Eye Lid Surgery

Overview:

Your eyes are the “Windows to your Soul,” as they say, because they reveal so much about you. Unfortunately, your eyes can also be deceiving if signs of aging have altered them. Instead of looking rested, alert and in-charge, you may appear to be tired, run-down, angry, or unhappy due to drooping eyelids or puffy bags under the eyes. If you feel that your eyes make you look older, sad or fatigued, you may want to consider cosmetic eyelid surgery, also called Blepharoplasty. Depending on your features and the recommendation of Dr. Felix Bopp, you may consider having cosmetic eyelid enhancement on either the upper eyelids, lower eyelids, or both.

An upper Blepharoplasty also known as eyelid surgery is a cosmetic surgical procedure. Through a strategically placed incision, the upper eyelid procedure involves the removal of excess skin & fatty tissue. Because it is placed in the natural contour of the upper eyelid, the incision is camouflaged upon healing

A Transconjunctival Blepharoplasty or Lower Blepharoplasty is a cosmetic surgical procedure preformed to remove excessive fat from the fat pads located in the lower eyelids. Once the fat is removed there is less puffiness beneath the eyes.

Before the Surgery:

After you have had a consultation and decide that this is the procedure for you, a pre-op appointment needs to be made with Dr. Felix Bopp for approximately 2 weeks prior to your surgery date. At this visit, the remainder of your questions will be answered, consents will be signed, photo’s taken, payment made, prescriptions written, and pre-and post-op written instructions given. Prescriptions that are written should be filled and started the day prior to your scheduled surgery. Dr. Felix Bopp requires all his patients to get an examination done from their ophthalmologist prior to having eye surgery.

Dr. Felix Bopp highly recommends that you stop smoking at least 6 weeks prior to having any major surgery. Certain medications increase your risk of bleeding such as Aspirin, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications, fish oil, Vitamin E, etc… these should be discontinued at least 2 weeks prior to your surgery date. If you take prescription blood thinners like Plavix, it is suggested that you speak with your prescribing physician and request permission to discontinue those 3-5 days prior to surgery. You need to plan for someone to drive you to and from the office the day of your procedure and you should wear comfortable clothes with a button down shirt and eat a light breakfast that day.

The Surgery:

Both the upper and lower Blepharoplasty surgeries take approximately an hour to complete. Including pre-op preparation and post-op procedures, you should plan to be in the office about 2 hours.

Tiny sutures will be across the upper eyelid and one absorbable suture will be in the lower eyelid. Upper lid sutures will be removed in 7 days at your first follow up appointment and the lower lid suture should dissolve on its own within the first week.

Dr. Felix Bopp performs both of these surgeries in the office utilizing local anesthetic in combination with oral sedation. This eliminates concerns and safety issues of having to undergo general anesthesia as well as being more cost efficient for the patient by not having the extra charges of an out-patient facility.

After the Surgery

You should plan for some swelling and possibly some bruising immediately following surgery. It typically takes up to 2 weeks for the majority of that to subside. Although results will be noticeable right away, your final result can take up to 6 months to achieve. You should be on “light duty” as far as activities are concerned and will be guided as to increasing activity through the follow-up visits.

Dr. Felix Bopp is a Board Certified Facial Plastic Surgeon and has been performing this particular surgery for more than 25 years. For more information about these procedures, please contact us at info@boppskin.com or call (504) 455-9933 to schedule an appointment today!