Eyelid Surgery Procedure
For most patients interested in blepharoplasty in New York, eyelid surgery is indeed a good choice. The best candidates include people who are generally healthy and can be expected to heal well and those who have a good outlook on life and realistic goals for surgery. We also want to be sure our patients don’t smoke—or can quit for several weeks, at least—and don’t suffer from excessively dry eyes.
See Before & After Eyelid Lift Photos
Because your eyes are so important, we want to be sure we have complete information to help us safeguard their health. For that reason, we send each blepharoplasty candidate for an eye exam prior to going ahead with cosmetic surgery.
Provided you and Dr. Jacobs agree that blepharoplasty is right for you, surgery and recovery should be straightforward and rewarding. If you’re interested in finding out how the procedure could change your appearance, contact us to arrange a personal, private consultation with Dr. Jacobs.
Eyelid Lift Overview
We perform blepharoplasty in our New York City surgical suite under twilight anesthesia for almost every patient. You will sleep comfortably through the entire process, then awaken easily after surgery. Twilight anesthesia, also called intravenous sedation, will help you avoid that groggy post-op feeling, and there’s very little risk of nausea. You’ll need someone to pick you up and take you home after surgery, but you can expect to feel relatively alert.
Altogether, blepharoplasty may take about 90 minutes, depending on how much is done. If you have elected additional procedures, such as a forehead lift or facelift, surgery will take longer.
For the upper eyelids, Dr. Jacobs makes two carefully measured parallel incisions, placed so that the resultant faint scar will be well hidden in a skin crease. Through the incisions, fat deposits can be removed as needed, and the muscles that cause “worry lines” between the brows can be weakened if desired. If hollows and asymmetry are problems, Dr. Jacobs can address those at this time as well. He removes redundant tissue that causes eyelid droop, then carefully sutures the incisions closed.
Dr. Jacobs treats lower lids with small incisions just below the lash line. He can remove or reposition fat deposits to smooth “bags” below the lids, then he pulls up lax skin, removes excess tissue and closes the small wounds. If a patient has experienced drooping of the cheeks, Dr. Jacobs can use the lower eyelid incisions to elevate the skin of the mid face as well. This procedure is sometimes called a mid facelift or an extended lower eyelid tuck. Cheek implants can even be inserted through lower lid incisions to refine the structure of your face.
Risks and Recovery
In the hands of a board-certified plastic surgeon with extensive blepharoplasty experience, you have every chance of an excellent result. Although eyelid surgery demands great skill and meticulous attention from the plastic surgeon, it’s a relatively smooth procedure for most people.
Risks of any surgery include infection, poor wound healing, excessive swelling, blood clots and other complications. Risks specific to blepharoplasty can include dry eyes, blurred vision, abnormal drooping of the lids and difficulty closing your eyes. You can play an important role in minimizing risk by following Dr. Jacobs’ instructions to the letter.
Immediately after surgery, you will experience a feeling of tightness and pulling – but pain is very rare. During your recovery, you can expect light swelling and some bruising that will take a while to dissipate. Many people feel ready to go out in public with makeup in about a week; some wait about two weeks. We will help you with information you can use to help heal the signs of surgery as soon as possible.
Blepharoplasty is generally a very rewarding procedure, offering you the chance to rejuvenate and brighten your appearance. Many patients report receiving compliments from friends on their looks, without anyone knowing exactly what’s different! Contact us online or call at 212-570-6080 to come meet with Dr. Jacobs.
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