Why Are My Eyelids Sagging?

Your eyes are your windows to the world, and for others, they’re one of the first of your attributes they see. So what does it tell them if your eyelids are hooded, droopy, or sagging? It sends a message that you’re perpetually fatigued, standoffish, or angry, and those probably aren’t what you’re intending.

Fortunately, there’s a procedure that can lift your sagging lids and give you a new view of the world. It’s called blepharoplasty.

At Arizona Ocular and Facial Plastic Surgery, Dr. Dustin Heringer and the rest of our team have the skills to make their patients in the Scottsdale and Peoria, Arizona, area look their best, and that includes blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery). Whether you’re looking for a fresher, younger look or need your lids raised for medical reasons, we can help.

Why are my eyelids sagging?

Eyelid drooping, medically called ptosis, can be a result of aging. Your body’s production of collagen and elastin, the fibrous proteins that give your skin strength and resilience, naturally starts to decrease around age 25. Their production can also decrease due to environmental factors, such as smoking and the sun’s ultraviolet rays.

The end result is you develop fine lines and wrinkles on your face. Together with the constant downward pull of gravity, the now-loosened skin on the upper and lower eyelids begins to droop so that the upper eyelid skin hangs over the eyelashes, potentially obstructing your vision.

Sagging skin on the lower eyelids tends to wrinkle and bulge, too, creating tired-looking bags.

In addition, your face stores fat to cushion your eyeball from the skull bones, which is held in place by a thin membrane that also weakens with age. The fat shifts forward into the lids, causing them to puff up.

According to the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, more than 200,000 people in 2018 chose blepharoplasty to lift their eyelids, making it one of the top five cosmetic surgical procedures.

Not all blepharoplasties are cosmetic; they can also be performed for medical reasons, but only on the upper lid. If the skin slides so much it interferes with your vision, you may need the upper lids lifted to improve your sight. A visual field test determines the extent of your peripheral vision loss, and it helps Dr. Heringer decide if medical blepharoplasty is in order.

The blepharoplasty procedure

Blepharoplasty can be done on either the upper or lower lids, or both. Dr. Heringer gives you a local anesthetic as well as some sedation to keep you comfortable during the procedure. If he’s doing both upper and lower lids, he starts with the upper and makes a small cut in the crease so the scar won’t be visible. Next, he removes any excess skin, muscle, and fat. He may also opt to move some tissues around the eye for aesthetic purposes.

If you’re having blepharoplasty on your lower lid, Dr. Heringer makes the incision along the lower lash line, which also hides the scar. Next, he removes the fat causing the undereye bulges, as well as a small amount of skin. Finally, he tightens the weakened muscles and may reposition some of the remaining fat for aesthetic purposes.

Who is a good candidate for blepharoplasty?

If you’re having blepharoplasty for medical reasons, Dr. Heringer needs to make sure your vision is impaired because of the sagging. For cosmetic cases, you’re a good candidate if you’re unhappy with the way your drooping eyelids or eye bags make you look.

Other criteria include:

Excess upper and/or lower eyelid skin
No major skin or eye conditions
Realistic expectations for the outcome
Nonsmoker

It’s also important that you don’t have any underlying medical conditions that would impair normal healing.

If your eyelids are sagging, and you’re not happy with your appearance, it’s time to come into Arizona Ocular & Facial Plastic Surgery for a consultation with Dr. Heringer to talk about blepharoplasty. Give us a call at either location, or book online with us today.