An upper eyelid lift is a good start for facial rejuvenation
Posted on Tue, Nov 08, 2011
Droopy upper eyelids can make you look older than you are.
One of the most common facial rejuvenation procedures I perform is upper eyelid lift or upper eyelid blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery). It is normal to have a certain amount of upper lid fullness. If you look at photos of young models they all have fullness and roundness to the upper eyelids. Because upper eyelids that are either too full or too hollow look aged, there is a fine balancing act in contouring upper lids to look refreshed and natural. After over a decade of experience and hundreds
of upper eyelid procedures, I feel confident in creating that balance.
Remove excess skin or raise the brow. Or both!
As we age, we lose elasticity in the upper lids and start to develop excess skin. Often fat from behind the eyelid begins protruding forward to give the appearance of bags. With increased hooding of the upper lids, they begin to touch the upper lashes. When this happens we subconsciously tend to lift our eyebrows. After years of this upward positioning we develop wrinkles in the forehead and some people develop tension headaches. In severe cases the upper lid skin begins to hang so low that it interferes with vision. The remedy for this is either to remove excess skin from the upper eyelids (blepharoplasty) or raise the brow (brow lift). In some cases, both procedures are necessary.
Can Botox or Dysport make my eyelids look worse?
Many patients come to see me for Botox or Dysport to relax the wrinkles in the brow. These wrinkle relaxers do help the wrinkles, but often relax the brow to its normal position resulting in the feeling of a heavy brow. The issue is not really that the Botox or Dysport did something wrong, but that they put the brow in its more natural more relaxed position. The only way to address the real underlying problem is again either raising the brow (browlift) or removing excess eyelid skin.
Asian vs. Caucasian eyelid surgery
Removing excess upper eyelid skin and fat makes dramatic improvements in one’s overall appearance. Here in Hawaii we have a nice ethnic and cultural mix. There is a definite difference in the ideal appearance of the upper lids particularly between people of Caucasian and Asian ancestry. 
The upper lid fold is anatomically different in different races, and the procedures to treat Asian vs. Caucasian eyes is very different. To maintain the natural Asian fold, there is a very specific technique of skin and muscle removal as well as the placement of deeper sutures. Creating an Asian appearance in a Caucasian patient looks as unnatural as creating a Caucasian appearance in an Asian patient. Practicing in Hawaii since 2001 has given me the opportunity to surgically enhance the upper eyelids of many ethnic types.
My personal experience with upper eyelid surgery
Over the past several years I developed droopiness to one of my upper lids and it made me look tired and asymmetrical. In my case of one-sided heaviness, the cause of the problem is due to ptosis (looseness) of the muscle. After losing about 20 pounds, the droopiness improved but was still bothersome to me. Once again my good friend Dr. Angelo Cuzalina performed a left upper lid blepharoplasty/ptosis repair and my eyes now look perfectly even. I experienced normal swelling and bruising for about a week but the scar is not even noticeable. Needless to say I am thrilled. If you are beginning to look tired from heavy upper eyelid, come visit me in any of my three Big Island offices (Hilo, Kona or Waimea) to find out more about an upper eyelid lift.
