If your eyelids droop–a condition call ptosis–it can cause issues with your sight. It can also make you self-conscious about the way you look, leading to lower self-esteem and worries that you look older or grumpier than you really are. At Sule Facial Plastic Surgery Clinic in Dallas, TX, we can offer relief from this condition through eyelid surgery.
Eyelid surgery (also known as blepharoplasty), is almost always the best course of action to address a droopy eyelid. This routine procedure can be performed at our clinic in less than two hours, and you can set your mind even more at ease by knowing what to expect.
What Should You Expect From Eyelid Surgery?
During eyelid surgery, we will remove excess fat, skin, or muscle from the eyelids. You won’t feel anything during this time, and you’ll be given medications that will keep you comfortable in the days following as your eyelids return to normal function.
A few days after your procedure, you’ll come back to see us and we will remove the stitches. At this point, many people feel well enough to go back to their daily schedule without any issues. Your specific timeline of recovery will depend on your unique physiological needs. Some people are ready for normal activities after just a few days, while others need 10 or more days to recover.
For the next few weeks after your procedure, we will recommend that you wear dark sunglasses. These protect your eyes from the sun and also from the wind and any pollutants that you might encounter when you’re outside. In the first few days after your procedure, you may notice that your eyes seem to get tired a little easier than normal. This is perfectly normal and is a sign that your eyes are busy accomplishing their healing tasks.
Results
Once your recovery is complete and you see your full results, we know you’ll be pleased. Your eyes will look younger and more alert than they have in years. If you were experiencing problems with your vision, you will find it easier to see.
If you were worried primarily about the way you look, you will notice that you look refreshed, youthful, and more interested in what’s going on around you. In other words, your outside will reflect how you really feel inside.
Is This Procedure Right for Me?
This is a straightforward procedure and very common. Most people who are interested in it are eligible for it, but there are a few issues that could keep you from being an ideal candidate. The best way to find out if you are a good candidate for eyelid surgery is to come to talk to us. We can help you evaluate your vision and aesthetic issues, consider your goals, and decide if this is the right procedure for you.
In general, you should consider this procedure if your upper eyelids are impairing your vision or are puffy, or if you have sagging lower eyelids and bags under your eyes that won’t go away. If you are in generally good health and are not a smoker, it’s even more likely that you will be a good candidate.
Preparing
Your first step in preparing for eyelid surgery is to meet with us. During this meeting, you will discuss important things to ensure that you get the best treatment for your condition.
Medical History
During your consultation, we will ask about your medical history and any conditions you currently suffer from and medications or supplements you take. It’s also important that we know about any allergies you have, any surgeries you have had in the past, and any problems you have ever had with your eyes.
If you have had allergies, glaucoma, or other issues, please tell us. It’s also important to tell us about your alcohol and tobacco habits, as this will allow us to plan the best care possible for you.
Expectations
During your consultation, we will also discuss your expectations about the results of surgery. It’s very important that you understand what the surgery can and cannot do, and we want to make sure that your expectations are realistic. We also want to be sure that surgery is the best choice for you. In some cases, there may be other treatments that are better for your situation and goals.
Examination
The next step in your consultation will be to do a general physical examination to determine if you are well enough to undergo surgery. We want to make sure that the hearts, lungs, and other organs are in good shape to undergo a surgery. During this step, we may also check your tear production and take measurements of your eyelids.
Eye Check
During the eye check, we will make sure your eyes are in good health and rule out any eye diseases that could interfere with your procedure. At this point, we want to test your overall visual acuity to determine your eyesight in each eye. During this time we will also want to measure the refraction in your eye. This tells us how well your eye focuses when you look at things.
Typically, glasses or contact lenses are designed to overcome these issues, so if you have to wear corrective lenses, don’t worry about this keeping you from getting surgery. This is just for us to have a baseline understanding of your overall visual acuity.
Perimetry and Color Vision
We may also give you a visual field test. The purpose of this test is to understand whether you are able to use your full range of vision. We will need to test both eyes separately, and this will help us to understand how much your eyelid issues may be interfering with your overall vision.
At this point, we will also be testing your ability to distinguish colors. It’s very possible that you have trouble telling one color from another but don’t realize it. We will show you numbers and patterns distinguished by colors and ask you to pick out the numbers and shapes you see. Again, this is just to have a baseline–you won’t be ineligible if you can’t differentiate all colors.
Physical Exams
It is also important that we understand the physical condition of your eyes prior to your eyelid surgery. During this examination, we will shine a bright light into your eye and across the various areas of your eye that are filled with fluids. This will allow us to identify whether there are any damaged cells in your eyes.
A retinal examination allows us to look into the back of your eye, which isn’t normally visible in a simple examination. We want to look at the retina and at the blood vessels that feed your retina. You may have had this test done before in getting eyeglasses or prescriptions, and this test will be similar.
We will use eyedrops to cause your pupils to dilate, allowing us to see all the way to the back of your eye. In some cases, we are able to see everything we need with the eye drops alone. In other cases, we may need to shine a light into your eye in order to see everything.
Glaucoma Test
Finally, we may need to do a glaucoma screening before you have any surgery done on your eyelids. Essentially, this just lets us measure the pressure within your eyes.
Once we have accomplished all the tests, you will meet with our professionals once again to discuss your situation and whether eyelid surgery is the best choice for you. At this point, we may have some recommendations to ensure that your surgery goes as well as possible.
In some cases, we may ask you to stop taking certain medications for a short time. If there are medications that you take regularly by your doctor’s orders, you may need to discuss with your doctor whether it’s safe to stop taking them temporarily. If you are a regular smoker, we will ask you to stop smoking for a few weeks before and after surgery. Smoking will interfere with your results.
The Procedure
Once the procedure is finished, most of the work has been done and all you need to worry about is feeling better. In the first few days, concentrate on resting. It won’t take long before you see the results of your eyelid surgery and start to feel more like your old self. You can hasten your results by following a few tips.
Don’t Stress Your Eyes
When you overuse your eyes, they can get dry. If your eyes are dry, this will slow down your recovery process. Some of the things that can overstress your eyes include watching too much TV (especially if you are too close to the television), using your computer, phone, or another mobile device for an extended time, or even reading too many books.
Rest
The next thing you can do to speed up your recovery is get enough rest. The body is especially efficient at healing when you sleep. Whenever you are asleep, you can imagine your body healing itself at twice or even three times the rate it does when you’re awake.
It also takes a lot of energy to heal, so the more rest you get during this time, the faster you will see your final results. If you are able to take time off of work, do so. Be sure to arrange for someone to watch your children and care for your house so you don’t have to push yourself.
Take It Easy
In the first few weeks after you have surgery, it’s very important to give your body a break. It’s exhausting for your body to produce healing agents, so give it a break. During this time, avoid sports that require extensive movement, swimming, heavy lifting, or any sort of strenuous physical activity. Gentle walks are good for your overall cardiovascular system, but anything more than that will slow down your recovery.
Avoid Stressors
Finally, do what you can to avoid stress during this time. Stress will interfere with your body’s natural healing abilities and slow down the timeline of your recovery. Stay away from work, and if possible, avoid anything that would typically stress you out, like phone calls or emails.
Replace these stressful activities with things that you find uplifting, like speaking with family, gentle yoga, chatting with friends, or catching up on your favorite audiobooks.
Is Blepharoplasty Right for You?
This surgery is a great way to get rid of your drooping eyelids. This may be done as a way of improving your eyesight, or it may be entirely cosmetic; but either way, you’ll be pleased by the results. To learn more, contact Sule Facial Plastic Surgery Clinic in Dallas, TX today. We’ll be happy to answer all your questions.