Eyelid Surgery

Blepharoplasty surgery can rejuvenate puffy, sagging or tired-looking eyes by removing excess fat, skin and muscle from the upper and lower eyelids. It may be performed for cosmetic reasons or to improve sight by lifting droopy eyelids out of the patient's field of vision. Blepharoplasty can be combined with BOTOX® treatments to raise the eyebrows or reduce the appearance of wrinkles, crow's feet or dark circles under the eyes.

The procedure is usually performed in an office with local anesthesia and lasts 45 minutes to a few hours depending on how much work is done. Incisions are made along the eyelids in inconspicuous places (in the creases of the upper lids, and just below the lashes on the lower lids). Dr. Rowe removes excess tissue through these incisions and then stitches them closed with fine sutures. In the case that only minimal skin needs to be removed, Dr. Rowe will likely perform a transconjunctival blepharoplasty, where the incision is made inside the lower eyelid and there are no visible scars. Dr. Rowe often augments this procedure with laser treatment around the eyes in order to tighten loose skin without making an incision.

Dr. Rowe’s surgery may also correct patients who have excess tearing of their eyes. This procedure, cathoplasty, lifts up the sagging lower lid supporting mechanism, to a more youthful position. At the same time it may help treat those patients who suffer from the effects of a loose lower lid, namely, epiphora “excess tearing of the eyes”.

Stitches are removed after three or four days and most people return to work in seven. Contact lenses may not be worn for two weeks. The effects of blepharoplasty can last for a long time and are sometimes even permanent.

Click here to view Before and After photos