Eyelid Surgery: Cost, Photos, Rewiews, Q&A

Injectable fillers and Botox are a great option to help with loose skin around the eyes if you are not interested in blepharoplasty surgery.

Botox last up until 3 months and Injectable filler is said to last up to 8-12 months depending on the filler.

Ultherapy may also be an option you can look into! (Cory Torgerson, MD, PhD, FRCSC, Atlanta Plastic Surgeon)

Laser Alternative to blepharoplasty

Laser resurfacing of the upper eyelid can be a good alternative using lifting the eyelid with using the knife.

The laser can shrink the eyelid skin and reduce the redundancy of skin hanging over the eye. Fractionated CO2 laser can achieve this effect without a lot of downtime.

Usually in 4 days the skin will heal and no sign of swelling or bruising remain as is the case with eyelift using cold steel. (Randal Pham, MD, San Jose Oculoplastic Surgeon)

Yes there are non-surgical methods. However surgery works very well in this area.

If the degree of drooping is minor then non-surgical techniques work well; botox, dysport, laser resurfacing and fillers.

If you have a moderate amount of skin laxity, surgery is the answer. Upper lid surgery (upper blephroplasty) is done under local anesthesia, the recovery is simple and scars heal extremely well. (Leila Kasrai, MD, FRCSC, Orlando Plastic Surgeon)

Surgery for upper eyelid drooping

The surgical approach for upper eyelid rejuvenation is very straightforward and can be done under local anesthetic. For “crows feet” around the corners of the eyes, botox can be used to decrease fine lines and wrinkles.

The lower eyelids can be treated with lasers and peels to tighten the skin, but this might not address the “bags” under the eyes. In order to treat these, a surgery is required that involves IV sedation or anesthesia. (Adam J. Oppenheimer, MD, San Diego Plastic Surgeon)

Alternatives to eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty)

Yes, there are many different options to improve the eyelid area without blepharoplasty surgery. You can use Botox to lift the brow and create a smoother appearance.

You can also use Ultherapy skin tightening and DOT laser resurfacing to improve sagging skin. We also recommend that our patients use Elastiderm Eye Cream from the Obagi Nu-Derm line to tighten eyelid skin. (Juan A. Brou, MD, Toronto Facial Plastic Surgeon)

Alternatives to blepharoplasty

There are many alternatives to blepharoplasty. The best options are some strategic neuromodulators (i.e. Botox or Dysport) near the crow’s feet area. These can assist with pulling up the corner of the eye and upper eylid. In addition, a small amount of soft tissue filler between the upper eyelid and eyebrow can work wonders to restore volume. Here’s a great blog on the subject. (Salvatore Pacella, MD, MBA, FACS, Oklahoma City Plastic Surgeon)

Noninvasive skin tightening technologies provide work by heating deep layers of tissue without actually removing overlying skin. As a result, they have a short downtime and only modest results. Medium to deep skin resurfacing treatments from laser resurfacing or chemical peels actually remove overlying layers of skin and therefore cause significantly more tightening. However, they will not save you on downtime versus an upper blepharoplasty.

This procedure involves removing an ellipse of skin in the natural crease of the upper eyelid, so the incision becomes invisible over time. The recovery is about 1 week and the results are wonderful. (Anand D. Patel, MD, Toronto Plastic Surgeon)

Non surgical methods for eyelids

In some cases injectables such as restylane can be placed in the brow region or nasojugal groove which will help contour the upper and lower eyelids. In mild cases this will help the “droop” .

Botox can also be used and if placed properly will allow the frontalis muscle of the forehead increase its function and will give a mild brow lift. These measures are for very mild cases and only surgical eyelid lifts will give long lasting and the best cosmetic results. (Donald Nunn, MD, New York Plastic Surgeon)

There are alternatives to a blepharoplasty

There certainly are alternatives to blepharoplasty, but a surgical solution is usually the best solution. Upper eyelid skin excess can be improved by a variety of techniques, whether it’s Ultherapy, laser resurfacing, or other energy based modalities like Exilis.

The problem is that these non-surgical solutions can only tighten the skin a small amount. If you have more than a few millimeters of excess skin, you really need a blepharoplasty.

The good news is that the surgery is easier than most patients think. I personally do them in my office using local anesthetic. It only takes about 30 minutes.

You go home and ice the eyes with cold gauze that day, sleep with the head elevated, and 3-4 days later, we take the sutures out.

You can then wear makeup and go back to relatively normal activities. (Andrew Campbell, MD, Milwaukee Facial Plastic Surgeon)

Non surgical and surgical ways to improve doopy eyelids, pros and cons and limits

The first step in my practice would be to find out what the patients understanding of a droopy eyelid is.

1. Let’s say it is excess skin at the upper lid what the patients understands under the term “droopy”: – there is no good non-surgical way to tackle this problem. With a laser you can tighten a certain amount of skin however it will not be much and when it comes to the risk of it I’d rather have my blade or ellman in my hand as I find it easier to control the amount of reduction which I can achieve.

Peels might do a bit. I tried myself a skin tightening cream and it did have an ok temporary effect but having said this I hardly have excess skin and with a decent amount of surplus skin I do not think it will work. Botox around the eye can have some nice effect though by lifting the eyebrows and playing with the balance of the “lid muscles” and, it lasts a few month.

2. Let’s say the eyebrow sits too low and causes hooding of the upper lid and this is what the patients understands under the term “droopy”: – obviously a brow lift is the procedure designed to take care of it. Alternatively Botox is suitable depending on the amount of lift needed.

