Upper Eyelid Surgery Sydney North Shore
An upper eyelid reduction or upper blepharoplasty is a procedure that removes excess skin, and sometimes fat, from the upper eyelid and can be performed in both men and women.
An upper blepharoplasty can:
- Remove the excess skin from the upper eyelid that can interfere with vision
- Remove excess skin from the upper eyelid that makes one look older
- Define the tarsal crease, which is produce a crisp upper eyelid crease
- Remove bulging areas of fat
- Improve the shape of the upper eyelid to produce a refreshed, youthful appearance
Women and men seek upper blepharoplasty surgery to
- Remove the heaviness of the upper lid skin resting on the eyelashes
- Remove skin obstructing their vision
- Feel more refreshed and look more youthful
- Feel confident
The best candidates for upper blepharoplasty are men and women who:
- Are physically and mentally healthy
- Are of a healthy weight
- Have realistic expectations
Upper eyelid surgery may not be suitable for men and women who:
- Have multiple medical problems
- Are on blood thinning medication
- Have unrealistic expectations
- Have multiple eye problems such as dry eyes, changing visual acuity.
Upper blepharoplasty has a high satisfaction rate amongst patients, providing dramatic results with little down time.
Some patients chose to combine upper blepharoplasty surgery with:
- Lower Blepharoplasty
- Brow lift surgery
- Face and Neck Lift
- Facial fat grafting
- Non-surgical treatments such as fillers whilst under anaesthetic.
For more information on other procedures please read the other sections of this website.
At MODE, Dr Aggarwal will guide you through the planning of surgery and help decide which procedure is best suited to achieve your goals.
- Anaesthetic: GA by accredited anaesthetist
- Time: 1 hour
- Duration of stay: Day Surgery
- Hospital: Any of the hospitals where Dr Aggarwal works. Skin only blepharoplasty can be offered under local anaesthetic in rooms.
- Medicare/Health fund rebate: Medicare and Health Funds will provide a rebate only if there is sufficient excess of skin that causes obstruction to vision, in addition to having an appropriate level of health cover.
- Recovery: You go home the same day. You are required to use ice packs to minimise bruising and swelling. Most people can resume work within 1-2 weeks.
- Results: One of the most satisfying procedures for patients but it is important to note that results vary from patient to patient.
Cosmetic Concerns
- The art of a beautiful eyelid surgery is inconspicuous scars combined with a result that looks natural and beautiful without looking like you have had an operation.
- The scar of upper blepharoplasty is placed in the crease of the upper eyelid. In fact effort is made to make the crease more crisp which produces a more youthful appearance.
- In general, while in the short term the scar may be visible, the eyelid skin heals very well and provides for a barely visible scar long term.
- A well performed upper blepharoplasty is generally permanent.
- Very rarely does the loose skin recur but it is possible to perform a repeat conservative excision if needed.
- Dr Aggarwal will make a careful assessment of your face during the consultation, as sometimes it is the brow that droops, creating the impression of upper eyelid skin excess when in fact it is the brow that has dropped. People in this category will generally benefit from a brow lift rather than a repeat upper blepharoplasty.
- Yes.
- However upper blepharoplasty techniques have veered away from aggressive removal of fat.
- Dr Aggarwal aims to try and achieve a natural result – the key to upper blepharoplasty is to remove only the problematic bulging fat without over-resection. Removal of too much fat can produce a skeletonised look to the eyes which looks very aging.
- A droopy appearance to the upper eyelid can occur for two reasons – that there is a lot of extra upper eyelid skin, or the actual position of the eyelid has lowered to cover the coloured part of the eye called the iris.
- The latter is known as ptosis and can occur for several reasons.
- While ptosis repair can be undertaken at the same time as upper blepharoplasty surgery, if you have significant ptosis Dr Aggarwal will refer you to an eye surgeon who routinely performs ptosis repairs.
Procedure Information
- The procedure is usually performed under general anaesthesia given by an accredited anaesthetist in a fully accredited and licensed facility. The procedure takes one hour and patients go home the same day.
- Uninsured patients or those for whom a rebate may not apply, who require only a skin excision may be eligible for a procedure under local anaesthetic in rooms.
- Dr Aggarwal will mark you before your procedure, taking into account the natural fold of the upper eyelid, the amount of skin that needs to be removed, and judging if the amount of skin left behind will be adequate for proper function of the upper lid.
- The scar of an upper blepharoplasty goes from the medial corner of the eye (medial canthus), to beyond the lateral corner of the eye to remove the adequate amount of skin.
- Local anaesthetic is carefully injected just under the skin.
- The skin and a part of the underlying muscle is removed.
- If required bulging fat is removed and any bleeding controlled
- The skin is then carefully closed.
- The sutures are left long and carefully taped to the skin of the face.
- Dr Aggarwal will place steri-strips over the loose ends of the sutures – you must keep these dry and intact until you see Dr Aggarwal after the surgery.
- You will be instructed to use frequent ice packs over the eyes as this significantly reduces bleeding and bruising post upper eyelid surgery.
- It is also a good idea to keep your head elevated when you sleep at least for the first 2 nights.
- You will be given a script for antibiotics by Dr Aggarwal which you must continue for 1 week. You will also be given appropriate pain relief medications.
- While most sedentary activities can be resumed when you go home, you must lay low and not exert yourself. You should refrain from any activity that raises your blood pressure for the first 72 hours. Most people are able to return to normal work at 1-2 weeks.
