How much will it cost?
What can I do about my eyelid bags and sagging?
Will I ever be exactly the same on both sides?
Will there be scars after surgery?
What are the risks of eyelid surgery?
Will this affect my vision?
Will this change the shape of my eyes?
I have heard about so many bad things on television, is it safe to have eyelid surgery?
What can you tell me about this new technique that I saw on television?
Should I stop smoking?
What other choices do I have?
How are forehead lift and upper eyelid surgery related?
What additional procedures can I consider that will enhance the result?
Am I a good candidate for an eyelid surgery?
How many times can I have eyelid surgery done?

How much will it cost?

The fee for eyelid surgery can be located in the suggested fees . The fee for both upper and lower eyelid surgeries is determined by simply adding the individual fees. Please call my office for an accurate price quote or make an appointment for a personal consultation to discuss your specific concerns. My suggested quotes include professional fees, anesthesia fees, operating room costs, house calls, before care and after care. They do not include hospitalization costs, prescriptions, home nursing care, preoperative history and physical examination, laboratory costs, or pathology fees. If you compare prices, make sure that you consider all these costs. In addition, eyelid surgery usually requires some time off work for a safe recovery. I require complete payment two weeks in advance of all cosmetic surgery.

What can I do about my eyelid bags and sagging?

Relaxing skin and bulging eye fat lead to hooding of the upper eyelids and bags of the lower eyelids. Eyelid surgery corrects these changes by removing extra skin while either repositioning or removing extra fat.

Will I ever be exactly the same on both sides?

It is normal for you to have differences in your eyelids. Surgery can reduce these differences but not eliminate them. It will be necessary for you to adjust to some eyelid asymmetry after your surgery.

Will there be scars after surgery?

Scars are part of all surgery. It is important to understand where eyelid surgery scars will be placed. The upper eyelid surgery scar extends from the inner corner of the upper eyelid arcing up along the curvature of the eye socket toward the outer corner and onto the skin of the "crow's feet". The lower eyelid scar extends from the inner corner of the eyelid along the edge of the lid just beneath the eyelashes and onto the skin of the "crow's feet". In young people that require only fat removal, the scar can be hidden in the wet lining (conjunctiva) of the lower eyelid. The length of the scar is determined by how much extra skin is present. These can easily be covered with makeup.

What are the risks of eyelid surgery?

There are risks with any surgery. Infection, excessive bleeding, abnormal scarring, poor healing, slow healing, skin loss, changes in skin sensation, muscle or nerve injury, although uncommon, can occur with any surgery. Fortunately, most problems that result from such complications are correctable with additional surgery. Pulling down of the lower eyelid, difficulty closing the eyelids, and dryness of the eyes can also occur. Finally although very rare, blindness has been reported with eyelid surgery. You must understand your risk of complications completely before you choose to have an eyelid surgery.

Will this affect my vision?

Although very rare, blindness can occur whenever surgery is performed near the eyeball. This can be permanent. It is also possible to experience temporary blurring of the vision as a result of swelling and dry eyes. You will not be able to wear contact lenses for one to three weeks after eyelid surgery.

Will this change the shape of my eyes?

Eyelid surgery should not change the shape of your eyelids unless that is what you desire. A natural result after eyelid surgery should leave your eyes the same shape as before surgery.

I have heard about so many bad things on television, is it safe to have eyelid surgery?

There are always risks with eyelid surgery. When severe complications are combined with inexperienced surgeons, poor results can occur. I believe that eyelid surgery can be done safely with a high degree of patient satisfaction. Serious problems are usually related to medical conditions like high blood pressure, arthritis conditions, and thyroid disease. Most poor results can be improved with additional surgery.

What can you tell me about this new technique that I saw on television?

Everyone in America wants the latest in medical care. This is not always the best medical care. At times media presentations will leave out critical information about potential complications, quality of result, and FDA regulation. I am open minded when it comes to new technology but I would rather not use my patients to try out the newest techniques. Recent advances in eyelid surgery include transconjunctival (the wet part of the lower eyelid) fat removal with or without laser resurfacing, repositioning of lower eyelid fat rather than removal, brow lift surgery through upper eyelid incisions, frown line treatment through upper eyelid incisions, cheek lift surgery through lower eyelid incisions, cheek implant placement through lower eyelid incisions, and changing the slant of outer corner the eye. Fat repositioning and fat removal through the wet part of the lower eyelid have proven to be real advances in eyelid surgery.

Should I stop smoking?

For general health reasons, I recommend that all my patients stop smoking. It is clear that smoking increases your risk for developing all sorts of cancers. Breathing problems like emphysema and circulatory problems including heart attacks are also linked to smoking. Smoking can increase the risk of coughing after your surgery that can lead to unwanted bleeding. Smoking also reduces blood flow that can result in skin loss during the healing period. Both of these problems can ruin the results of your eyelid surgery and lead to revision surgery. It is always best to stop smoking.

What other choices do I have?

There are other choices when it comes to eyelid surgery. These include forehead lift, laser resurfacing, acceptance of a deformity, and changes in makeup style. Always understand all your options before having eyelid surgery.

How are forehead lift and upper eyelid surgery related?

A forehead lift will tighten the upper eyelid skin by elevating the eyebrows. When forehead lift is done after upper eyelid surgery, less skin is removed than when it is done before upper eyelid surgery. After upper eyelid surgery, care must be taken not to elevate the eyebrows too much because it affects your ability to close your eyes. For this reason, I recommend that if you are considering both upper eyelid and forehead lift surgery, have the forehead lift first. Due to the risks of difficulty closing the eyes and revision surgery, I do not recommend surgery on the upper eyelids and the forehead at the same time.

What additional procedures can I consider that will enhance the result?

Surgeries can be combined to yield dramatic and complimentary results. For safety reasons, I recommend the length of surgery be limited to six hours and no more than two areas of the body be treated at the same time. Eyelid surgery is frequently combined with facial rejuvenation surgery (facelift, forehead lift, and laser resurfacing), facial liposuction, facial implants, and nose surgery. If you have weakness or poor elasticity of the lower eyelids (ectropion), this can be corrected at the same time as lower eyelid surgery.

Am I a good candidate for an eyelid surgery?

This is a question that can be answered only after a consultation. Eyelid surgery is suggested to patients with sagging and/or wrinkling skin of the upper or lower eyelids. This may represent hooding of the upper eyelids or bags of the lower eyelids. I feel strongly that eyelid surgery should not be done if high blood pressure (hypertension) is not well controlled, if there is bulging of the eyeball, or if there is severe dryness of the eyes. There are other things to consider as well including psychiatric conditions, life stress, medical illness, obesity, and motivation. You should be a healthy nonsmoker, within twenty pounds of your ideal weight. Major life stresses (i.e. grieving a death and divorce) must be absent in your life. The ideal candidate is motivated by internal desires to look better.

How many times can I have eyelid surgery done?

When eyelid surgery is done, extra skin is removed stretching the remaining tissue. I strongly discourage any sun exposure that would stretch and damage the eyelids. In addition, redoing the surgery may overly tighten the skin, changing the shape of the eyes, or interfering with complete closure of the eyes. For these reasons, I recommend that eyelid surgery only be done once or twice.