3. Let’s say the lid margin is too low and this is what the patients understands under the term “droopy”: – a ptosis operation is designed to alleviate this problem.

Non-surgical wise Iopidine drops might have a temporary effect if the underlying cause is muscle weakness.

4. Let’s say we talk about the lower lid and excess skin is what the patients understands under the term “droopy”: – again the classic operation here is obviously an external blepharoplasty.

Skin tightening cream can have a mild temporary effect. Lasers and peels can be beneficial if the total amount of excess skin is not too much. Botox again will probably work in milder cases.

5. Let’s say we talk about the lower lid and excess fat is what the patients understands under the term “droopy”: – external or transconjunctival blepharoplasty can be one of the answers to this problem and probably still the preferred one in my practice.

However with fillers put into the hollow below the bags one can sometimes make the bags less apparent. Troph implants I have never put iin but had to remove a few which colleagues put so that I didn’t feel keen to ever put them myself. And then again laser and peels might help a bit depending on the amount of tightening needed.

6. Let’s say it is the troph area which makes the patient perceive the appearance as “droopy”: – surgical options would be a soof lift or fat preserving blepharoplasty techninques. Non surgical would be fillers of course. Using fat as a filler here can produce nice results, however lumps and bumps can be a problem as with any other filler.

7. Let’s say it is cheek oedema which is perceived as “droopy”: – I think there is no proper surgical option to treat cheek oedema. Indirectly you can mask the appearance with cheek implants or fillers. I am not sure about the use of laser here, theoretically tightening of this area might do something.

8. There are many other good answers mentioned in this blog which can be very useful: good sleep and food, use good skin care, avoid sun damage, good hydration, no alcohol and no smoking and the list goes on. (Stefan Gonschior, MD, DMD)

Non Surgical Eye Lift

There are a number of different ways to rejuvenate aging lids. For upper lid laxity Thermage can be use and ulthera can be employed to lift the upper brow.

Both are FDA approved treatments for these issues. (Christopher Khorsandi, MD, Las Vegas Plastic Surgeon)

Droopy Eyelids – Alternatives to Eyelift Surgery?

That’s a good question and the answer depends on the cause of the eyelid drooping.Upper eyelids can have drooping caused by excess fat behind the eyelid.

There can be excess skin. The entire eyelid can be abnormally low (ptosis). Also, the position of the eyebrow can be too low and can push down on the upper eyelid. Nonsurgical methods of treating an abnormally low eyebrow can include using a neuromodulator, such as Botox, to weaken the muscles that pull down on the eyebrow.

Botox placed within the corugators (11 lines) or orbicularis (crow’s feet) will relax these muscles and allow the eyebrow to raise. Excess fat and skin of the upper eyelid can only be treated with surgery. Surgery involves removing a a strip of skin +/- muscle. This gives access to to fat compartments of the upper lid. Conservative fat removal is performed in the incision is closed with fine sutures.

Sutures are removed after one week. Bruising lasts 7 to 10 days and can be covered with eyeglasses or mineral based makeup. The aesthetic lower eyelid should blend seamlessly with the cheek. When the lower eyelid and cheek don’t blend together, the lower eyelid becomes more prominent.

There can be multiple causes of sagging/drooping/prominence of the lower eyelid. There can be excess fat, excess skin, descent of the cheek, or a deep tear trough. Nonsurgical treatment of the lower lid can involve lasering the lower lid skin to tighten it. Filler can be used to fill the tear trough. In order to address excess fat or skin, surgery is indicated.

The surgery involves removing fat from the lower eyelid through an incision placed on the inside of the lid. Excess skin is removed within incision placed just below the eye lashes. Interestingly, a facelift that raises the sagging cheek tissues can also improve the appearance of the lower eyelid.Consultation with your local surgeon will help determine which techniques will help you obtain your goals. (Austin Hayes, MD, Portland Plastic Surgeon)

Nonsurgical Treatment for Droopy Eyelids

If you are referring to the upper lids, Botox correctly placed can give the brows a lift and decrease the accordion lines at the side of the eyes. Some people use special tape to keep loose skin from hanging down. But surgery is the only way to achieve the result in the link below. (Heather J. Furnas, MD, Santa Rosa Plastic Surgeon)

Drooping lids alternatives to surgery

While there are some nonsurgical treatments if you have significant excess skin on the upper lids your best options is an upper eyelid surgery. Most oculoplastic surgeons perform these in their office with local anesthesia. There is very little discomfort with healing although you have to be prepared to be bruised for 7- 10 days. You will love it and enjoy it for a long time. (Katrinka L. Heher, MD, Boston Oculoplastic Surgeon)

Nonsurgical alternatives to eyelid surgery to address droopy eyelids

To address droopy eyelids in a nonsurgical manner, you do have options such as botox which can provide a nonsurgical brow lift to “open up” the upper eyelid area more. To restore volume in the lower eyelid area, dermal fillers such as restylane can be useful in the appropriate candidate.

Lifestyle changes including getting more sleep, proper hydration, and avoiding salt can help. Consult with 3 experienced and expert board certified plastic surgeons who are master injectors to understand your options better. (Kris M. Reddy, MD, FACS, West Palm Beach Plastic Surgeon)

Non-surgical treatment for droopy eyelids

Yes, nightly application of topical retin-A or tretinoin ointment. Daytime application is not recommended. (Hampson A. Sisler, MD, )