Every year, well over 200,000 men and women choose blepharoplasty (also referred to as “eyelid surgery” or an “eyelid lift”) to enhance the way they look.
Droopy lids and bags under the eyes not only make people look older—they can also impair vision. At our office in Tampa Blepharoplasty corrects these problems by removing or repositioning excess fat, muscle and skin from the upper and lower eyelids. If you’re wondering how eyelid surgery can transform the way you look, book a personalized consultation with Dr. Farrior today.
As with all types of elective plastic surgery, ensuring you are in good health and have realistic expectations are necessary to move forward with the procedure.
People with circulatory, ophthalmological, or serious medical conditions must rely on the diagnostic skills of their own personal specialists to determine whether Blepharoplasty in Tampa is an option to consider.
As for ensuring realistic expectations, blepharoplasty generally results in a refreshed appearance, with a firmer, younger-looking eye area reducing puffiness, wrinkles and excess skin. Your consultation with Dr. Farrior helps determine whether any additional, complementary surgery would increase the success of your surgery. He may recommend planning a simultaneous forehead lift to correct a drooping brow and smooth the forehead, or skin resurfacing to remove the fine lines and wrinkling in the eye area.
Whether the surgery is desired for functional or cosmetic reasons, choosing to work with a board-certified facial plastic surgeon is of utmost importance.
Dr. Farrior is double board-certified for both facial plastic surgery and otorhinolaryngology (ear, nose and throat). His advanced training, innovative techniques and reputation for beautiful, natural results have made him one of Tampa’s most sought-after and well-respected facial plastic surgeons.
During your pre-surgical consultation with Dr. Farrior, you will be examined and asked questions about your vision, tear production, use of lenses and, of course, your desired results. Dr. Farrior will also take a complete medical history before determining what you can expect from Blepharoplasty, taking into consideration factors such as age, skin type, ethnic background, and degree of vision obstruction.
Based on all of this information, Dr. Farrior will recommend a technique for your individual surgery. This determines the type of anesthesia used along with any other recommended surgeries, risks involved and your total cost.
When performing upper eyelid surgery, Dr. Farrior first marks the individual lines and creases of the lids in order to keep the scars as invisible as possible along these natural folds.
Upper lid blepharoplasty is performed with an incision in the natural crease of the upper lid. This assures that the incision is as invisible as possible. Excess skin is excised and on some occasions, fat is removed. Fine sutures are used to close the incisions, thereby minimizing the visibility of any scar.
Lower lid blepharoplasty with the incision of excess skin is performed through an incision just below the lash line that extends into one of the crow’s feet wrinkles laterally. The fat in the region is repositioned to reduce the appearance of dark circles and hollowness of the lower lid. With any of the above (and assuming normal conditions), Blepharoplasty usually takes one to two hours to complete.
Immediately after the surgery, Dr. Farrior may apply tiny sterile bandages. There will be a degree of swelling and bruising is normal.
Cold compresses, as well as head elevation when lying down, will enhance healing and relieve discomfort. Your vision may also become temporarily blurry. This is due to ointment in the eye coupled with severe swelling and should resolve on its own. On rare occasions, the lids will swell enough to make opening the eyes difficult.
About a week and a half following their Blepharoplasty Tampa patients may have eyes that feel sticky, dry, and itchy. You must clean the area per Dr. Farrior’s instructions, and eye drops may also be recommended. Dr. Farrior will list activities and environments to avoid in the weeks immediately following surgery. Permanent stitches will be removed in three to five days after surgery. Self-absorbing stitches will dissolve on their own.
Dr. Farrior is so much more than a doctor – he’s an artist. Dr. Farrior has the right medical knowledge and the artistic vision needed to create harmony among his patients’ facial features. He truly listens to his patients and is always open to their concerns.