Eyelid surgery

As you age, the connective tissue fibres in your skin become less elastic. As a result, you may suffer from droopy eyelids or droopy eyebrows. Upper eyelids droop because the skin loses its tightness and suppleness. Under your eyes, fatty tissue is no longer held in place properly, causing puffiness.

Your eyes play an important role in how you appear to someone else. Drooping eyelids or eyebrows can make you look tired, angry or worried, even when you are fit and cheerful. They can also limit your field of vision, causing you to frown in order to see more. This, in turn, can give you headaches and wrinkles in your forehead.

With eyelid surgery (or blepharoplasty), you can solve these complaints and rejuvenate your face relatively easily. By the way, did you know that an eyelid correction is the most frequently performed cosmetic procedure performed by plastic surgeons in the Netherlands?

Are you interested in eyelid surgery? Then make an appointment with Dr Schiettecatte for a no-obligation consultation At Kliniek Veldhoven.

The consultation and an estimate

Prior to the eyelid correction, you will have a personal intake consultation with Dr Schiettecatte to discuss your wishes and the options together. During the consultation, you can indicate what bothers you most about your eyes. Dr Schiettecatte will then advise you on the possible procedure and technique. Request a consultation now. After the consultation, you will receive a customised quote.

Eyelid surgery: the operation

Upper eyelid surgery

For an upper eyelid correction, Dr Schiettecatte carefully draws on your eyelid in advance which part of the skin will be removed. In doing so, he pays particular attention to ensuring that the scars go into your natural eye crease, so that they become almost invisible. During the upper eyelid correction, he removes the excess skin and possibly some fat and part of the eye ring muscle. After this, the small blood vessels are burned shut and the wound sutured. The procedure takes place under local anaesthesia.

Lower eyelid surgery

There are two approaches to lower eyelid surgery, which involves removing the 'bags' or 'bags' under your eyes. Both types of lower eyelid correction take place under local anaesthesia. Often, no skin needs to be removed. Dr Schiettecatte then makes a small incision in the mucous membrane on the inside of your eyelid. The fatty sacs under your eyes are then removed. The wound does not need stitches. If your lower eyelids have too much skin, this is removed along with the fat through a small incision just below the lash line. The wound is then sutured with a fine thread. A small scar may remain visible under the eyelashes.

Eyebrow correction

It is possible that your problem is not caused by a drooping upper eyelid, but by an eyebrow that hangs too low. In that case, Dr Schiettecatte recommends an eyebrow correction, where the eyebrow is lifted slightly via a small incision behind the hairline at the temple. Apart from giving you a more open field of vision, this procedure often reduces the small wrinkles around your eyes.

After your eyelid surgery

The skin of your eyes is very sensitive. As a result, you may experience puffy and blue eyes after surgery of your upper eyelids or lower eyelids. You can limit them by applying a cold compress to your eyes regularly after surgery. The swelling usually disappears quickly. The bruising remains visible for a bit longer and gradually disappears. In general, the visible effects of the surgery are visible for about a week. If necessary, you can wear sunglasses to hide them. You cannot use make-up again until the sutures have been removed, about a week after the operation.

Risks and complications in eyelid surgery

Eyelid corrections are performed very frequently. You may possibly experience an allergic reaction or infection, although the chances of this are very low. You may also have temporarily drier eyes. Occasionally, the skin may be pulled just a little tighter than desired. This usually recovers by itself fairly quickly. If it does not recover by itself, it will be remedied with a minor skin intervention.

In short...