Dr Viral Desai, Cosmetic Plastic Surgeon in Mumbai and Pune
If you are concerned with drooping eyelids and sagging or wrinkled skin around your eyes, then surgical and non-surgical injectable restorative options could help make your eyes look more youthful.
With advancing age, your skin gradually loses its elasticity and due to the undesirable effects of gravity begins to droop all over, but the effect is most obvious on the face, especially around the eyes.
Treatment for aging eyelids starts with an exhaustive in-depth consultation with a well experienced Board certified Plastic and cosmetic surgeon. Treatment primarily targets the main cause and focuses on the particular anatomical change that is causing the problem. Although droopy eyelids usually result in purely cosmetic and unaesthetic issues for people, they can also cause vision problems in certain extreme cases.
The eyelid ageing process
As skin ages, it gradually loses its elasticity. A lack of elasticity plus the constant pull from gravity causes excess skin to collect on the upper and lower eyelids.
Excess skin on the lower eyelid causes wrinkles and bulges. On the upper eyelids, an extra fold of skin can hang over the eyelashes and obstruct vision.
The fat that cushions the eyeball from the skull can also deviate and bulge in the upper and lower eyelids. The thin membrane that holds the fat in place weakens with age, letting the fat herniate and come forward into the lids.
Age-related changes that cause eye circles, eye bags and sags:
Several factors contribute to the undesirable look of the area around the eyes as aging progresses:
- Extra rolls of the skin cause wrinkles and bags under the eyes.
- Fatty tissue deposits may deviate and cause the upper or lower lid to appear puffy.
- Round the eye hollows show up as dark circles around the eyes.
- Ptosis or partial lid closure occurs, which is a weakness of the muscle that opens the eye.
- Tear trough indentations become more defined as your age.
Non-surgical treatment options for ageing lids:
- Cosmetic injectable treatments with neurotoxins such as Botox and dermal fillers with hyaluronic acid are the mainstay of the treatment for aging eye areas.
- Botox and fillers work differently and are temporary methods of youthful rejuvenation of the eye area.
- Botox primarily works to weaken the muscles around the corners of the eye which cause the crow’s feet creases and helps erase any other fine lines in this area.
- While fillers are injected at various levels, such as superficial or deep, they help fill in the under eye hollows and smooth out any fine lines or wrinkles.
Surgical treatment options:
- The surgical options aim to treat structural issues around the eyelids, such as crow’s feet or deeper wrinkles due to ageing.
- Eyelid surgery such as blepharoplasty and other procedures help remove excess skin and fat, or reposition fat and tighten the skin thus creating a dramatic change.
- Patients who desire a more dramatic, rejuvenating effect from the surgery will need to undergo a deeper restructuring that corrects the problem of excess fat and bags.
What Is Blepharoplasty?
Blepharoplasty also known as eyelift is a type of corrective surgery performed on the eyelids. It is done to remove excess folds of skin from the upper eyelids and reduce bagginess from the lower eyelids.
Why Is Blepharoplasty Done?
This surgery is usually done for cosmetic reasons. It also serves a functional purpose when it is done to improve sight in older people whose sagging upper eyelids get in the way of their vision.
An eye lift will not get rid of dark circles under the eyes, crow’s feet, or other facial wrinkles. It can often be combined with other procedures such as laser resurfacing, filler injections, botox injections or forehead lifts.
Who Is a Good Candidate For Blepharoplasty?
The ideal candidates for an eye lift are people who are in good health and have a realistic optimistic idea of what they want to achieve. Most are 35 years or older, but if baggy eyelids or droopy eyelids is genetic in your family, you may decide to get the surgery sooner.
Eyelid surgery restores a youthful look to the face and helps build your confidence. However, it may not result in your ideal look or significantly alter your facial structure. Before you decide to have surgery, think about your goals and expectations and discuss them thoroughly with your surgeon.
Also, non-surgical options would yield temporary results when compared with permanent surgical correction.
Choosing the Best Surgeon
A thorough examination and evaluation by a skilled, board-certified cosmetic surgeon is crucial as they will help recommend the best treatment option for you.
Often, surgeons who don’t specialize in cosmetic surgery or even the eyes may recommend the wrong procedure, which can lead to eyelid revision surgery. Depending on your age, the extent of your ageing, and what you hope to accomplish from the surgery, an experienced cosmetic surgeon can offer multiple options for improving the appearance of your eyelids, brows and orbital area.