Upper Blepharoplasty

Eyelid Reduction Surgery

Upper Blepharoplasty (Eyelid Reduction Surgery) aims to correct the drooping, tired look that lax eyelids give the face. The changes in the eye over time include excess skin, laxity of the tissues beneath it and excess or bulging fat. Because the upper eyelid aesthetics are also affected by the position of the eyebrow, Upper Blepharoplasty should be considered in combination with assessment of the brow position. In your assessment Mr Price will discuss whether you would get more benefit from one or both procedures, dependent upon your personal requirements.

An Upper Blepharoplasty procedure takes place through an incision in the eyelid fold, which cannot be seen when the eyes are open. Occasionally it needs to extend outwards, depending upon the shape of your upper eyelid, and so in these instances there will be a small amount of the scar visible.

During the operation, excess fat, muscle and skin is removed and then the skin is sutured and taped. After the operation, your eyes will be swollen and bruised. You will have tapes over the bridge of the nose and over the temples, holding the suture in position. Most of the swelling settles within a day or so, but subtle swelling may take months to resolve and so the full effect of the procedure is not apparent for some time – although within a week or two it will be fairly obvious. The bruising takes 7-10 days to go away but is easily hidden with sunglasses.

The biggest risk with both upper and lower Blepharoplasty operations is that of blindness. It is a relatively rare risk, but very important. If there is any bleeding behind the eye, it can cause more pain and, eventually, can compress the optic nerve in that eye, causing permanent blindness. Luckily this is rare, but still very important.

Other risks include poor positioning of the eyelid after surgery, where the eye is unable to close fully. This is usually a result of trying to remove too much tissue or pulling the eyelid too tight. It can be secondary to swelling after the operation, and if so gets better as this resolves.

To make an appointment to discuss Eyelid Reduction (Upper Blepharoplasty) surgery in Cambridge or Peterborough, please contact Mr Price’s secretary.