What is Eyelid Surgery?
Eyelid surgery is also called blepharoplasty. It is done to correct the puffiness, sagging and drooping of upper eyelids. It is also used to remove excess skin and bags under the lower eyelids. Blepharoplasty improves the appearance of your eyelids and the area around it to give you a younger and more relaxed look.
You are a surgical candidate if you are healthy and not suffering from any chronic or life-threatening disease conditions and are a non-smoker. Risks increase for people with diabetes, dry eyes, glaucoma, high blood pressure, thyroid problems, heart, and vascular diseases.
Procedure of Eyelid Surgery
During the procedure, you will be administered either local anesthesia and sedation or general anesthesia as felt appropriate by your surgeon. The incision on the upper eyelid is made such that after the procedure the scars are hidden in the natural creases of the upper eyelid. The fat or extra skin is removed. For lower eyelids, the incision is either made just below the lower lash line or inside the lower eyelid. The excess skin is removed and/or the fat may be removed or redistributed as required. The incisions are closed with sutures, surgical tape or skin adhesives. Medications and ointment are prescribed to help with faster healing and to prevent infection after the procedure. Note you must wear sunglasses until healing is complete.
The swelling and bruising seen after the procedure go away in a few weeks. The scars of the incisions fade away in a few months to reveal beautiful eyes with well-defined smooth eyelids to give you a younger and rejuvenated look.
Blepharoplasty can also be done along with other procedures such as face-lift, brow-lift or skin resurfacing to substantially improve your looks.
Risks occur rarely but may include infection, scarring, temporary blurred vision or double vision and dry eyes. Loss of vision may occur in very rare cases.
What is Lacrimal Surgery?
Lacrimal surgery is performed to clear obstruction of the tear ducts.
Procedure of Lacrimal Surgery
The procedure is a minimally invasive endoscopic procedure known as transcanalicular laser dacryocystorhinostomy. During this procedure, a fiber-optic light probe is inserted through the nasal cavity to the lacrimal sac (tear sac). The nasal mucous membrane is excised and an opening is created on the lacrimal sac and upper nasolacrimal duct (tear duct). A small piece of the lacrimal and maxilla bone is removed and an incision is made in the lacrimal sac and nasolacrimal duct. A soft silicone tube is placed to keep the track open until healing occurs. Compared to external dacryocystorhinostomy, the endoscopic approach helps avoid external scar formation, decreases intraoperative time and bleeding, and creates less damage to the lacrimal pump mechanism.
