Your age, health, diet and sleeping habits can all affect the look of your eyes. Droopy eyelids and puffy bags under your eyes not only make you appear older and tired but can also impair your overall field of vision.

Blepharoplasty is a procedure that can help correct a condition in which sagging skin obscures your vision. This procedure can remove excess tissue from your upper and lower eyelids to restore your full range of vision or for cosmetic improvement.

You may have variations of this procedure, such as an upper lid blepharoplasty, and upper and lower lid blepharoplasty, or an upper lid blepharoplasty with ptosis repair performed at the same time.

Most insurance companies will not cover blepharoplasty if performed as a cosmetic procedure. However, if your doctor determines that your eyelids are hindering your vision, the procedure may be considered medically necessary and will likely be covered by your medical insurance.

This procedure is perfomed by first creating incisions following the natural lines and creases in your eyelids. Tissue is then removed, including excess skin, fat, and muscle, to help achieve a better shape. Then the incisions are sutured, leaving hairline scars that may begin to fade within a few days. It is normal for the eyelids and surrounding tissues to appear red and bruised for several days following the procedure until the tissue has had time to heal.

As with any surgery, there is a risk of bleeding or infection. We take every precaution to reduce any risk to our patients, but there is a risk of visible scars, tightness in the lids, drooping lower lids, eyelid malposition, or dryness. These symptoms may be present but will usually improve within weeks. Occasionally these conditions are permanent or secondary procedures may be necessary to correct them. Partial vision loss in one eye can occur in extremely rare cases, but only as the result of severe complications.