Laser Eyelid Surgery

Your eyes are usually the first thing that people notice about your appearance. They are probably the most important aspect of facial attractiveness. Even with a good night's sleep, loose skin over your eyes or bags under your eyes can make you look tired or sad or older than you really are. As we go through life, even if we have taken care of ourselves, the skin around your eyes stretches and wrinkles. Fatty deposits cause the upper lids to sag, while under the eye the tissue can bulge forward and become discolored. In severe cases, vision can become partially blocked. Plastic surgery for your eyes can lift your spirits as well as improve your vision.

Typically, these unwanted characteristics come with age, beginning in the late thirties and early forties, but hereditary factors can cause a much younger person to appear prematurely aged. Exposure to the sun, use of alcohol, smoking, and less than optimal nutrition all accelerate the signs of aging.

To correct upper lid problems, an incision is made along the naturally occurring crease. Placement of a second incision depends on the amount of tissue to be excised and the desired result. After excision of a skin-muscle flap, prolapsing fat pads are removed. The skin is then closed with tiny sutures. For "bags" under the eyes, the incision is usually made inside the lower lid. Fat pads are excised; no skin is removed and sutures are usually not required.

In most cases, a CO₂ laser is used to gently remove excess skin and fat because it coagulates as it cuts resulting in less bleeding, thserefore, less bruising. Eyelid surgery is often performed in the office under local anesthesia. This depends on the amount of reconstruction needed and the patient's preference and health.

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