Do you find yourself looking tired lately? If you’ve tried all the creams and serums and can’t get rid of puffy, sagging eyelids that make you look older or more tired than you really are, an eyelid lift can help. This treatment, offered by Salas Plastic Surgery in Miami, FL, can give you a more rested and alert expression, allow you to see more clearly, and help you look more youthful.
What Does an Eyelid Lift Do?
Give You Brighter, More Youthful Eyes
When our eyes and eyelids are puffy, the result is that we look older. By getting rid of that puffiness, you can take years off your look. When you address your lower lids in particular, you can gain a more youthful eye shape. A heavy lower lid tends to make your eyes appear more round, and when you remove that excess weight, your eye returns to its natural oval shape.
When you address bagginess around the eyes, this also helps. More light can actually reach your eyes, which highlights them and makes them seem brighter. In turn, you look more youthful.
Improve Your Vision
Some people have very drooping eyelids that actively interfere with vision. An eyelid lift is a perfect way to solve this issue. But even people with mild to moderate drooping of the eyelids can be surprised by a change in vision after a lift.
Although most people in these conditions seek a lift for primarily cosmetic reasons, it’s not uncommon for them to find improved vision as a welcome side effect. This is because the eyelids are trimmed down and allowed to function more normally, expanding your field of vision.
Offer Cosmetic Benefits
Naturally, the primary reason for getting an eye lift is to improve the look of the eye area itself. However, there can be other cosmetic benefits you may not be expecting.
Many people find that their upper nose looks less wrinkled and their brows look less furrowed after a lift. This happens because you’re no longer struggling to see through drooping eyelids. When our eyelids droop, we frequently squint or raise our eyebrows so that we can see things more clearly. When the eyelids function better, some of those concentration lines will be erased.
Allow You to Communicate More Effectively
Have you ever been asked if you are tired or sad when you’re not feeling anything even close to one of these emotions?
Our eyes play the most important role in all our nonverbal communication. Our eyes signal when we are tired, communicate that we are frustrated, show the deepest sadness of our hearts, make us look joyful, show that we’re alert and paying attention, and many other things. If your eyes are consistently puffy, you may be communicating emotions that you’re not actually feeling. When you get an eyelid lift, you can more clearly communicate how you’re really feeling.
Why Our Eyelids Droop
There are a number of things that go into drooping eyelids. First, there’s the simple aging process. Over time, gravity and its constant pull cause our skin to lose elasticity and droop. Because the skin on our eyes is thinner than the skin in most other places on the body, this effect shows more quickly on the eyes than anywhere else.
As our skin stretches, it can start to pool above and below the eyes, giving us a drooping effect. And for some people, genetics is an important factor. If other people in your family have experienced droopy eyelids, you probably will, too.
What Can I Do to Prevent This?
We all want to prevent the signs of aging from showing up on our faces, and there are some things you can do to stave off drooping eyelids for longer. Avoid nicotine, stay well hydrated, keep up the healthy diet, avoid gaining too much weight, and protect your eyes from the sun.
However, no matter how pristine your diet and how excellent your lifestyle, aging and genetics may still cause you to experience eyelid problems.
Understanding the Process
How Does an Eyelid Lift Work?
This surgery, technically known as blepharoplasty, can address only your upper lid, only your lower lid, or both. Whatever part of your eyelids is being targeted, the procedure corrects bulges that can appear above and below the eye to give you a sagging appearance.
During the procedure, we make incisions in the natural folds around your eyes. Because the incisions go into these folds, the incisions are hidden, and you don’t have to worry about scars. As the incisions are made, we will remove excess fat, tissue, and muscle. Then we will gently move the skin back into place. As we do this, we take into consideration the shape of your face and eyes and your facial bone structure.
The whole thing takes just a few hours unless you are combining it with another treatment. In most cases, we can use either sedation or anesthesia.
How Soon Can I Go Home After?
