Eyelid Surgery – Upper and Lower Blepharoplasty with Dr Ross Farhidieh

Blepharoplasty at Panthea Clinics

Are you thinking about having an eye lift? Not sure where to start? We chat to Dr Ross Farhadieh from Panthea Clinics in Sydney and Canberra about natural eye rejuvenation, upper and lower lid blepharoplasty and what’s going to get you the results you want.

Dr Farhadieh counts blepharoplasty, or eye surgery, as one of his special areas of interest and has had extensive training in the area. He co-authored a chapter in the renowned Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery: Approaches and Techniques textbook on eye rejuvenation. He says patients often don’t realise the importance of a lower bleph, and all too often concentrate on the upper eyelid lift.

UPPER OR LOWER EYELIFT, OR BOTH?

Upper Blepharoplasty

Patients considering an upper eyelid lift often have an overhang over their eyes of excess skin due to ageing. They often complain of having a “tired” look and want to lift the skin to where it sat a few years ago. Droopy eyelids can even cause an impairment of vision and result in wrinkles around the edges of the eyes. Holding the skin above the eyes, or on the forehead, up can show what you might look like after having an upper eyelid lift. Dr Farhadieh explains what’s involved in the upper eyelid surgery. “Most commonly, the issues are excess skin on the outer part of the upper eyelid and excess fat on the inner part. Your surgeon will carefully measure the amount of excess upper eyelid skin that is to be removed. In addition to removing this skin (with the scar hidden in the upper eyelid fold), often a small parcel of fat on the upper inner part of the eye is removed. A single long suture brings the wound together and then paper tape is placed on the wound. Although the scar extends all the way along the crease of the upper eyelid and out onto the outer rim of the orbit, it heals amazingly well and is barely visible in no time.”

Lower Blepharoplasty

Lower eyelid surgery can help with droopy lower eyelids, the puffiness under the eyes also known as “eye bags”, remove excess fat from under the eyes, help remove dark circles that often appear under the eyes due to ageing and remove any unwanted wrinkles. Dr Farhadieh says, “Lower eyelid surgery (“lower blepharoplasty”) is a bit more involved. If possible, I prefer to approach the lower eyelid fat through the inside of the lower eyelid. I will redistribute this fat over the lower rim of the orbit in order to eliminate the lower eyelid bag and carefully remove any excess fat. Care is taken not to remove too much fat as this can give the eyes a skeletal “hollowed-out” appearance in the long term. Most lower blepharoplasty surgery involves repositioning or (at the very least) tightening the lower eyelid to improve the appearance and to counteract scarring. I will then remove any excess skin just below the lower eyelashes. Again, this is closed with a continuous long stitch which is removed the week after surgery.”

Combining Upper and Lower Blepharoplasty

You may also consider to combine the two surgeries to result in a completely rejuvenated appearance. The most important thing you can do when choosing a blepharoplasty surgeon is to ensure it is their area of expertise. Eyes are the first thing people look at when they look at you, so any work you have done on them will be noticeable, unless you are at the hands of an expert who can make it look completely natural, as though you’ve had the best night’s sleep ever. Dr Farhadieh says, “Aesthetically, as well as metaphorically, the eyes are the windows to the soul; we communicate so much of our thoughts and emotions with facial gestures centred around our eyes. With the passage of time, the eyelids, the cheek and the brow all change. Puffy eyes, lax skin, crow’s feet, wrinkles and tired and droopy lids may alter our expression radically. Blepharoplasty can address many of these problems, restoring harmony and giving a refreshed, alert look.”

Eyelid Surgery – The Blepharoplasty Procedure

Dr Farhadieh says a blepharoplasty can take anywhere between 45 minutes to 2 hours, depending on whether it’s an upper, lower or both. “The surgery may be performed under sedation or more commonly general anaesthetic with local anaesthetic. After the surgery, you will be taken to the recovery area and then to your room, where your eyes will be covered with cold compresses to reduce the swelling. Your eyesight will be blurry during the first evening – this is normal and should not cause you alarm. If you are discharged home as part of day surgery, you should make sure that someone can drive you home and if possible stay with you the first night .Cooling the eyelids with ice gels and elevating the head on a couple of pillows will help to reduce the swelling. The first nights should be spent resting quietly. You will be seen again 5–7 days after the operation for a check-up and for removal of the sutures.”

Benefits of Blepharoplasty

  • Give you a more youthful appearance;
  • Make you look less tired;
  • Improve vision (reduce migraines – without realising it many people get migraines because of their reduced vision and the strain on their eyes due to overhanging skin)
  • Reduce the appearance of wrinkles, skin folds, fine lines “crow’s feet” and other ageing skin sagging effects;
  • Eliminate puffy eyes, or “bags” under the eyes;
  • Remove excess skin.

If you’d like to arrange a consultation with the highly skilled Dr Ross Farhadieh at Panthea Clinics in either Canberra or Sydney phone 1300 030 371. Or to read more about Dr Farhadieh or blepharoplasty first, check out the blogs below:

More PSH Blogs by Dr Ross Farhadieh

Further Reading Related to Blepharoplasty