Lower Blepharoplasty(Eyelid Surgery) Blepharoplasty, or eyelid surgery, can enhance your appearance and your self-confidence by eliminating droopy or sagging eyelids. As people age the eyelid stretches, muscles weaken, and fat accumulates around the eyes, causing "bags", or excess skin to become prominent. Pre-Operative Care If you are going to have a general anaesthetic and are a smoker you will be asked to stop smoking before surgery to prevent any unnecessary complications. The Operation Blepharoplasty usually takes one to three hours, depending on the extent of the surgery.
In a typical procedure, the surgeon makes incisions following the natural lines of your eyelids; in the creases of your upper lids, and just below the lashes in the lower lids. The incisions may extend into the crow's feet or laugh lines at the outer corners of your eyes. Working through these incisions, the surgeon separates the skin from underlying fatty tissue and muscle, removes excess fat, and often trims sagging skin and muscle. The incisions are then closed with very fine sutures. If you have a pocket of fat beneath your lower eyelids but don't need to have any skin removed, your surgeon may perform a transconjunctival blepharoplasty. In this procedure the incision is made inside your lower eyelid, leaving no visible scar. It is usually performed on younger patients with thicker, more elastic skin. Post-Operative Care You can expect bruising and swelling, the extent of which is dependant on the individual, after your surgery but generally speaking very little pain. If you do experience pain however this can quickly be overcome with the use of analgesics. In order to aid drainage and thereby speed up the healing process, avoid lying down or sleeping in a flat position for the first few days following your surgery. Anti-inflammatory medication is usually prescribed as well as eye gels or ointments for application three or four times a day. The additional application of cold compresses to your eyes will also aid in a quicker reduction of swelling.
Stitches that can easily be pulled out by your surgeon four to five days after the surgery are used in both the upper and lower lids. As with all surgery it is advisable to take it easy after an eyelid procedure. Avoid any strenuous exercise, bending or jerky movements for up to five days after surgery so as not to disturb your stitches. You can plan to be back at work approximately fourteen days after the procedure by which time all your bruising and swelling should have subsided.
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The Operation
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