Article At A Glance
- Long-lasting results that can improve appearance for several years.
- Relatively safe procedure with minimal risks and side effects.
- Potential to address underlying eye conditions besides cosmetic concerns.
- Overall improvement in achieving a more youthful and vibrant look.
Do your eyelids frequently feel heavy, do you have dark circles, or is sagging skin above your eye blocking your vision? You’re an excellent candidate for eyelid surgery. Northwestern Facial Plastic Surgery provides professional cosmetic eye surgery in Chicago. If you’re a woman in your thirties or forties, keep reading to consider whether an eyelid rejuvenation procedure is a good fit for you.
What Is Eyelid Surgery?
Also known as a blepharoplasty procedure, the surgery requires minor incisions to the eyelids to create a more youthful appearance or reduce sagging and excess skin around the eye. Through tightening the eyelids, the procedure can obtain the following effects:
- Tightening loose or sagging skin above and below the eye
- Removing excess fat deposits that make the eyelids look bloated
- Increase elasticity to mitigate drooping eyelids
- Eliminate bags under the eyes
While the process requires anesthesia and a recovery period of at least a week, many young and middle-aged women love the results.
5 Reasons Women Consider the Surgery
Why do women in their thirties and forties often consider eyelid lift surgery? These decades present unique challenges for women, and they find this point in their lives a good period for reclaiming some confidence, which the surgery can help with.
1. Mitigating Skin Changes
Starting in their thirties, many women begin rapidly losing collagen, developing age spots, and seeing a greater prevalence of wrinkles. Aging can take a serious toll on a woman’s confidence and mental health, especially if they work in a highly visible field like sales or public speaking.
These skin changes can also lead to vision problems when they start affecting the eyelids. A drooping eyelid can obscure vision, dry out your eyes, and cause muscle strain that makes keeping your eyes open difficult. While genetics play a significant role in developing these conditions, aging skin also plays a significant factor.
Upper eyelid surgery can help reduce or eliminate these problems by tightening or removing excess skin, which keeps it away from your field of vision and gives it a more youthful and lighter appearance.
2. Long-lasting Results
One reason the thirties and forties are good times for lower eyelid enhancement and other surgical eye procedures is that they have long-lasting effects. The results should last between six and seven years.
If you get the procedure in your mid-twenties, the results will wear off just as your skin starts aging. After the age of 50, you can still get the procedure, but it comes with an increased risk of complications, and you’ll likely want a facelift or other cosmetic procedure to enhance the overall results.
If you’re undergoing the procedure to help improve your vision or reduce the fatigue caused by heavy eyelids, you won’t need another surgery. However, if you have primarily cosmetic reasons for an eyelid lift, you might qualify for a second surgery once the effects of the first one wear off.
3. Safe Procedure
While it involves local or general anesthesia and incisions made around the eyes, eyelid surgery carries relatively low risk, especially of serious complications. All surgeries carry the risk of blood clots or an allergic reaction to the anesthesia, so walk with your doctor about whether you’re a good candidate for the procedure.
If your doctor determines you’re a low risk for complications, the most common minor side effects include the following, which can last up to 14 days after the procedure:
- Dry and irritated eyes
- Bleeding, infection, and skin discoloration
- Eyelid problems like closing or opening the eyes
- Blurred or loss of eyesight temporarily
If these complications last more than two weeks, call your doctor for a follow-up appointment to determine a solution. In rare cases, especially with an inexperienced surgeon, the procedure can cause scarring or injury to the eye or the tissue around it.
4. Reducing Eye Problems
While most people seek out this procedure because of a drooping eyelid or for cosmetic reasons, it can also eliminate less common conditions, many of which arise in your thirties or forties. These conditions include:
- Ectropion: This refers to a droopy eyelid that turns outward, making the eye susceptible to wind and light and making it hard to regulate its moisture. Aging is a leading cause of ectropion.
- Entropion: The opposite of ectropion, this causes the eyelid to turn inward, leaving your cornea vulnerable to infection. It has many of the same causes as ectropion.
- Dermatitis: While rare, excess skin around the eyes can irritate dermatitis. Symptoms include scaling build-up, a rash, and a burning or itching sensation.
- Glasses issues: Excess skin can also cause problems with properly fitting eyeglasses, contacts, or a prosthetic eye. If you need corrective vision but can’t find a pair of glasses that fit, a blepharoplasty may help.
5. Youthful, Vibrant Look
Many women in their thirties and forties seek out surgery for their eyelids simply for cosmetic reasons. The most common aesthetic eye conditions an eyelid lift can eliminate include the following:
- Wrinkles: Whether you have crow’s feet at the corners of your eyes or larger wrinkles on your bottom eyelids, the tightening effect of the procedure can reduce or eliminate them, making you look considerably younger.
- Bags: Bags under your eyelids come from aging, stress, fat, and lack of sleep. By removing the excess fat that worsens baggy eyes, an eyelid procedure can significantly reduce the prevalence of this condition.
- Drooping: Drooping occurs from a lack of collagen, which gives the effect of excess skin. The procedure tightens up these areas to give a more youthful appearance.
- Puffiness: Excess fat is a major cause of puffiness under the eyes. Removing excess fat should significantly remove this issue.
Additional Read: Opening Your Eyes to the Benefits of Eyelid Surgery
Northwestern Facial Plastic Surgery Offers Eyelid Surgery in Chicago
If you want the top-rated provider of eyelid surgery in Chicago, Dr. Sidle at Northwestern Facial Plastic Surgery can help. He uses his considerable knowledge and experience to restore a youthful look to your face.
Dr. Sidle with Northwestern Facial Plastic Surgery performs reliable cosmetic plastic surgery in Chicago, IL. To schedule your consultation appointment, call 312-695-8182 today.
