Between the 1970s and 1990s cosmetic eyelid procedures consisted mostly of removing the skin and fat on the eyelids. They then connected the skin to create a better-looking look. Over time the hollowness of their eyes became more apparent. The focus of more recent procedures for Eyelid Surgery Portland has been on preserving eyelid fat. In order to achieve a smooth and youthful appearance, the fat is preserved, then re-distributed throughout the area around the eyes.

Advantages of the New Eyelid Procedures

There is an incredibly smooth and flawless convex line connecting the lower eyelid to the cheek in the face of a young person. To rejuvenate the eye area, it is important to recreate this smooth “lid-cheek connection”. When people get older, the smooth “lid-cheek” junction becomes more pronounced. Your lower lid fat bags will start to appear in your 4th decade. The hollowing of the area below the bag creates a valley, or trough. Hence the term “tear trough.” A tired, worn-out reflection is the result. In the area of the tear trough below the lower-lid bags, we often see this hollowing. “, says Dr. Gilbert Lee at Changes Plastic Surgery. Fillers, like Juvederm and Restylane or fat-based injections can be used to create an impressive transition. The laser can treat wrinkles, lines or tiny creases that appear around your eyes. These laser treatments work by causing the skin around your eyes to shrink, thereby smoothing away those fine lines. When the contour irregularities become more prominent, an eyelid procedure is needed (blepharoplasty). This allows the patient to use the fat that was previously stored in the bag to refill the tear trough. This is achieved by tightening the muscle of the eyelid and its skin.

You may find that your top eyelid slowly covers your eye. Makeup application becomes difficult. The excess fat or skin on your upper lid may cause this, but it can also be a result of a weakening Levator. The eyelid’s levator is responsible for the opening of your eye. It pulls up your eyelid, creating a fold in the skin just above your upper eyelashes. With age, your levator may weaken and cause the upper eyelid to sag. In a very small incision made along the natural eyelid crease, excess skin can be removed, as can the muscle beneath and any underlying fat.

Key Factors to Successful Eyelid Surgery

Dr. Lee, who was San Diego’s leading plastic surgeons in 2007-2008, explains that plastic surgery has improved by combining preservation techniques with procedures that are tailored to the patient’s specific goals (such as fat injections, fillers and fat relocation). Plastic surgery is also more lasting. For eyelid surgery, Dr. Lee also uses local and oral anesthesia. The Dr. Lee describes this as “unique”. Local anesthesia reduces the cost of plastic surgery for the patient, and it is also much more comfortable on the body. The patients often say that the local anesthesia they received for eyelid surgery made it a pleasant experience.