subject: Blepharoplasty [print this page] Blepharoplasty is a medical term used for surgical and sometimes non-surgical alteration of the eyelids, where "blepharo" means eyelid and "plasty" is the procedure by which change is brought about.
Eyes are the most communicative of all our organs. Just by looking at the eyes of a person, one can gauge the mood, the nature, the state of health, the age and alertness of the person. When a person is young and healthy, the eyes are bright and alert. Age, fatigue and also mental and physical health can change the way the eyes look. Gradually as a person ages, there could be dark circles round the eyes or there could be swelling or puffiness under the eyes commonly termed as "bags", or a swelling over the eyes that make the eyes droop and smaller in size. These physical changes that make the eyes look different are because eyelids are affected due to different causes. But now it is possible to correct these using plastic surgery procedures called as "blepharoplasty".
Blepharoplasty or eyelid surgery can be used for cosmetic or functional reasons. When a person has under-eye bags along with wrinkles on the skin in that area, cosmetic blepharoplasty is done on the lower eyelids. Blepharoplasty is done for functional reasons when there is extra skin on the upper eyelids that comes over the eyelashes and causes obstruction to vision.
Lower eyelid Blepharoplasty: This type of blepharoplasty is usually for cosmetic reasons. Care is taken that there is no visible scar under the eyes by making fine incision along the natural skin lines under the eyes or not making the incision on the outside at all but taking out the excess fat by making a cut on the inside of the lower eyelid. When the cut is made on the outside, the fat as well as the extra skin can be removed but when it is made on the inside, only the excess fat can be removed and not the skin. In this case other methods such as chemical peels or CO2 laser treatment are used to make the loose skin taut again.
Upper eyelid Blepharoplasty: This procedure can be undertaken for both cosmetic and functional reasons. Many races from the East and the Far East have the genetic propensity towards drooping eye syndrome. They do not have a crease over their eyes and hence appear to be single-lidded. Double eyelid surgery or Asian Blepharoplasty procedures are carried out on them to create the crease and make them look double lidded.
Some important points to be remembered before opting for Blepharoplasty:
1.A good plastic surgeon who is experienced in Blepharoplasty is an absolute must or one might find that instead of looking younger and rejuvenated the appearance can become worse than before.
2.All the risks involving blepharoplasty should be well understood and the advantages weighed against the risks before making the important decision.
