Eyelid lift
Whether you are a woman or a man, Dr. Scholz recommends eyelid surgery or eyelid lifting as a rejuvenating procedure. Drooping eyelids, tired eyes, sagging skin on the upper eyelid or lower eyelid can be treated wonderfully in his experience. Eyelid lifting, upper eyelid surgery, eyelid surgery and lower eyelid lifting are highly effective plastic surgery procedures for a youthful appearance.
An upper blepharoplasty without adequately recognizing and correcting possible problems of the eyebrows or the eyelid lifting muscle will most likely not produce a perfect result for the patient.
The eyelid lift in detail
Technical term
Blepharoplasty
Duration
1-2 hours
Anesthesia
Local anesthesia, after consultation also general anesthesia
Stay
Outpatient – also inpatient on request
Sports
After 1-2 months
Healing
80% of the swelling disappears after approx. 2 weeks, 20% after 4 weeks
Follow-up treatment
1 – 2 weeks after the operation, repeated follow-up checks until more than 1 year after the operation
Contents
- Causes
- Experiences
- Reasons
- Costs
- Operation
- Cure
- Side effects of surgery
- Alternatives
- Overview
The causes
The skin and tissue structures change with age. The soft tissues of the upper eyelids increase in size and become more lax.
In addition, the eyelashes turn downwards and no longer have the same horizontal or upward position as in younger years.
This makes the eye area look tired or sometimes strained rather than fresh and friendly.
The experience
Many patients who come to my private practice for upper blepharoplasty also have problems with the eyebrows and occasionally with the eyelid elevator muscle. As your surgeon, you need to have very precise knowledge of all these important structures.
The upper eyelid cannot be considered as an aesthetic and functional unit without analytically addressing the eyebrows and also closely examining the muscle that lifts the eyelid.
Occasionally it is indicated that an upper eyelid correction consists mainly of removing the excess upper eyelid skin.
In the vast majority of cases, however, many more factors, anatomical structures and physiological processes need to be understood and controlled to achieve true rejuvenation of the face around the eyes.
There are a total of 7 layers and layers of different tissue structures
There are a total of 7 layers and layers of different tissue structures from the outer skin down to the conjunctiva that attaches to the eyeball.
All these structures have very important functions and the surgical alteration of all these individual layers of tissue has very different effects on the function and aesthetics of the upper eyelid.
The entire facial expression is determined by the eye area and for Dr. Scholz, surgical as well as aesthetic perfection is the ultimate goal. I will be happy to personally show you options that will not only help you look fantastic, but also feel fantastic.
Costs and prices
An upper eyelid lift or lower eyelid surgery can be relatively inexpensive. However, a lot depends on the complexity and your status. The most important thing for you should be a beautiful result.
The following factors influence the cost of this surgery:
- Upper eyelid or lower eyelid
- Anesthesia
- Outpatient stay
- If you want to find out more: How much does an eyelid lift cost?
Health insurance
The costs can only be covered by a health insurance company if there is a medical indication such as a restriction of the field of vision. The costs are only covered by health insurance companies on application and depend on this.
The operation – OP
Eyelid lift, blepharoplasty, upper eyelid lift are surgical procedures that are best performed by an expert in the field.
During the initial consultation, you will have the opportunity to discuss the eyelid surgery procedure in detail with the surgeon. It is very important for Dr. Scholz to understand your wishes and check the status of your eyelids.
Where are the cuts?
In an eyelid lift, the incisions are made directly in the eyelid crease of the upper eyelid. There is almost no other place on the entire human body where wound healing is generally as effective as here.
When tightening the lower eyelid, the incisions are made 1 to 2 mm below the eyelashes. This incision also heals very well and the scars are no longer visible to the naked eye once the swelling has subsided and the scars have faded.
As a rule, plastic surgery takes between one and two hours, is performed under local anesthesia with or without twilight sleep and does not require an overnight stay in the clinic.
The operation begins with small incisions on the upper eyelid and / or lower eyelid.
The excess skin is then removed, the underlying muscle is partially narrowed, the orbital septum (separation of the eye socket and outer eyelid) is incised, orbital fat compartments are resected or repositioned, possible additional procedures are performed (e.g. fixation of the lacrimal gland or eyebrow, surgery on the eyelid elevator muscle, etc.), and finally the eyes are closed with non-absorbable sutures.
This means that the sutures, most of which are covered under plasters, should be removed by the surgeon one week after the operation.
There are very different methods of eyelid lifting or eyelid lift correction. Depending on the degree and severity of the signs of ageing and the pathological changes, a very individual surgical treatment plan must always be drawn up for you.
The methods used are also very different depending on the patient’s ethnic origin (e.g. Asian eyelid lifts, etc.) and these are discussed in great detail in advance.
