This 48-year-old patient came in to see Dr. Tolan to discuss the dark circles and puffiness under her eyes. Dr. Tolan determined that a lower lid blepharoplasty would achieve the very best result! This surgery focuses on improving the appearance and youthfulness of the lower eyelid. We all have a large amount of fat around our eyeball that is held back into the eye socket by tough layers of connective tissue. As we age, these connective tissue layers weaken and fat can begin to “bulge” into the lower lid. This creates the appearance of lower eyelid bags, which make a person look old and tired. This can create shadows on the lower eyelids, adding to the appearance of dark circles and tiredness.
The goal of lower lid blepharoplasty is to get rid of the bulging and hollow regions, and to recreate a youthful, smooth lower eyelid.
Typically, fat is removed from the lower eyelid to get rid of the bulging. However, removing fat does nothing to address the nearby areas of hollowing, and in fact can make the hollowing even worse. To improve the hollows, we often perform a technique called fat repositioning, in which the bulging fat is moved to fill in the area of hollowing.
Blepharoplasty is an outpatient surgical procedure typically performed at our Midwest Surgery Center, conveniently located within the Midwest Eye & Ear Institute in Woodbury. This procedure typically takes 1-2 hours depending on your specific requirements.
