Niagara Plastic Surgery Centre

Cosmetic Enhancements

	OptimumLIFT™ Mini Lift		Botox
	Breast Lift		Brow Lift
	Chemical Peel		Chin Surgery
	Dermabrasion		Ear Surgery
	Eye Lid Surgery		Face Lift
	Facial Implants		Upper Arm Lift
	Indications For Men		Injectable Fillers
	Liposuction		Nose Surgery
	Skin Management		Skin Resurfacing
	Tumescent Technique		Tummy Tuck
	Laser Resurfacing

Plastic Surgery Checklist

Eye Lid Surgery

Enhancing your appearance with eyelid surgery

Cosmetic eyelid surgery, called blepharoplasty, is a surgical procedure to improve the appearance of the upper eyelids, lower eyelids, or both, and give a rejuvenated appearance to the surrounding area of your eyes, making you look more rested and alert.

Specifically, eyelid surgery can treat:

Loose or sagging skin that creates folds or disturbs the natural contour of the upper eyelid, sometimes impairing vision
Excess fatty deposits that appear as puffiness in the upper eyelids
Bags under the eyes
Droopiness of the lower eyelids, showing white below the iris (colored portion of the eye)
Excess skin and fine wrinkles of the lower eyelid

Is it right for me?

Eyelid surgery is usually performed on adult men and women who have healthy facial tissue and muscles and have realistic goals for improvement of the upper and/or lower eyelids and surrounding area.

You should do it for yourself, not to fulfill someone else’s desires or to try to fit any sort of ideal image. Good candidates are:

Healthy individuals who do not have a life-threatening illness or medical conditions that can impair healing
Non-smokers
Individuals with a positive outlook and specific goals in mind for blepharoplasty
Individuals without serious eye conditions

You must tell your doctor if you have any of these medical conditions:

Eye disease such as glaucoma, dry eye or a detached retina
Thyroid disorders such as Graves’ disease and under or overactive thyroid
Cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure or other circulatory disorders or diabetes

Types of Lower Eyelid Blepharoplasty

Transconjunctival Lower Blepharoplasty

The transconjunctival lower blepharoplasty is a procedure where, mainly, the goal is the removal of bulging orbital fat. The transconjunctival lower blepharoplasty is less invasive than the other two blepharoplasty procedures, however it does not get rid of extra skin; therefore, patients with significant excess skin require that skin to be excised or tightened.

Transcutaneous Lower Blepharoplasty

The transcutaneous lower blepharoplasty, or skin approach, has the main goal of removing excess skin, orbital fat, as well as orbicularis muscle. It is a highly invasive procedure that may leave scar tissue inside of the lid that would risk altering the shape of the eyelid opening. Unlike the transconjunctival lower blepharoplasty, the transcutaneous lower blepharoplasty can remove excess skin and muscle without making a second incision.

Tissue-Sparing Lower Blepharoplasty

The tissue-sparing lower blepharoplasty is a procedure where, unlike the transconjunctival and transcutaneous blepharoplasty procedures, no orbital fat is removed. The tissue-sparing lower blepharoplasty focuses on direct repair and tightening of the orbital septum and/or capsulopalpebral fascia. With the tissue sparing lower blepharoplasty, there is no risk of hollowness immediately following or over time, no risk of eyelid collapse, less risk of lid shape change, and a low chance of future fat bulging, however this procedure is still new in comparison to the other two procedures, and therefore procedures are performed on a very selective basis.

Comparison

	Transconjunctival Lower Blepharoplasty	Transcutaneous Lower Blepharoplasty	Tissue-Sparing Blepharoplasty
Being used since...	1980s	Pre-1950s	Still new

Risk of...
Immediate Hollowness	Yes	Yes	No
Hollowness Over Time	Yes	Yes	No
Lid Retraction	Low	Highest	High
Eyelid Collapse	Possible	Possible	No
Change of Lid Shape	Low	High	Moderate
Future Fat Bulging	Low	Moderate	Low

Comparative Level of Risk:	Low	High	Medium-High

Surgery Length	Short	Long	Longest
Recovery Time	Short	Long	Medium
Cost	Average	Higher	Highest