Is an Eyelid Lift the Right Choice for Me?

Who is a good candidate for blepharoplasty? Our Naperville and Western Chicago-based patients often ask us this question when they’re considering facial plastic surgery—including eyelid lifts—to get a rejuvenated appearance.

The eyes are likely the first feature others will notice on your face. Big, round, and clear eyes are associated with appealing “baby-facedness,” according to some studies, and are demonstrably linked to positive, attractive personality traits like honesty, warmth, and kindness. On the other hand, perpetually droopy or hooded upper eyelids make the eyes look smaller than they actually are and can make you appear to be sleepy, angry, sad, or upset—even if you don’t feel that way. Not to mention, droopy or baggy eyelids can make a person appear to be much older than they actually are. This happens because the eyes are the part of the face that ages the fastest, and heavy eyelids can add years to your appearance. Fortunately, it’s possible to restore youthful-looking eyes with plastic surgery.

Sagging around the eye area is commonly associated with aging. Our skin loses elasticity as we age, and the resulting sagging skin can look very pronounced, especially around the eyes. The skin around the eyes is thinner than most of the skin on the rest of the body. It’s also more delicate and also being stretched constantly due to frequent muscle activity in the eye area, so it’s likely to age at a faster rate.

Blepharoplasty addresses this by repairing the upper and lower eyelids as needed.

The ideal candidates for this type of surgery include patients who are:

• Healthy and don’t have any medical conditions that could delay healing
• Non-smokers
• Maintaining a positive outlook and realistic goals for what they can achieve with surgery
• Not suffering from any serious eye conditions
• Bothered by loose, excess skin on the upper and/or lower eyelids
• Experiencing excess fatty deposits around the eyes that cause puffiness
• Having loose skin on the upper eyelids that affects their natural contours or impairs vision

If your main goal is to soften crow’s feet or improve uneven eyes or drooping eyebrows, you may not be a good candidate for an eyelid lift. The good news is that there are many other procedures that can help, and we offer treatments for those conditions as well!

Contact our John Bull Center for Cosmetic Surgery & Laser Medispa team for more information. Call us at (630) 339-4555 or submit a contact form if you’re interested in discussing an eyelid lift or more options.