- Dr Aggarwal will see regularly after your discharge from hospital.
Risks & Complications
Every surgery carries risks, and therefore one must consider if risks outweigh the benefits for your own personal situation. If they do then the surgery may be well worth it. Dr Aggarwal will discuss the pros and cons of surgery with you during your consultation.
- Risks of anaesthetic – there are general risks of going under an anaesthetic such as a mild stress on the heart and lungs, risk of reaction to anaesthetic drugs and risk of blotting in the legs. These risks are generally low in patients who are otherwise fit and healthy. It is also possible to perform this surgery under pure local anaesthetic omitting some of these risks.
- Bleeding (1-2%) – any bleeding is controlled during surgery however unexpected bleeding can occur in the immediate postoperative period. If this occurs it will necessitate a return to theatre to control the bleeding. If fat has been removed there is a small chance that bleeding can cause a threat to vision, and therefore you must report immediately to Dr Aggarwal if there is any change in your vision.
- Infection (<1%) – this is very rare. However you are given antibiotics during induction (when you are going to sleep), as well as a course of oral antibiotics after your surgery to keep this risk to a minimum.
- Deterioration in vision – this is a very rare complication as a result of bleeding which needs immediate attention. If this emergency is not rectified immediately it can lead to blindness or reduced vision in the affected eye.
- Inability to close the eyelids – while Dr Aggarwal takes careful attention to never remove excess skin, at Mode we do see patients who have had surgery elsewhere who occasionally have this complication. Unfortunately the only way to correct this is to add skin to the upper eyelid through further surgery.
- Asymmetrical scars – There can be a difference in how each eyelid behaves to surgery and skin tension, and can produce an asymmetry to the scars, albeit the aim is to get them as symmetrical as possible.
- Hypertrophic or poor scars – How one’s body behaves to scarring is individual and largely genetic. Some types of skin are more prone to hypertrophic or keloid scarring, and some individuals and families are more prone to this. We will routinely advise you on how to improve the quality of scars over time. You should also discuss any history of abnormal scarring with Dr Aggarwal preoperatively.
- Recurrence of fat bulging – occasionally despite removal of fat, bulging of fat can recur.
Procedure FAQs
- We recommend that patients obtain a referral for upper blepharoplasty.
- If you do obtain a referral it is possible to claim a Medicare rebate of approximately $73 for the initial consultation
- Furthermore if you qualify for the Medicare item number, and you also have an appropriate level of health cover, you may qualify for a rebate from Medicare/health funds with a referral.
- You can see us at our main practice at Gordon, or at our other locations at Hornsby, Hunters Hill or Camperdown.
- Please scroll to the bottom of the page to find out more information about these locations.
- Any of the hospitals where Dr Aggarwal works – most commonly Hunters Hill Private or SAN Day Surgery Hornsby.
- Skin only blepharoplasty may also be performed under local anaesthetic in rooms.
- Cease fish oil, and other supplements such as Ginkgo, Ginseng.
- Please discuss with Dr Aggarwal if you are on blood thinning medications as to when you should stop and recommence those.
- Stop smoking well in advance of surgery.
- You must not do any activity that raises your blood pressure for 72 hours
- Most people are able to resume most activities at 1-2 weeks.
- Dr Aggarwal will provide you with the necessary scripts for antibiotics and pain relief.
- No
- However you will be required to use regular ice packs over the eyes for the first 48 hours.
- No.
- Yes
- However we always encourage patients not to be away overseas shortly after having a procedure, so that we can closely follow your recovery and address any concerns that may arise.
- You can swim in a pool or beach after 2 weeks once all wounds have healed.
- It is best to not drive for the 24-48 hours after upper eyelid surgery as the swelling initially may interfere with your vision.
- Yes, patients who require sedation or general anaesthetic have their surgery in an accredited private hospital.
- If you require a skin only upper blepharoplasty you can elect to have the procedure under local anaesthetic in rooms.
- Unfortunately no – the only way to remove excess skin (and fat) from the upper eyelid is through direct excision.
Procedure Pricing
- A quote for this procedure will be provided to you after a consultation with Dr. Aggarwal. You can also call or email our office for our current indicative pricing.
- This fee is all inclusive, which includes
- Surgical fees
- Hospital theatre fees or Rooms procedure fee
- Anaesthetist fees (if applicable)
- Follow up
- Please note that some patients may qualify for a Medicare item number and this can reduce the out of pocket costs.
- Please note that the above prices do not include
- Preoperative consultation fees
- Other procedures such as lower blepharoplasty, brow lift, or other facial cosmetic procedures.
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Mode Plastic Surgery
924 Pacific Highway
Gordon NSW 2072
Consulting time
Multiple options throughout the week
Address
Chris O’Brien Lifehouse
Level 2, Clinic D
119-143 Missenden Road
Camperdown NSW 2050
Consulting time
Alternate Thursdays
Address
Hunters Hill Clinic
Level 1, 6 Ryde Road
Hunters Hill NSW 2110
Consulting time
Once a month Thursday morning.
Address
St Luke’s Private Hospital
18 Roslyn Street
Potts Point, NSW, 2011
Consulting time
One Friday each month.
Address
Hornsby Medical Specialists
39 Palmerston Road
Hornsby NSW 2077
Phone:
info@modeplasticsurgery.com.au
Suite 13, 924 Pacific Highway
Gordon NSW 2072, Australia
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