The skin on our eyelids and around our eyes is some of the thinnest on the entire human body. While that’s necessary to facilitate the delicate movements of our eyelids are surrounding tissues, it also makes these areas prone to aging. Plus, this skin is exposed virtually all the time. Throw in the natural slackening of elevator muscles and the skin, along with declining collagen production, and you have the recipe for sagging drooping eyelids and serious under-eye bags. Because the eyes are the focal point of the face, this can dramatically age your overall appearance.
Fortunately, Miami plastic surgeon Dr. Robert Hunsaker can perform eyelid surgery to rejuvenate your eyelids and take a decade or more off of your facial age.
What is blepharoplasty?
Eyelid surgery, clinically known as blepharoplasty, removes excess, sagging skin, tightens levator muscles, and removes or repositions fat deposits to rejuvenate the eyes. Dr. Hunsaker performs these procedures on the upper and lower eyelids independently or in tandem.
Each year, eyelid surgery is one of the most popular cosmetic procedures performed around the globe. This is because it delivers dramatic results, yet it does so subtly. It is also one of the rare procedures that are popular with both women and men.
"Amazing doctor! He listens to your every concern, answers every question and meets every expectation!! His staff is friendly, helpful and attentive unlike other places. I would recommend him over and over again. I wouldn't go any place else, I am very satisfied with my results. Absolutely love his work!!!" - H.B.
What problems can a blepharoplasty correct?
Eyelid surgery treats a number of signs of aging you may see around your eyes. These include:
- Bags under the eyes
- Excess skin and wrinkles
- Puffiness around the eyes
Who are the ideal candidates for eyelid surgery?
Most people over the age of 40 could benefit from eyelid surgery, especially if you’ve spent lots of time in a sunny place such as South Florida. It’s inevitable that the sun, environmental factors, personal habits such as smoking, and the tissue slackening that is a natural part of aging all gang up on our eyelids and the surrounding skin.
If you have to sag, drooping eyelids, and under-eye bags, this is a great procedure for you. It’s best if you still have good elasticity in your eyelid skin and tone in your facial muscles. The only people not eligible for eyelid surgery are those with an active eye disease or condition. That would need to be addressed before you could have blepharoplasty.
How is eyelid surgery performed?
Dr. Hunsaker has extensive experience with this delicate surgery. Patients can opt to have surgery done on either the upper or lower eyelid, or both. For that reason, the surgery can take from 45 minutes to two hours.
On the upper eyelid, a small incision is made in the natural crease of the eyelid. This conceals any visible scarring. Muscles are tightened as needed, fat is repositioned, and excess skin is trimmed. Unless there is an abundance of fat, the fat is repositioned rather than removed. This avoids the hollow look that you may have seen from other botched procedures. Dr. Hunsaker feels this delivers the most natural-looking results.
On the lower eyelid, he places the incision just below the lower eyelash or sometimes within the inside of the eyelid. This depends on the patient’s eyelid characteristics. Additional excess skin may be removed on the lower eyelid if it is causing puffiness and excessive wrinkling beneath the eye.
Before & After Eyelid Surgery
"Dr. Hunsaker came highly recommended to me. I had a wonderful an amazing experience. I got the results that I always wanted. Thank you Dr Hunsaker!" - S.F.
What is the recovery from blepharoplasty surgery?
Eyelid surgery is very satisfying for our Cosmetique patients because it delivers dramatic results, but it does so subtly. Unless you tell people you’ve had eyelid surgery with Dr. Hunsaker, they won’t have any idea. All they’ll know is that you look somehow more alert, refreshed, and rejuvenated.
Another plus to eyelid surgery is that the recovery is not difficult. In fact, recovering from eyelid surgery is one of the easier cosmetic surgery recoveries. After your procedure, you’ll return home, and we’ll have provided you with a cold compress and some lubricant eye drops. If you diligently use the compress you can keep swelling and bruising to a minimum. Pain is not intense after this procedure; it can usually be handled with over-the-counter medication. After one week, you return and Dr. Hunsaker removes your stitches. At this point, your recovery is mostly complete. You may have some on-again, off-again slight swelling, but this resolves in a few weeks. You can usually return to work in just 3-5 days.
Are there risks to eyelid surgery?
As mentioned above, these procedures deliver dramatic results, but they do so very subtly. People will only know that your face and eyes look refreshed, more alert, and you look younger.
It’s generally thought that eyelid surgery takes about a decade off of the patient’s facial age. And these are permanent changes. The excess skin that Dr. Hunsaker removes is gone for good. He’ll reposition fat as needed and that won’t accumulate under the eyes to the same degree again. Sure, your eyelids will continue to age, and they will sag somewhat moving forward, but they will never even approach the degree of sagging and drooping that caused you to seek this surgery. You’ll enjoy your younger-looking eyes for the rest of your life.
"I had a wonderful/outstanding experience at Cosmetique Cosmetic Surgery. Dr. Hunsaker Is amazing! He takes his time to listen to you, very professional along with his staff of many years. Thank you so much for everything. " - Y.F.
What results can I expect from blepharoplasty surgery?
These are delicate procedures that you only want to trust to a board-certified plastic surgeon such as Dr. Hunsaker. This is a safe procedure and the eyelid skin heals very quickly due to its thinness. Of course, this is surgery, so all of the risks inherent with any surgery apply: reaction to anesthesia, possible infection, poor incision healing, excessive bleeding, and such. These are rare.
With eyelid surgery, in particular, there is a risk of damaging the elevator muscles that control the eyelids, which could lead to entropion or ectropion (where the eyelids bend the wrong way), difficulty closing your eyelids, or dry eye. Again, these are very rare. These are safe, and very rewarding procedures for our Cosmetique patients.
Schedule Your Blepharoplasty Consultation Today!
If you are interested in Eyelid Surgery, contact Cosmetique Cosmetic Surgery Center. Call us at 305.279.4700 to schedule a consultation with Dr. Robert Hunsaker. Our practice serves Miami, Florida, and surrounding areas. Our talented staff looks forward to serving you.
