Eyelid lift

Eyelid lift is one of the most common facial lifting surgeries, it is based on lifting and tightening the sagging eyelids by removing the skin, tissues and fat accumulated either in the upper or lower eyelid or both. 

Age and genetic structures are the most important factors that cause this troublesome problem in some people, which enforces them to go to the clinics of plastic and facial reconstructive surgeons to perform surgery to tighten the eyelids and restore them to their previous appearance, which reflects on the appearance of a younger looking face as a whole.

Treatment in Jordan takes approximately 3 days.

Some people may undergo eyelid lift surgery in the following cases:

• Aging, which increases the formation of fat in the upper or lower eyelid and in some cases sagging muscles related to the eyelids.
• Accumulation of skin in the lower eyelid.
• Flaccid swelling of the lower eyelid.
• Inflammation and irritation of the skin in the eyelids due to friction.

Plastic specialists advise to have some tests before undergoing the eyelid lifting surgery, including:

• The patient's medical history.
• Clinical examination.
• Psychological assessment of the patient's condition.
• Blood tests.
• X-ray imaging.
• Conduct electrocardiogram (ECG).
• Vision level test.

Eyelids lifting may have some complications and side effects, including:

• Bleeding.
• Allergic reaction to the anesthesia, such as breathing problems and others.
• Infection.
• Blood clots.
• Dryness and irritation in the eyes.
• Skin discoloration around the eyes.
• Temporarily affect the safety of vision.
• Difficulty in closing the eyes.
• Damage of the responsible nerve for the movement of facial muscles.
• Continuous pain.
• Feeling numb and tingling in the face.

Eyelids lifting include three stages:

• Preparing the patient for the surgery:Patient is required to refrain from taking certain types of medications, such as blood thinners, which may cause bleeding during the procedure (aspirin, ibuprofen, naproxen, etc.), also it is recommended to keep away from smoking to help wound healing more efficient and fast, usually the patient starts to adhere the previous instructions approximately one to two weeks before the surgery, as determined by the plastic surgeon. The patient begins to fast from the middle of the night before the eyelid lift surgery.

• During the surgery: Eyelids lift surgery includes the following steps:

1. Anesthetize the patient either by general anesthetic or a sedative intravenously accompanied by local anesthesia of the eyelids.
2. Start eyelid surgery according to its type, which is divided as follows:

• Upper eyelid lift: A marker is drawn to determine the area to be removed on the middle of the eyelid with the natural line in the upper eyelid to avoid scarring, since it disappears while the normal opening and closing of the eye (flickering), then locally anesthetizing the eyelid and starting to remove the excess skin and fat and suture the incision afterwards.
• Tightening of the lower eyelid: Determining where to remove excess skin and fat, where the incision is carried out either in the line adjacent to the eyelash, or from inside of the lower eyelid.
• Lower and upper eyelid lift: the same steps but in one surgery.

• After the surgery: The patient feels pain after the surgery, which may enforce him to take some pain-relieving medications, eyelids often appear swollen during the first and second day, and then begin to gradually improve within 5 to 6 days.

The patient can check out on the same day without the need to stay in the hospital. He may take some pain medication for a certain period that is determined by the responsible plastic surgeon. The patient is advised to keep his head at a high level and not to lie down completely for about two to three days; to avoid abnormal puffiness in the face as a whole, it can also appear what looks like bruises and puffiness around the eyes and cheeks, may last for a few days to a week after these symptoms begin to disappear gradually.

The patient can then return to usual activities normally, taking into account the non-exposure to what may reduce the chances of healing and adhere to the instructions of the surgeon.

The results usually begin to appear significantly for the patient and those around him immediately after the surgery, but the completion of the recovery period and ideal results often appear after 3 to 6 months, and most patients have shown satisfaction with the results after the eyelid lift surgery, especially when selected skilled plastic surgeon in this field. Good results continue after the eyelid lift for about 10 to 15 years.