Eyelid Strips: Do They Work?
“Instant Eye Lift!”
“Alternative to Eyelid Surgery!”
Eyelid strips are nothing new, but they seem to be enjoying a fresh round of buzz in the marketplace. It makes sense, in a way, since eyelid surgery is so popular here in New York and around the world nowadays. When you can see attractive cosmetic surgery results just about everywhere in the media, options for non-surgical alternatives can’t be far behind.
Eyelid strips, those small segments of contoured tape that lift upper lids away from the eyes, are less invasive and less expensive than eyelid surgery. But how well do they work?
What Eyelid Strips Can Do
If your eyes are showing early signs of aging and your upper lids are starting to droop, there’s nothing wrong with giving eyelid strips a try. For evenings out or other special occasions, it can be fun to temporarily lift saggy skin and see whether you can achieve a more awake, youthful look.
Taping your eyelids can even give you some sense of what you might look like if you should elect eyelid surgery (though plastic surgery generally offers more dramatic improvement). Some plastic surgeons use eyelid strips as a tool in patient consultations.
Limitations of Eyelid Strips
Obviously, eyelid strips aren’t a permanent solution. If you should find you like the way your eyes look when you use them, you may be signing up for daily maintenance. And if you do use them often, you’ll need to take care with delicate skin around your eyes since it can be easily irritated or even torn.
It can take some skill and patience to achieve the look you want with eyelid strips. Some people find it difficult to apply them so the upper lids look even, and no matter how successful you are, it’s unlikely you can open your eyes up as much as if you were to undergo cosmetic surgery.
If you’re Asian, it’s even less likely that eyelid tape will work well for you. For most patients looking to create a crease where none exists, surgery is the effective approach.
What’s Right for You?
When it comes to making decisions about your appearance, only you can determine what’s right. If temporary changes are sufficient, or if surgery is not an option for some reason, you may want to keep eyelid strips on hand in your medicine cabinet.
If you find yourself longing for a more permanent solution for your upper lids, however, don’t dismiss the notion of eyelid surgery, or blepharoplasty, without some research. The procedure is one of the least expensive rejuvenation surgeries, and it poses a fairly easy recovery with minimal discomfort. When you choose a board certified plastic surgeon or oculoplastic surgeon with plenty of experience with eyes, blepharoplasty is very safe.
Blepharoplasty is one of the most rewarding procedures we perform in our practice in New York. An eyelid surgery consultation can give you the information you need to make decisions with no obligation. Contact us if we can help.
