’t drastically alter your overall appearance.
Facial rejuvenation is constantly morphing to meet patient demands for more natural results. Procedures such as tarsal fixation blepharoplasty are being used to treat those who have previously undergone blepharoplasty and would like a revision to obtain better and longer-lasting results.
How long does it take?
If the operation is conducted under local anaesthetic, expect to be on the table for around two hours. This may include both upper and lower blepharoplasty. The procedure can remove skin only or sometimes may involve the removal of fat or muscle tightening; all these will affect the length of time the procedure takes.
Pain
A simple upper eyelid blepharoplasty is generally low on the pain scale for a surgical procedure. For the first few days after the operation, expect some soreness, bruising and swelling. If necessary, your surgeon will provide you with medication for pain relief.
Downtime
When preparing for your procedure, anticipate one to two weeks of downtime, which allows bruising and swelling to subside. Your surgeon is likely to recommend that you don’t do any undue physical activity for the first week or so after the operation.
Best candidates
Some of the most satisfying results can be achieved by patients with premature aging of the eyelid skin, those with a genetic predisposition to eyelid ‘hooding’ or those wanting to improve their vision. This is because just operating on one area of a face which is showing a number of other signs of aging such as jowling, turkey neck or deep nasolabial folds, can look incongruous - young eyes on an old face. In this instance, a facelift combined with blepharoplasty may deliver the best outcome.
Cost
Prices for a blepharoplasty vary greatly between surgeons and should not be a huge factor in your choice of a surgeon. It is best to get the procedure done well rather than done cheaply. On average, surgeons will charge somewhere between $4,500 and $8,000. Costs will generally be greater when patients are operated on in a hospital, under general anaesthetic.
Things to consider
Patients often have an idea of how they want their eyes to look after the surgery has healed. A skilled surgeon will understand how each individual face is aging and its effects on the tissues of the face. He will be the best judge of how much skin should be removed from the skin surrounding the eye.
People age in different ways and often the eye socket can become hollow as the years pass; leading to a skeletal appearance to the eye area. In some cases, removing the skin is not the best option and a brow lift or filler may give a softer effect whilst still lifting a hooded lid away from the eye.
If you’re tired of looking tired and are considering blepharoplasty, the best place to start is by locating a plastic surgeon who will listen to your concerns and fully inform you of what they can achieve to improve the appearance and function of your eye area. In skilled hands, blepharoplasty can be a fast and long term way to brighten and rejuvenate your appearance.
