Lower Blepharoplasty

Lower Blepharoplasty and Mid-face Lift

Blepharoplasty (with or without a Mid-Face Lift) is the procedure to remove bagginess and loose skin from beneath the eyes. With age there is weakening of the tissues around the eye, resulting in fat protruding beneath the eyelid, saggy eyelids and drooping of the fat pad over the cheekbone. All of these lead to a tired look in the lower eyelid which can be addressed by Lower Blepharoplasty. During your consultation with Mr Price, he will assess you and advise what benefit you might get from Blepharoplasty alone, or with a Mid-Face procedure. Mr Price commonly recommends both are performed together.

The Lower Blepharoplasty procedure uses an incision directly underneath the eyelashes, along the eye. It often extends for a short distance out from the eyelid, along one of the wrinkle lines next to the eye. This means that it is much less obvious, mimicking a wrinkle rather than looking like a true scar. When the Mid-Face procedure is performed, the scar is a little longer – up to 15mm in length.

During the operation, excess fat, muscle and skin is removed and the skin is sutured and taped – just as in the Upper Blepharoplasty procedure. The sutures are taped in position across the nose and over the temple. After the operation, your eyelids may swell and there will be some bruising which may last up to a fortnight. This is usually easily concealed using sunglasses or makeup.

During a Mid-Face lift (if performed), the tissues over the cheekbone are lifted up and re-suspended in order to give a more youthful appearance. Careful dissection is necessary to avoid injuring the nerve supplying sensation to the upper lip, a recognised complication.

The most important (though thankfully one of the rarest) risk with the Blepharoplasty operation is that of blindness. If there is any bleeding behind the eye, it can cause severe pain and, eventually, can compress the optic nerve in that eye, causing permanent blindness. To date, Mr Price has yet to see an instance of this happening, but patients should be aware that there have been recorded cases of this unpredictable but important complication.

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 Lower Blepharoplasty surgery in Cambridge or Peterborough, please contact Mr Price’s secretary.