OPEN YOUR eyes

DON’T LET DROOPING EYELIDS ADD YEARS TO YOUR APPEARANCE

BY MIMI GREENWOOD KNIGHT

There’s a reason we refer to someone youthful as being freshfaced and “bright-eyed.” As we age, our eyelids can grow lax and fat pads around them, causing us to look older, tired, and even angry, sad, or uninterested. But it doesn't have to be that way. Today's cosmetic options make it possible to reclaim a bright-eyed look and erase years from our appearance.

BLEPHAROPLASTY

Eyelid surgery, known as blepharoplasty, can be performed on the upper or lower eyelids — or both. Blepharoplasty helps reduce excessive skin, deep lines and wrinkles around the eyes caused by aging and sun exposure, puffy, heavy, or hooded upper eyelids, bags under the eyes, and drooping lower lids that expose the white of the eyes.

SAGGING LOWER EYELIDS AND UNDER-EYE BAGS

Under-eye bags can affect your self-esteem and how others perceive you, whether you work in the public eye or simply want to appear younger and refreshed.

Lower eyelid blepharoplasty is a routine plastic surgery that reduces bags and dark circles caused by shadowing from the bags and tightens the skins to address sagging. During the procedure, a qualified plastic surgeon makes an incision inside the lower eyelids or underneath your lash lines, then extra skin and fatty tissue that has accumulated beneath your eyes is removed. Many patients — men and women alike — love this procedure because they don’t look like they’ve had work done. They just look energized and rested.

DROOPING, HOODED, PUFFY UPPER EYELIDS

If your upper eyelids sag to the point of making you look tired all the time, or if they’re hooded — a condition where the upper eyelid droops over the eye — upper eyelid blepharoplasty performed by a qualified plastic surgeon can address these problems. During the procedure, orbital fat pads are removed along with excess, droopy skin, and a small strip of muscle. The result opens up your eyes and instantly gives you a more youthful appearance.

ARE YOU A CANDIDATE FOR BLEPHAROPLASTY?

As with any type of surgery, not everyone is a good candidate for blepharoplasty. Make an appointment to consult with an experienced plastic surgeon in your area to discuss whether this procedure is right for you. The surgeon should obtain a complete medical history from you and may perform a medical workup to make sure you’re in good general health with no medical conditions that could impair post-surgery healing. If you smoke, they should advise you to quit at least a month before surgery and should talk to you about realistic expectations for the procedure. Once performed, although your eyes will continue to age, blepharoplasty results can last a lifetime, helping you look more youthful and energetic.

Nonsurgical Help for Your Eyelids

If you’re not quite ready to undergo blepharoplasty, have only mild to moderate eyelid laxity, or want to enhance your eyelid surgery, Thermage CPT (comfort pulse technology) can tighten eyelid skin, smooth the skin texture, and decease hooding. The nonsurgical, noninvasive, FDA-cleared procedure typically has no downtime, bruising, or swelling, and most patients report benefit from a single treatment.

How it Works

Thermage CPT tightens eyelids by simultaneously heating and cooling the skin with an instrument that emits radiofrequency energy to heat the collagen in the deeper layers of your skin while simultaneously protecting the top layers with a cooling spray. Heating causes collagen in the deeper skin layers to tighten and stimulates new collagen production, further enhancing the result. Afterward, most patients resume their normal activities.

Nonsurgical solutions for the lower eyelids include laser treatments and injectable dermal fillers.