Eye Lift Techniques

Eye lift techniques can vary by the place of incision, the included techniques and non-surgical alternatives.

Your eye lift surgeon will have preferred techniques based on her skill and experience. During eye lift consultation, you can ask the doctor about methods and options for correcting problems around your eyes. Check our eye lift surgeon directory on the site to find a surgeon in your area.

Eye Lift Techniques: External eyelid incisions

The eye lift surgeon may decide to make incisions on the outside or inside surface of the eyelid. This decision is based on the needs of the eye lift candidate. Incisions made on the outside surface of the lid can leave visible scars, but an incision on the outside is necessary if an eye lift includes removing excess skin. The visibility of scars is diminished by making incisions along natural eye contours and they can be easily covered with makeup. However, scarring may be more visible on darker skin types.

Eye Lift Techniques: Inside eyelid incisions

Eye lift surgery incisions can also be on the inside surface of the eyelid and this is called transconjunctival blepharoplasty. This eye lift surgery technique hides any following scars behind the eyelid where they'll never be seen. This surgical technique has advantages, but your eye lift doctor will counsel you on the pros and cons.

Eye Lift Techniques: Closing the incisions

Eye lift surgeons have several options when it comes to sealing the incisions from an eyelift.

Traditional stitches are one such option and these can be from a material that is absorbed by the body or an artificial material that must be removed at a later time. If you have stitches that must be removed following your eye lift surgery, this is usually done three to four days after. Fibrin sealants or skin adhesives are made from blood components and are used to glue tissue back together with a natural material that the body won't reject and it can absorb later. Fibrin sealants have been used safely for many years, but it's important to know they are developed from heavily screened donor blood plasma. Surgical tape is the third option for sealing eye lift incisions and typically includes materials to prevent infection. Your doctor will have personal preferences for sealing incisions and will discuss which of the three should be used.

Eye Lift: Additional procedures

Your eyelift surgeon may implement a chemical peel or carbon laser at the time of your eyelift surgery. These techniques can further modify the eyes and speed the recovery process.

Eye Lift: Non-surgical Alternatives

Some doctors will refer to any procedure involving the appearance of the eyes as blepharoplasty. However, non-surgical alternatives to eye lift surgery are not technically blepharoplasty. Some of these techniques can be combined with eye lift surgery to enhance the overall effect. However, it should be noted that none of these non-surgical techniques can address the fundamental issues that eye lift surgery tackles.

Lasers: Some laser treatments can tighten the skin around the eyes and even decrease the total volume of skin if an eye lift candidate needs extra removed. However, laser treatments are still superficial and only eye lift surgery can address underlying muscle and connective tissue.

Chemical Peels: Chemical peels can tighten the skin and reduce the appearance of aging even if they don't address the drooping eye lid problems that eye lift surgery addresses. Chemical peels work by sloughing off older, dead skin and then forcing new skin to grow. This new skin is usually smoother and tighter in appearance. Some eye lift surgeons will combine a chemical peel with a patient's eye lift surgery to enhance the overall smoothing affect.

Botulinum Toxin (Botox): Botulinum toxin can be used to relax muscles surrounding the eyes, usually in the middle of the forehead. Also known as Botox, botulinum toxin for cosmetic use was only discovered in the late 80s and approved by the FDA in 2002.This technique may alleviate some appearance of aging, but it cannot address extra fat or additional skin that eye lift surgery can remove. However, it can be seen as a less intrusive, though temporary, solution.

Dermal Fillers: A trough between the lower eyelid and the upper cheek can make a person look older. Dermal fillers are injected beneath the skin to fill this trough and smooth the under eye area. Dermal fillers are a temporary solution with effects lasting about two years. The filling agent is either autologous fat from the patient or a commercial product such as Juvederm, Restalyn or Radiesse. In a surgical eye lift, the doctor would strengthen the weakening muscles and connective tissues that allowed this trough to arise.

Eye Lift Risks and Complications

An eye lift surgery, like all surgeries, is not without its risks and these should be taken into account when weighing whether the procedure is for you. Your initial consultation with an eye lift surgeon is the time to ask serious questions about risks and learn what the surgery entails. The prospect of enhancing your appearance can be an exciting one, but don't let this drive you to over look the gravity of surgery. An eye lift should be pursued with sober reflection and a clear head.

General eye lift risks

Consent forms you sign before eye lift surgery will also inform you of the risks involved. Things you see on this form may include:

• Undesirable scarring or incision lines
• Hematoma (or bleeding)
• Infections
• Accumulation of fluid
• Sutures that emerge prematurely and must be surgically removed
• Temporary lid lag where the lower eyelid pulls down
• A temporary impairment or blurriness in vision
• Ectropian, a condition where the eyelid rolls outward
• Dry Eyes
• Changes in skin sensation, such as numbness
• General anesthesia risks
• Pain that persists through recovery
• Blood clots
• Cardiac or pulmonary complications
• Deep vein thrombosis
• Slow or unfavorable wound healing
• Blindness or loss of eyesight
• Swelling of the skin or discoloration

Specific eye lift cautions

Fibrin Sealants: Fibrin sealants are a form of tissue glue and are sometimes used in eye lifts instead of stitches. Because of their makeup, these sealants have advantages over traditional stitches. As they are made from the components of human blood, they seal eye lift incisions more naturally and don't require a visit for removal. If getting stitches, an eye lift patient must return three to four days after an eye lift to have them removed. Fibrin sealants are crafted from real blood components from donor plasma. These sealants are heat treated to eliminate any potential viruses in the donated blood and donors are tested for HIV and other blood-borne pathogens prior to donation. Fibrin sealants have been safely used for many years and they help in significantly reducing bleeding during surgery.

Strain and Unusual Conditions: After eye lift surgery, the patient must avoid bending at the waist, strenuous activity or lifting anything over 20 pounds. These precautions are to avoid raising blood pressure and allow optimum healing. If you experience any irregularity in your heartbeat or shortness of breath after your surgery, contact your doctor immediately.

Anesthesia: There are two types of anesthesia that can be used in any surgery, including eye lift surgery: general and local. Each type has its pros and cons and your eye lift surgeon will discuss with you which should be used. General anesthesia sedates the entire body and puts the patient in an altered state of consciousness. This is useful when it helps to have a patient unconscious, but is costlier and can slow recovery. Local anesthesia numbs the body only at the surgery site. The patient is awake, but does not feel pain. Local anesthesia is less expensive and speeds recovery as the whole body is not affected. Your eye lift surgeon will discuss which option is right for your surgery.

Questions you should ask your eye lift doctor

Your eye lift surgeon will be your best point of contact for questions about your surgery. You may be shy about asking too many questions, but you shouldn't be. Take time to be candid about your questions or concerns when it comes to risks associated with an eye lift. A good doctor knows this is new to everyone the first time they show up and many people are inexperienced with surgery. If you need help finding a doctor in your area, use the eye lift surgeon locator on our site.

Here are some questions you should ask your surgeon:

• What medication will I be prescribed before eye lift surgery?
• After the surgery, where will I be taken for observation?
• Will the stitches need to be removed by an eye lift surgeon? If so, when will they need to be removed?
• What activities should I avoid during recovery?
• Will I need to apply ointment or medication to my eyes after surgery? How often?
• When will I need to return for a follow-up with the eye lift surgeon?

In the end, your eye lift surgeon's directions are of utmost importance to your recovery. She will give you her own list of particular precautions in addition to what you find here and through your own eye lift research. Follow her directions to a T and your healing should follow its natural course.