Plastic eye surgery, also called blepharoplasty is a surgical procedure aimed to remove fat, excess skin and muscle from the lower and upper eyelids. By correcting puffy bags below the eyes and drooping upper eyelids, this procedure can reduce the signs of premature elderliness.

However, plastic eye surgery cannot remove crow's feet and other wrinkles, lift eyebrows or remove dark circles under the eyes. It cannot remove the markings of your racial or ethnic heritage either. Blerophlasty can be done either alone or in conjunction with another plastic surgery procedure, such as brow lift or face lift.

Best Candidates for Plastic Eye Surgery

Plastic eye surgery can improve your looks and self esteem, but it won't necessarily match your ideal or make people treat you better. Before you decide to undergo such a treatment, discuss your expectations with the surgeon.

The best candidates for plastic eye surgery are people who are physically and mentally healthy and share realistic expectations about the outcome. Most of them are older than 35, but if you have cases of baggy eyelids in your family, you can decide to have the procedure at a younger age.

There are some conditions which can make plastic eye surgery more risky. These conditions include hypothyroidism or Graves' disease, dry eyes, high blood pressure, heart disease and diabetes. Glaucoma or detached retina is also a reason to be cautious and talk to your doctor before surgery.

Plastic Eye Surgery Risks

When plastic eye surgery is performed by an experienced surgeon, further complications are rare and generally minor. However, there is always a small risk of infection or an uncommon reaction to the anesthesia. You can reduce these risks by obeying the surgeon's recommendations both before and after the surgical procedure.

Minor complications which can follow a plastic eye surgery include blurred or double vision for a few days, temporary swelling of the eyelid corner, scarring and slight asymmetry in healing. You can also get tiny whiteheads after the stitches are taken out, but your surgeon can remove them easily with a fine needle.

A few patients also have some difficulty in closing their eyes. Rarely, this condition is permanent. Another less frequent side effect is a pulling down of the lower eyelids, which may require another surgical procedure.

The Surgery

Plastic eye surgery generally takes one to three hours, depending on how complicated the procedure is. If you need an intervention to all four eyelids, the surgeon usually begins with the upper lids and then moves on to the lower ones.

Normally, the surgeon makes the incisions in the creases of the upper eyelids and right below the lashes in the lower eyelids. Sometimes the incisions extend into the laugh lines or crow's feet at your eye corners.

If you have fat bags under your lower lids but don't need to have any skin removed, the surgeon might perform a transconjunctival blepharoplasty. This procedure involves an incision in your lower lid, without leaving any visible scar. Younger patients with more elastic and thicker skin are the best candidates for this type of plastic eye surgery.

Plastic eye surgery techniques are permanently improved to reduce the risks and increase chances for a successful outcome. However, patients should share realistic expectations for the results and discuss with the surgeon to be aware of all the risks associated with the procedure.