Eye Lift Surgery – Frequently Asked Questions

Eye lift surgery involves the skin around the eyes–one of the most sensitive parts of the face. It is also the part where less of the skin's natural oil (sebum) is concentrated, making it highly prone to wrinkles and fine lines.

When people reach there mid- to late-thirties, the skin around the eyes gets thinner and tends to relax. As the eyebrow and cheek begin to become loose and descend, this pulls the eye's outer corner down too.

Add to this the effects of sun damage and you get a tired looking eye area. What eye lift surgery does is it removes loose skin from around the upper or lower eyelids to create a refreshed, more youthful look.

How do you know if you need it?
Stand in front of a mirror and raise your eyebrows and cheeks a fraction to one centimeter. If the look you produce is severe, you probably do not need it. If, however, you look more relaxed, then eye life surgery may be an option for you.

What are the risks?
Any risks during surgery can be eliminated by a thorough pre-surgical exam. Your medical history, allergic predispositions, and the effects of any medications you have taken will affect the likelihood of complications occurring during and after surgery.

That is why part of the pre-surgical exam is a qualifying phase where your surgeon will either clear you for eye lift surgery or disallow you from having it.

The risks from eye lift surgery, such as eye, muscle, or tissue damage, are very low. Allowances from a tendency towards infections and allergies are dealt with prior to the operation.

Eye lift surgery involves tiny incisions along the natural folds of the skin along the upper or lower lid (or both) through which excess fat and muscles are removed. Although the surgery concentrates on an area outside the eyeball, surgeons typically still use a special shield to protect the eyeball. This leads to the risk of eyeball damage during surgery being almost negligible.

How much pain is involved?
Eye lift surgery is an outpatient procedure that can either be performed under local anesthesia or twilight anesthesia. You may sense what is going on, but you will feel no pain or discomfort.

There may be some pain and tenderness involved after the operation but these are minor. Some patients have complained of some pain during stitch removal, but many surgeons have special stitching techniques that eliminate this problem.

How long does recovery take?
Expect swelling and redness immediately after, but this should die down in a few days. Bruising will remain for a week to 10 days. Patients recovering from eye lift surgery go out in public with large dark glasses with nobody the wiser. Healing can take longer depending on your skin's capacity to recover or due to allergic reactions to certain substances.