Your eyes are one of the most important features on your face. They tell the world what you’re thinking and feeling at any given time. They can also be a major indicator of age. An eye lift (blepharoplasty) at our Boston area plastic surgery practice will restore your eyes to a younger look that will brighten your whole face.
How Your Eyes Age
As you age, the skin around your eyes begins to lose collagen and elastin, two types of fibers that keep your skin firm and tight. When production of these fibers slows down, your skin starts getting looser and sags under the force of gravity. Because the skin around your eyes is so thin, this area is affected much earlier and quicker. Wrinkles appear around your eyes sooner than any other part of your face. You also start getting dark circles and a puffy look to your eyes. Over time, all these effects can make your whole face look older and more tired than you feel.
How Blepharoplasty Helps
Eye lift surgery is designed to lift the skin around your eyes so that they regain a youthful look. Depending on what your eyes need, you can get an eye lift on your upper eyelid, lower eyelid, or both. Lifting your upper eyelid removes any loose skin from the tops of your eyes and repositions the fat so that your eyes don’t look heavy or tired. Lower eyelid lifts focus more on the dark circles under your eyes and any excess skin that creates bagging. Most eye lifts involve working on both your upper and lower eyelids, but some patients can benefit from one more than the other.
Regardless of how your eyes are lifted, the procedure is generally the same for each patient. Incisions are made at the spot on your upper eyelid where your eye naturally creases (this will help hide any scars later) and on the lower lid just below the lash line. Once the surgeon has access to the area underneath your skin, he or she can reposition fat deposits, adjust or tighten the muscles that control your eyes, and remove any extra skin tissue. After all the necessary work has been done, the surgeon lifts the remaining skin tissue and sutures it at the incision site or closes the incisions with surgical tape.
Once your recovery is complete, you’ll get to enjoy all the benefits of having eyes that look the way you feel. An eye lift can take years off your face’s appearance. The total recovery takes about four weeks, though the worst of the pain and swelling will subside after seven to 10 days.
How Dr. Davidson Does Blepharoplasty
Dr. Christopher Davidson is a board-certified plastic surgeon who has been performing eye lift surgeries for 10 years in the Boston area. He offers upper lid blepharoplasty, lower lid blepharoplasty, or combination blepharoplasty. Your experience with Dr. Davidson starts with your patient consultation, where he will assess your eyes and discuss your goals for surgery. There are many other surgical and nonsurgical methods that can bring out a more youthful side of your face. Dr. Davidson will go over all of your options. If you are interested in learning more about eye lift surgery and would like to schedule a patient consultation, call (781) 237-7700.