Eyelid Surgery (Blepharoplasty)

WHAT IT DOES: This procedure can eliminate excess eyelid skin and sub-dermal fat, yielding a much younger appearance in the eye region in both upper and lower eyelids.

BEST CANDIDATES: Anyone who has excess wrinkling above or below the eye and/or sub-dermal fat below the eyes.

LENGTH OF SURGERY: 1 hour

RECOVERY: Dressings can usually be removed after 2 days, and sutures can be removed within five days. Swelling may persist for a time, but is generally diminished or completely gone after three weeks.

BACK TO WORK: Five to seven days.

The eye region of the face usually garners the most scrutiny because that’s where people’s attention is focused during human interaction. Having wrinkle-free, youthful eyes can make one appear much younger than they actually are, and a Blepharoplasty procedure can yield this result.

Sadly, due to physiology, the dermis in this region is often much thinner in consistency than other facial areas, hence permitting greater accumulation of fine wrinkles and in most instances leading to sagging skin in the region. Compounding this is the damage often caused by over-exposure to the sun, genetic predisposition, dry weather conditions and stress. All these factors can make your eyes appear older than your chronological age.

During the Blepharoplasty procedure, Dr. Giunta will remove excess skin and wrinkles on both lower and upper regions of the eyes. Typically, Dr. Giunta will mark the natural skin creases during the preparation for surgery, which is where he will make his initial incisions. These natural creases will also be used to hide any slight incision marks until healed. Once the incisions are made, he will use a dermatome to separate the upper dermis from underlying fatty tissue and muscles. He will excise skin and remove excess fat if he deems this to be appropriate. Incisions are closed with small sutures, and the area is bandaged. Generally there will only be mild discomfort after surgery. Pain can be easily controlled, usually, with cold compresses, but in some instances, pain medication will also be prescribed. Dressings are changed every twenty-four hours and the sutures can be removed after five days. Initially, there will be some scarring and swelling—both will fade and become barely noticeable after six to eight weeks.