If you’re a Michigan native with drooping or puffy eyelids that make you look tired when you’re not, older than you are, angry even when you’re at your cheeriest or even interfere with your vision, blepharoplasty may be an answer. Blepharoplasty is the formal name for eyelid surgery.

Who Is a Candidate for Eyelid Surgery?

As with most types of cosmetic surgery performed in Michigan, an eyelid surgery candidate is an adult who is in good mental and physical health and has realistic expectations of the surgery. People who shouldn’t have blepharoplasty are people who have dry eyes, an eye disease, or infection or any other sort of severe illness.

Eyelid Surgery Consultation

During a consultation, the patient and plastic surgeon discuss the patient’s goals when it comes to their eyelid surgery. The doctor gives the patient both a physical and eye exam and takes pictures of their eyes to help plan the surgery. They’ll ask the patient to stop taking any sort of blood thinning medications or supplements, to quit smoking at least two weeks before the blepharoplasty, and to make sure they prepare their home for after the surgery.

What Happens During Blepharoplasty?

Blepharoplasty is usually an outpatient operation, which means the patient can go home shortly after it is completed. The surgeon operates on the upper eyelid first by removing excess tissue. If the drooping of the upper eyelid is severe, the surgeon may also perform ptosis to tighten the patient’s eyebrow muscle. The lower lid is operated on in a similar manner to the upper lid.

When the surgery is over, the patient is taken to a recovery area where they’re monitored for a while to make sure all is well.

Recovery from Blepharoplasty

For the first few days after blepharoplasty, the patient may find that their eyelids are puffy, swollen, and bruised. Their eyes may water and they may have double vision and be sensitive to light, but all of these symptoms fade. Ice packs placed on the eyes help, and the patient should simply rest and avoid strenuous activity for at least a week, and take pain medications as needed. It’s also important to keep their head elevated for a few days after the operation and to make sure to keep any follow up appointments with the surgeon.

Call Us for More Information

If you live in Michigan and think blepharoplasty is something that can correct your sagging or puffy eyelids, visit Southwest Michigan Plastic and Hand Surgery in Portage or Battle Creek. Contact us today to schedule your consultation!

Blepharoplasty is commonly known as eyelid surgery. This procedure, which we offer in Michigan, is designed to improve the appearance of eyelids that are sagging or drooping. Your eyelid skin is a lot thinner than the rest of the skin on your face. For this reason, your eyelids show the signs of aging prematurely. This can cause your eyelids to droop and can affect your peripheral vision. All of this makes going about daily activities difficult. Eyelid surgery is designed to get rid of that excess skin and fat. It can also tighten some of the muscles in your eyelids. It can improve your visual field, improve your peripheral vision, and improve your appearance.

Types of Blepharoplasty

Eyelid surgery can be divided into two main categories. There is functional surgery and cosmetic surgery.

When a person has a functional eyelid lift, the goal is to get rid of excess skin that is impairing their ability to see. In some instances, the treatment may be deemed a medical necessity and could be covered by insurance. A doctor may test your vision to see how much of your field of vision is being impaired because of your eyelids.

There is also cosmetic blepharoplasty. This procedure can be performed on either the upper eyelid, lower eyelid, or on both eyelids. Again, the goal is to get rid of excess skin and remove fat. As a result, patients look better and feel revitalized.

Am I a Good Candidate for This Procedure?

You could be. You may be thinking to yourself that this procedure sounds like something that you need. But you may also be wondering if you are a good candidate for it.

To be a good candidate, you first need to have a problem that this surgical procedure can address. So, you would need to have excess skin or fat that affects your eyelids. This problem would bother you to the point that you want to do something about it.

In order to be a good candidate for this procedure, you need to be in overall good health. Remember, this is a surgical procedure. The healthier you are, the better results you are going to see. This means that a good candidate would not have serious eye conditions. You should have healthy facial muscles, healthy facial skin, and healthy facial tissue.

You will also be a good candidate to have this procedure performed in Michigan if you have a realistic expectation of what it can do for you. Blepharoplasty will improve the appearance of your eyelids. However, it is not designed to completely revamp your entire face.

Would you be interested in learning even more about blepharoplasty in Michigan? If so, book an appointment at Southwest Michigan Plastic and Hand Surgery. We look forward to discussing the procedure with you and showing you how it may be able to improve your appearance. Contact us today to schedule a consultation!