Eyes are one of the most expressive facial features.
They represent one of the best beauty assets and express moods and emotions. More and more people are opting to have cosmetic eyelid surgery, however the eyelid represents more than just skin! It protects the eye from injury and excessive light, maintains essential lubrication of the eye, which is vital to its well being and function and assists in the distribution of tears over the surface of the eye.
It is therefore imperative that any surgery carried out on the eyelid ensures that its function is not compromised and the intricate balance between achieving aesthetic objectives and preserving function is respected.
Choosing the right surgeon and clinic is vital and can be difficult unless choice is informed by balanced advice.
Blepharoplasty
Blepharoplasty is a procedure that aims to correct hooded upper eyelids, and puffy bags under the eyes.

This is achieved by removing excess skin, and/or muscle and/or fat from the upper eyelid and/or lower eyelid.
Blepharoplasty aims to rejuvenate and provide a more youthful appearance. As aging is a continuous and progressive process with associated changes, which will continue after surgery, it is important that a long-term, rather than a short-term view of the aesthetic outcome is taken into consideration.
Accordingly, I generally encourage and adopt a conservative approach to this surgery. It is vital to ensure that the primary function of the eyelids as protectors of the eyes is not compromised and underlying ocular risk factors are identified pre-operatively.
In many cases careful evaluation of the patients reveals that not only they exhibit hooded upper lids, but they also have a low or droopy upper eyelid (ptosis). This is a different problem to the hooded eyelids, which can also be corrected during the blepharoplasty surgery.
Blepharoplasty can be performed on all four lids at the same time. Most cases can be carried out under local anaesthesia with sedation, but general anaethesia can be also used if preferred by the patient.
Like every procedure blepharoplasty also carries risks. These risks can be generally classified into aesthetic or non-aesthetic (functional). On occasions some complications may have aesthetic and functional implications.