What happens during eye lift surgery?

Eye lifts are done to make the eyes look younger, less tired, less heavy, and less baggy.  It’s what I do the most of in my cosmetic practice in NYC.  So what does the eyelift involve?

It’s an outpatient procedure

You don’t have to stay overnight, and it’s done in an accredited surgical suite.  The total operating time for just the upper eyelids is under an hour, longer if the upper and lower eyelids are done together.

To make the upper eyelids look younger, a thin strip of skin is removed and the eyelid is sculpted on the inside by shaping the fat and muscle.  Then stitches are used to close the skin and to improve the contours of the eyelids.

Downtime can be 1 – 2 weeks

Some people look great after a week (which is usually when any stitches are removed), but others may have bruising and swelling that lasts longer than a week.  The vast majority of my patients use only Tylenol for some mild discomfort during the first week of healing after their eyelift.

Will an eyelift make me look strange?

A natural-looking eyelift surgery will only make you look strange during the early healing time- so perhaps a few weeks.  Over-done eyelid lifts when too much skin or fat was removed can make your face look different.  A key is finding a surgeon you trust and has specialized eyelid training.  Their before and after photos should provide examples of results that match your goals.  And they should be able to tell you if your expectations are realistic.  These are issues I focus on when I see prospective clients in my offices in NY.

The goal of cosmetic eyelid surgery is to rejuvenate the eyes without calling attention to the fact that something was done.  The results can be nothing short of amazing.  Click here to see what I mean.