Blepharoplasty can be performed alone or combined with other facial plastic procedures, such as facelifts and eyebrow lifts. Blepharoplasty enhances your appearance and your self-confidence; however, it may fail in changing your appearance to an extent that can be compared with your ideal or ensure other people treat you differently. Before deciding to have surgery, think about your expectations and discuss them with your surgeon. The best candidates are men and women, who are physically healthy, psychologically stable, and who have realistic expectations. Most of them are at the age of 35 or over; however, you may decide to have eyelid surgery at a younger age if you have droopy and baggy eyelids running in your family.

Blepharoplasty usually takes 1-2 hours. If blepharoplasty will involve both the upper and lower eyelids, first the upper lids and then the lower ones will be operated on. In a typical intervention, the surgeon makes incisions following the natural lines of your eyelids; which are the lines of your upper lids, and the ones just below the eyelashes in the lower lids. The incisions can be extended to the crow’s feet or laugh lines at the outer corners of the eyes. Working through these incisions, the surgeon separates the skin from the underlying adipose tissue and muscle tissue, removes excess fat, or spreads the herniated fat over the hollow area below for achieving a proper appearance in fat-protecting techniques, and removes the excess skin and muscle tissues. Then the incisions are closed with very fine sutures. If you have fat bags beneath your lower eyelids, which do not require removal of skin, a transconjunctival blepharoplasty can be performed. In such an intervention, the incision is made inside the lower eyelid, leaving no visible scar. It is usually performed on younger patients who have thicker and more elastic skin.

After surgery, the surgeon will moisten your eyes with pomade and may also apply medical strips. You may feel your eyelids tightened after recovery from the anesthesia; however, the pain and discomfort can be managed with the painkillers prescribed by the surgeon. If you feel severe pain, you can call the surgeon immediately. The doctor will advise you to keep your head elevated for a period of several days and to apply cold compresses or ice cubes to reduce swelling and bruising. (Bruising varies from person to person: it reaches the highest level during the first week. Many doctors recommend eyedrops because you may feel your eyelids dry, and your eyes may burn or itch.)

 For the first few weeks, certain temporary changes may be experienced, such as excessive tearing, sensitivity to light, blurring, or double vision. Your surgeon will follow your healing process closely for the first week or two. Sutures should be removed three to seven days after surgery. After the removal of the sutures, the swelling and bruises around the eyes will gradually disappear and you will begin to feel better. You will be able to read and watch television after two to three days. However, you will not be able to wear contact lenses for two weeks, and even if you wear them, you may feel uncomfortable for a while. Many people feel ready to return to their daily lives and work within a week to ten days. Depending on the rate of healing and your doctor’s advice, you will be able to wear makeup to hide the remaining bruising. You may be sensitive to sunlight, wind, and other irritants for a period of several weeks; therefore, you should wear sunglasses when you go out. You should stay away from daily activities for 3 to 5 days, and avoid strenuous activities for about three weeks. It is especially important to avoid certain activities such as bending, lifting, rigorous sports, etc. which raise your blood pressure. It will be appropriate to abstain from alcohol because it causes fluid retention.

At the end of your surgery, medical strips that close the eyelids are applied. However, you will be able to see through narrow gaps in the strips.

The next day, the strips will be replaced with new ones. Then this process will be repeated two times within 3 to 7 days, and the sutures are removed gradually.

There is no alternative method to eyelid surgery, but in most cases, it is performed in combination with filling and fat injection into the wrinkles around the eye to improve the result and to improve patient satisfaction.

Results are progressively evident after surgery. After the stitches are removed and the wounds begin to heal, more pronounced results occur. After surgery, your scars may remain light pink for the first six weeks or more. The wounds will fade in the future until there is an almost invisible thin white line. On the other hand, the positive results of your eyelid surgery will give you younger look.

Incisions of the intervention are positioned in the natural creases of the upper and lower eyelids. They are made horizontally 1 mm below the eyelashes. Therefore, the scar is not noticeable. When applied to the upper eyelids, the incisions are positioned in the natural curve that forms above when the eye is open. The scar is not visible when the eye is open. However, it can be noticed if it is observed too closely during sleep. The surgical scar is pink in the beginning but it returns to white and normal skin color in the course of time. When performed by an experienced plastic surgeon, the rate of complications is very low. In all patients, bruises, and swelling develop and last for a few days after surgery. Some patients may temporarily experience blurred vision due to pomades applied to the incision sites. And rarely, the lower eyelid may be slightly pulled down, leading to ectropion (the eyelid is not fully closed, may remain slightly open). These are usually temporary conditions. But if it is not eliminated, a second surgery may rarely be needed. Bleeding, infection wound dehiscence, and severe scars, which are the theoretical complications of any surgery, are likely to occur, despite being rare.