Maybe you’ve tried every eye treatment you could get your hands on. Maybe you’ve even tried dermatologist treatments and still feel like nothing makes a difference in your undereye bags or your drooping upper eyelids. A surgical procedure called blepharoplasty (also known as an eyelid lift) can make a permanent difference. 

What Can Blepharoplasty Fix?

The eyelid area often shows age before other parts of the face. Bags, wrinkles, and sagging appear on this delicate skin. Gravity works on the skin above and below the eyes, and age causes muscles to loosen. Fat pads that used to fill out the hollow area under the eye turn into undereye bags. If these problems bother you and you’ve tried other treatments without success, you might want to explore the possibility of a blepharoplasty. 

A plastic surgeon can perform blepharoplasty on the upper or lower eyelid, and some people choose to have both. This procedure can fix the major eye issues that bother people the most. If you have concerns about sagging or wrinkled upper eyelids, you may need an upper eyelid lift. If your issues focus around undereye bags, drooping eyelids, or hollow-looking areas under the eyes, a lower eyelid lift may work for you. 

What Will Blepharoplasty Be Like?

Because upper and lower eyelid lifts are relatively short and minor procedures, many doctors perform them under twilight anesthesia. Others perform blepharoplasty under local anesthesia only. Your surgeon will discuss what kind of anesthesia they usually use and what you feel comfortable with. 

During an upper eyelid lift, the surgeon will remove fat deposits, lift and tighten sagging skin, and tighten loose muscles. An experienced surgeon can hide incisions within the creases of the eye, so you have no visible scarring. 

In a lower eyelid lift, the surgeon will lift and reposition the fat pads, getting rid of undereye bags and restoring a healthy-looking undereye fullness. They will also lift sagging skin and repair muscles that have become loose. 

You will be able to go home on the same day, although you will need someone to assist you when you leave. Most people go back to work in a week or less. If your job involves a lot of physical activity, such as lifting, you might need to wait longer. 

Should I Think About Blepharoplasty? 

If you’ve had enough of treatments that don’t give you the results you want, blepharoplasty may offer a solution. This relatively minor surgery can revitalize your entire face, making you look younger and more awake. If the appearance of your eye area bothers you, blepharoplasty can give you long-lasting results.