Blepharoplasty: some basics on eyelid surgery

One type of plastic surgery that is extremely popular, yet not often talked about, is the blepharoplasty. This type of surgery is used to remove fat from the upper eyelids of a patient. Excess skin and muscle from the eye area is also removed, causing the patient's eyes to appear more vibrant and young. People who suffer from bags below the eyes or upper eyelids that appear to droop can greatly benefit by undergoing this procedure, and it can be done in tandem with other facial operations in order to give a full change to the face of the patient.

The ideal candidate for the surgery is a person who has a healthy self image but hopes for a certain degree of improvement in their eyelid area. You should have realistic expectations about the surgery and you should express your ideal outcome with your surgeon to ensure that you are a proper candidate. Planning for this type of surgery is tantamount; your surgeon will want you to undergo some simple medical tests in order to ensure that your operation will go as planned. They will test your vision as well as your eyes' ability to create tears. You should go into the surgeon's consultation with a clear idea in your head of what exactly you'd like to do for the surgery. Be sure to note which lids you would like to work on, as some patients prefer to only get the surgery on their upper eyelids while others feel that all four lids should be altered. This knowledge will greatly increase your ability to communicate your needs to the surgeon. If you are unsure of what exactly you should do, ask your surgeon; they are experts in the field of aesthetics and therefore can make a proper medical decision when it comes to what they think would be best for you.

Once you realize exactly what you want to perform, the doctor will be able to give you a quote regarding exactly how much the procedure will cost as well as the types of methods he or she will be using in order to achieve the desired result. It's an outpatient process that is usually performed in a plastic surgeon's office-based facility. It's performed under local anesthesia, which means that the area of your eye will be numbed, but you will be awake. You will usually be under the influence of sedatives and pain-killer medications as well, however, so that you will better be able to tolerate the surgery. After the surgery, you can expect for the area of your eyelids to feel sore. You will probably be told to keep your head elevated as much as possible in order to ensure that the swelling and bruising from the operation is minimized. A proper plastic surgeon will be sure to schedule a follow-up visit around a week after the operation to check your progress. You can expect to be able to return to normal activities within ten days, with strenuous activities being allowed after about 3 weeks. The eyelids may appear slightly pink from swelling for as much as six months or more after surgery. Eventually, the coloring will fade, leaving you with your new eyelids!

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