One part of the human body that stays practically the same in appearance throughout our lives are the eyes. The eyes are known as “the windows of the soul,” as they tend to tell our emotions better than our words at times. As we age, we tend to lose elasticity in the skin around the eye area due to a mixture of environmental factors such as lifestyle habits, sun exposure, and gravity. This loss of elasticity can lead to sagging around the eyes, which not only changes the shape of our eyes but also affects our vision.
A blepharoplasty, or eyelid surgery, aims to restore youthfulness to the eyes and rejuvenate the face by removing excess skin from the eyelids. Dr. Kaplan has an eye for facial rejuvenation as a whole, so when performed by a board-certified plastic surgeon such as himself, eyelid surgery can be one of the most influential steps to reawakening and restoring balance to the face.
Am I a good candidate for a blepharoplasty?
We all tend to age at a different pace. Some people may notice aging in their faces at a much younger age than others. Typically, good blepharoplasty candidates who come into Dr. Kaplan’s office looking to improve signs of aging around their eyes are aged 35 and above, but there are minimally invasive options available for younger patients noticing moderate changes in the laxity of the eyelids.
Can blepharoplasty be performed non-surgically?
If you want to restore the youthfulness around the eyes but are not interested in getting any type of surgery, no worries. You may be a good candidate for the minimally invasive route of blepharoplasty. Dr. Kaplan offers both surgical and non-surgical options to help diminish signs of aging around the eyes:
Surgical: SOOF Elevation – The surgical option for the type of blepharoplasty Dr. Kaplan offers is called the SOOF Elevation technique, in which he carefully realigns hollowed fat deposits below the eye which may have fallen onto the upper cheek. He then redrapes the fat deposits over the lower part of the eye near the lower eyelid so that they are closer to the position they were naturally at before the impacts of aging, gravity, and other environmental factors. This technique is known in the surgical world as lifting the suborbicularis oculi fat and requires high skill, so it is best suited for patients with drastic volume changes below the eye.
Non-Surgical: Pinch Blepharoplasty – The non-surgical technique for rejuvenating the eyes by addressing skin laxity, wrinkles, and fine lines, known as pinch blepharoplasty, works by removing excess skin and tightening the eye area without altering the muscle or fat pads. If you require only moderate improvements to the eye area or are noticing small changes to the eyelids at a young age and want to alleviate the problem before it gets worse, pinch blepharoplasty is the best option for you. The procedure is performed in Dr. Kaplan’s office under local anesthesia as it is minimally invasive, and you will need less time to recover from this procedure compared to the relatively longer recovery process following a surgical blepharoplasty.
Do I need a blepharoplasty?
If you are noticing loose skin sagging around your eyes that disrupts the youthful appearance of your visage, you may be wondering if a blepharoplasty is the best option to achieve your goal of eyelid rejuvenation. Regardless of your gender, age, lifestyle choices, and more, if you relate to most of the points in this article, it may be time for you to call Dr. Kaplan’s office for an eyelid lift consultation. You can also prepare all necessary questions to ask during a blepharoplasty consultation in order to benefit the most from your meeting with the doctor. Here are some reasons you may be needing a blepharoplasty:
Do you have bags or puffiness under your eyes?
If your eyes always make you appear tired due to the puffiness around them no matter how much sleep you get, you may be a good candidate for eyelid surgery. If your eyes become more narrow from this puffiness, it tends to make you appear more mature. Many patients who inquire about eyelid surgery with Dr. Kaplan are looking into the surgery because they have permanent eye bags that will not disappear with sleep. Do note that if you have dark circles under your eyes that you have had most of your life and can’t seem to get rid of, they may be genetic and are not necessarily something a blepharoplasty can fix. If you are noticing dark circles in combination with puffiness under your eyes, it may be time to book a consultation with a plastic surgeon to discuss a blepharoplasty procedure.
Do you have excess or loose skin above and/or below the eyes?
No matter how young you are, the skin around your eyes is thinner than the skin anywhere else on your face, and doesn’t have as many oil glands or produce as much collagen as other parts of the face. It also has less subcutaneous fat and muscle strength underneath it. The delicacy of the skin surrounding our eyes makes it more vulnerable to damage from environmental factors such as the sun.
Do you have fine wrinkles on your eyelids?
One of the earliest signs of aging for many people is crow’s feet, or smile lines, on the skin around the outside of the eyes and the eyelid area. Although blepharoplasty focuses on the eyelids, it can correct the wrinkles on and around your eyelids that drastically affect the youthful appearance of your face. Dr. Kaplan creates incisions in the creases of the eyelids to trim excess skin and remove fat that has formed in the eyes from a weakening of the muscles. He then repositions the tissues that affect lines and wrinkles on and around the eyelids, reducing the appearance of crow’s feet.
Do you have droopy skin on your lower eyelids?
Eyelids stretch with age and the muscles supporting them weaken. This weakening of the muscles can cause excess skin, and oftentimes fat, to gather around your eyelids, according to Mayo Clinic. As loose skin is trimmed during a blepharoplasty, the procedure can solve this common sign of aging.
Are your eyelids sagging to the point of impairing your vision?
Drastic sagging around the eyes can reduce peripheral vision, or side vision, especially in the upper and lower parts of the area. If your upper eyelids are drooping to the point in which they are disrupting your vision, you most likely need to reach out to a plastic surgeon about getting a blepharoplasty. It is one thing for eyelid droopiness to diminish the youthfulness of your eyes, but to negatively affect your ability to see is not something to be handled lightly.
If the drooping of your upper eyelid is so severe that it impairs your vision, you may qualify for having your blepharoplasty procedure covered by insurance as it is repairing a condition that harms your vision, according to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons. If your purpose for getting a blepharoplasty is strictly for cosmetic purposes, however, it most likely will not be covered by insurance.
Can I get eyelid surgery along with another procedure?
Oftentimes, when patients come to Dr. Kaplan for eyelid surgery, their goal is facial rejuvenation beyond just the eyes. Some inquire about having other facial rejuvenation procedures performed along with it. Dr. Kaplan can perform blepharoplasties at the same time as other procedures, such as a facelift, laser skin resurfacing, or a brow lift to truly reawaken the youthful appearance of your face.
How can I avoid aging around my eyes?
Blepharoplasty is a great solution to reverse signs of aging around the eyes, but you may be wondering how to prevent loose skin and wrinkles around the eyelids before they happen. The truth is, at a certain age, you can’t necessarily avoid wrinkles without any type of cosmetic treatment. This is especially difficult to do around the eyes, as the skin is very thin with little fat and collagen beneath it, but you can start adjusting to a healthier lifestyle from a young age to minimize their appearance as you age. Here are some lifestyle changes you can make to promote healthier skin around your eyes:
- Wear plenty of sunscreen and limit sun exposure
- Avoid tanning beds
- Get plenty of sleep
- Avoid smoking
- Avoid medications with side effects related to thinning of the skin
What do I do if I think a blepharoplasty is right for me?
If you believe the condition of the skin around your eyes has led to the need for eyelid surgery to restore youthfulness, reach out to a board-certified plastic surgeon such as Dr. Kaplan for a consultation. Dr. Kaplan will listen to your concerns and lay out the best options to help you achieve your goals. Click here to schedule your facial rejuvenation consultation.
