Cosmetic Procedures - Eyelid/Brow Surgery - Operation

The blepharoplasty procedure (removal of skin and fat from the eyelids) is always performed as an outpatient procedure. It can be done under local anesthesia, sedation, or general anesthesia dependent upon the patient's preference and the extent of the surgical procedure. Prior to surgery, markings are made on the eyelids to outline the intended incisions. The incisions are made in the natural lines and creases of the eyelids. In some select patients (those that only require fat removal from the lower eyelid), incisions may only be made from inside the eyelids. During the procedure, excess skin is removed from the eyelids which results in elimination of most of the skin folds around the eyes. Fat is gently teased from underneath the skin and muscle to get rid of the puffiness or fullness of the eyelids. The incision are then closed with small sutures and the only dressings used is antibiotic ointment. This procedure can take from one to two hours depending upon how many eyelids are done.

Lifting of the eybrows and forehead (brow lift) may be performed in addition to the blepharoplasty procedure or done alone and is also performed as an outpatient procedure. Again, it may be done under local, sedation, or general anesthesia dependent upon the patient's preference and the extent of the procedure.The procedure may be performed either one of three ways; an incision along the frontal hairline from temple to temple (pretrichial forehead lift), through four small one inch incisions within the frontal and temporal scalp (increasingly popular endoscopic forehead lift), or through the upper blepharoplasty incision (usually on in men with receding or absent hairlines). In the hairline forehead lift, excess forehead skin is removed along the incision and then closed. In the endoscopic forehead lift, no scalp skin is removed (only shifted upward) and the brows and forehead are sutured up from underneath the skin. In the browlift through the eyelid, the brow is sutured higher up along the brow bone.