Type of Surgery
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Last updated: 11/24/2009
The mortalities occurring during and immediately after blepharoplasty are exceedingly rare. The procedure is riskier when general anesthesia is used rather than local anesthesia, though the procedure is quite safe in terms of mortality.
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Complications do occur however and they are mostly related to difficulties in achieving the desired cosmetic result. Corneal damage, chronically dry eye and inability for the eyelid to close completely may occur as a consequence of surgery. Rarely, serious complications can occur, such as intraoperative hemorrhage (bleeding). Prompt medical attention should be given if one of these infrequent complications does occur.
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A graphic animation of what causes fat and sagging eyelids. The video describes what takes place during eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty).
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Blepharoplasty can be both a functional and cosmetic surgical procedure intended to reshape the upper eyelid or lower eyelid by the removal or repositioning of excess tissue as well as by reinforcement of surrounding muscles and tendons. When an advanced amount of upper eyelid skin is present, the skin may hang over the eyelashes and cause a loss of peripheral vision. The outer and upper parts of the visual field are most commonly affected and the condition may cause difficulty with activities such as driving or reading. In this circumstance, upper eyelid blepharoplasty is performed to improve peripheral vision. Patients with a less severe amount of excess skin may have a similar procedure performed for cosmetic reasons. Lower eyelid blepharoplasty is almost always done for cosmetic reasons, to improve puffy lower eyelid "bags" and reduce the wrinkling of skin.
Blepharoplasty is performed through external incisions made along the natural skin lines of the eyelids, such as the creases of the upper lids and below the lashes of the lower lids, or from the inside surface of the lower eyelid. Initial swelling and bruising take one to two weeks to resolve but at least several months are needed until the final result becomes stable. Depending upon the scope of the procedure, the operation takes one to three hours to complete.
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