Aging around the eyelids becomes obvious in the late thirties to early forties. Crow’s feet develop in the outside corners of the eyes. Bagginess occurs as the structures become loose and the fat that cushions the eyes protrudes forward. Add some slackness to the skin and possible drop in the position of the eyebrow and the result is a tired, puffy look unattractive on either men or women. Male and female executives alike find that they get more compliments about their alertness and overall performance following this simple eyelid procedure.

Approaches to the eye vary based on the correction needed. Eyelid surgery addresses the skin, the muscle, and/or fatty tissue. Depending on the patient, one or more of these structures must be addressed to achieve the correction.

For the upper eyelid procedure, we make an incision in a normal crease of the upper eyelid and remove fatty deposits. We then close the incision with a fine thread that is removed in about five days. Typical recovery time is five to ten days. Some puffiness and swelling can persist longer, but most bruising is undetectable, even soon after surgery.

The lower eyelid is a more complicated structure. Again, we make an incision underneath the eyelid crease to remove fat, skin and/or muscle and to tighten the outside corner of the eye. This tightening restores the crispness and youthful almond shape to the eye. Alternatively, we can make a small incision on the inside wet part of the eye, from which to remove fatty deposits. This approach is ideal when fatty deposits are the problem and when skin tightening with a laser will also be involved.