Is The Pinch Lower Blepharoplasty Less Invasive Than A Regular Lower Blepharoplasty?

Q: Dr. Eppley, Do you do the pinch blepharoplasty? I only need skin tightened under my eyes and don’t have bags so I don’t think I would need fat removed. I read about the pinch procedure and it sound like what I would like to do because it seems fairly simple and less invasive.

A:That is a lower eyelid procedure that I do all the time. As long as one does have significant bags, this can be a good lower eyelid tightening procedure that often is combined with either a chemical peel (25% or 35% TCA) or light laser resurfacing to get the best results. You are correct in your assumption that recovery is very quick. This is because the lower eyelid skin is not undermined and a skin-muscle flap is not raised. It can be an ideal procedure for the younger patient who has a small skin excess of the lower lid or an older patient who may have had a prior lower blepharoplasty and just needs a touch-up or some additional skin removal. The pinch lower blepharoplasty is often combined with a transconjunctival approach to fat removal to create a dual effect when one has bags but little skin excess of the lower eyelids.

Dr. Barry Eppley

Indianapolis, Indiana