The healing
Patients rightly ask how long the healing process will take in order to align their personal timetable.
The healing process depends on various personal factors. In general, however, you should expect a healing phase of at least 4 weeks.
Your behavior after the operation and modern methods lead to rapid healing. The surgical wound must not get wet in the first few days, so a full bath or shower should be replaced by a sponge bath.
Weights and one-sided strain should be strictly avoided. Sunbathing should be avoided until the scar has completely healed.
In principle, nothing should stand in the way of traveling by plane, but we recommend discussing such plans with the surgeon on a case-by-case basis.
The following recommendations favor the result and healing. You should exercise the greatest possible discipline here.
Sports
Sports such as tennis, jogging or horse riding should only be resumed after 4 weeks to 2 months. As rehabilitation can vary greatly from person to person, we have prepared regular follow-up visits for you.
When sports and other activities can be resumed should always be discussed individually with the surgeon during these follow-up visits.
Dr. Thomas Scholz - Your expert for eyelid lifts
Nutrition
Spicy and fried food should be avoided for the first 4 weeks after the operation, as this can make the wound healing red and itchy. Chocolate and food with a high cholesterol content (e.g. shellfish) should also be avoided.
Side effects
Swelling
There is generally swelling, redness and bruising after eyelid surgery. Patients want to participate in social life again quickly. This is also possible again quickly, but it takes some time for the swelling to subside. The following values are based on experience, but may vary.
Pflaster
You will have plaster bandages on your eyelids, which will be removed after approximately 1 week. It will then take some time for any bruising and swelling to completely resolve.
Depending on your professional activity, you should always discuss in person with your doctor when it makes sense for you to return to work.
Pain
Pain perception is a completely individual variable. While sensitive people complain of pain, less sensitive people can easily cope with the pain.
However, as this is a surgical procedure, post-operative pain and soreness must be controlled with medication.
Nowadays, there are a variety of very intelligent pain medications that allow a quick return to normal daily activities.
Scars
As the surgical incisions are made in very discreet places in the eyelid crease or just below the eyelashes, the scarring on both the upper and lower eyelid is minimal and usually almost invisible.
The scars fade over time until only wafer-thin lines are visible, which are almost invisible to the naked eye.
People who are prone to excessive scarring (keloids) should discuss this with their doctor. There are treatment options that can be used prophylactically before an operation.
In addition, special attention must be paid to these patients after the operation in order to carry out appropriate scar care and scar treatments, which can prevent the formation of wide scars or excessive scarring.
Aftercare and reforestation
A high level of aftercare is crucial to the success of any surgical procedure. The concept of Signature Aesthetics by Dr. Scholz provides for a consultation long after the operation.
For Dr. Thomas Scholz, the result is particularly important, e.g. meeting patients after 1 year and checking the long-term result. Aesthetic surgery should meet the patient’s wishes and they should feel comfortable with it.
Alternatives without surgery
For various eyelid indications, there are serious alternatives that make it possible to correct the eyelids without surgery.
The real problem with modern methods is that they have a limited range of options. Depending on what you want as a patient and how advanced your drooping eyelids are, for example, the non-operative method will not produce very satisfactory results.
Overall, the options without surgery are mostly based on triggering skin regeneration processes or removing tissue. Minimally invasive methods also have side effects such as redness and skin irritation. The strengths of these methods come into play when the tissue on the eyelids has not yet aged too much.
The reasons
The most common reasons for having this operation performed are
* Heavy tired looking eyelids
* Asymmetrical eyelids
* Visual field restrictions
* Age-related appearance of the eyelids and upper facial region
* Drooping eyelids with or without visual field restrictions
* Misalignment of the eyelids associated with dry eyes
* Inflammatory eyes
* Watery eyes
* Red eyes
A purely cosmetic eyelid correction is generally not recommended for younger patients who do not yet have any signs of the ageing process on their eyelids. Since your doctor has access to your medical records, he or she will be able to tell you whether the procedure is suitable for you or not. All patients, regardless of age, undergo a health assessment. Correction of eyelid drooping (ptsosis) can be performed on younger patients regardless of age, if necessary.
Conclusion
This aesthetic operation requires more than just surgical skill, as the physiological processes and anatomical structures must be fully understood by the doctor.
As a patient, you will see a clear rejuvenation of the eye area in a before and after comparison and the signs of ageing from the age of 40 will be reduced.
Risks and side effects are manageable. For you as a patient, however, it requires a certain discipline of 4 to 6 weeks after the operation to ensure perfect healing.
Dr. Scholz Munich
- Plastic, Aesthetic, and Reconstructive Surgeon, University of California, USA
- German specialist in plastic and aesthetic surgery
- Swiss specialist certification for plastic and aesthetic surgery
Picture credits © Christof Arnold
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