In most cases, you can go home after your appointment, although we do recommend that someone drive you home. Many people take about a week off of work to give themselves time to rest and fully recover. You can wear your eyeglasses and sunglasses immediately after the treatment, but you should wait to return to contact lenses until we tell you it’s ok.
Does This Help Crow’s Feet?
This type of procedure is not actually designed to address the problem of crow’s feet, which are the wrinkles and lines that appear at the corners of our eyes. These lines appear due to the normal expressions of squinting and laughing, and there are other ways to treat them.
However, some patients do find that an eyelid lift improves the lines around their eyes and helps them to look more youthful.
Will There Be Scarring?
Because of where we place the incisions, in the natural creases around the eye, scarring is usually not a concern with this treatment. Additionally, our bodies typically prioritize healing in certain areas of the body, the eyes included, which usually means minimal scarring under any conditions.
In fact, you will probably have to close your eyes for quite a while and tell someone specifically where to look if you want them to find the scar!
How Long Do Results Last?
An eyelid lift offers long-term results. Of course, your face will continue to age naturally, so eventually, the area around your eyes will begin to sag again. However, with a lift, you are essentially setting your look back by many years, and the aging process will begin again from there.
Most people enjoy the results of this procedure for up to 10 years. It’s also simple to have the treatment done again if you need it.
Will I Have Trouble Closing My Eyes After Treatment?
This is nothing to worry about. During this treatment, we will only remove excess tissue and fat. We will never remove so much tissue that you will have any difficulty closing your eyes. The goal of this treatment is to restore your eyes to their normal look and function.
If you want to know what things will be like after treatment, look at pictures of yourself from 15 or 20 years ago and try to imagine what vision and eye function was like back then. That’s what you should experience after a lift.
Can I Change the Shape of My “Almond” Eyes?
This treatment restores your eyes so that they look the way they used to. It cannot, however, actually change the shape of your eyes to something that is not natural for you. You’ll keep your look, and you’ll still have all the natural folds in your eye area that you’re used to seeing.
We are just taking away the excess tissue that causes you to look older and more tired. Rest assured that you will look like you, just younger and more refreshed.
How Soon Can I Wear Makeup again?
We usually ask patients to wait to apply makeup for about two weeks after treatment. It’s important to give your eyes time to completely recover. The good news is that you may actually find that you need less makeup, or even none at all, to achieve the refreshed look you want.
Am I a Good Candidate for This Treatment?
The first step in seeking treatment is to come to talk to us in consultation. Dr. Salas will review your medical history and evaluate your eyes. He will also discuss your cosmetic concerns to give you the best advice about whether this is the right treatment for the results you’re looking for. Come prepared with a list of all medications and supplements you’re currently taking.
During your consultation, we will consider together with you if this is the best choice for you and take into consideration any medical problems that could interfere with the treatment. Certain eye diseases, such as glaucoma, could be a problem; but not necessarily. Likewise, in some cases, you may need to stop taking a medication for a while in order to have this procedure performed. In all cases, the best thing to do is talk with us so we can help you make the right decision.
How Is This Different From a Brow Lift?
You may have heard of a brow lift and wondered if it was the same thing as a lid lift. An eyelid lift targets the actual skin on and around your eyes. A brow lift targets the area above your eyebrows.
Most people have a brow lift in order to address the frown lines and other furrows that appear on the upper face. You might also be interested in a brow lift if your eyebrows have begun to sag. An eyebrow lift can certainly open up the eye area and refresh your look, but if the problem is sagging eyelids, a brow lift will not help with that.
Talk to Us to Learn More
Are puffy eyelids making you look older than you are? Are you tired of being asked if you are OK or of looking tired when you’re not? Are you having any problems with seeing due to sagging skin around the eyes? A lift can help by removing this excess skin and tissue so that you look and feel at your very best. Talk to us at Salas Plastic Surgery in Miami, FL today to learn if this is the right procedure for you.
