A Board Certified Plastic Surgeon in Scottsdale
Posts tagged eyelid lift
Phoenix Cosmetic Eyelid Surgery.
01 year ago
by Dr. Aldo
in Eyelid Surgery
Phoenix Cosmetic Eyelid Surgery
Scottsdale – The eyelids are often the first facial feature to show signs of aging resulting in a sad, tired appearance even in the most energetic individual. Blepharoplasty or cosmetic eyelid surgery, is a plastic surgery procedure designed to rejuvenate the eyelids. Eyelid surgery can return that youthful elegance to your face, making the eyes appear brighter and more refreshed.
Cosmetic Eyelid Surgery – the Upper Eyelids.
To correct sagging and excess skin in the upper eyelids, an incision is made in the natural crease, the excess skin which was carefully marked before surgery, is then removed. We look for excess fat pockets in the upper eyelids which contribute to the a heavy feeling before surgery and also remove these small fat pockets. Upon closure of the incision, a lift and tightening of the remaining eyelid skin is performed.
Cosmetic Eyelid Surgery – the Lower Eyelids.
In the lower eyelids, patients may experience a puffy appearance making you look old and tired. Fine and crinkly skin may also develop from sun exposure over the lower eyelid skin and cheeks. Bags and dark circles under the eyes can increase the aged and tired appearance. Even more advanced signs of aging include droopiness of the lower eyelids in which the white of the eye shows excessively.
Cosmetic Eyelid Surgery: What are the steps in the lower eyelids?
This plastic surgery operation has two major steps. In the first part, these excess fat pockets are treated. Before surgery the three fat pockets are carefully marked. During the operation, these are identified and removed using a gentle surgical technique.
To correct aging in the lower eyelids, a lower eyelid lift operation is carried out. Importantly, the lower eyelid suffer from bulging fat that is normally found inside the orbit. As the fat around the eye bulges forward, bags or dark circles under the eyes are seen. The lower eyelids have a tendency to develop fine crinkly skin, especially when there is excess skin. This excessive skin can also contribute to the formation of dark circles under the eyes. The second part of the lower eyelid lift allows for the accurate removal of the excessive skin in this area.
Preparation and markings for eyelid lift.
Before surgery, the location of the incision is carefully marked and an estimate of the excess skin is performed. After the fat pockets are removed, an estimate of excess skin is carried out again and is usually far more accurate. We prefer the pinch technique which is simple and effective. The estimated excess skin is removed using a gentle surgical technique. As the incision is closed, a lift and tightening effect is created.
When to perform eyelid surgery?
Younger patients with bags under the eyes and little or no excess skin, have the fat is removed using only incisions on the under surface of the eyelids and without skin incisions. A small amount of skin tightening can be created with laser or chemical resurfacing, if needed.
Where should eyelid lift be performed?
Cosmetic eyelid surgery is carried out in a certified plastic surgery center. Patients usually go home to recover, but may choose to stay overnight for greater comfort. Swelling and bruising occur normally after eyelid lift. Any minor bruising can be covered with makeup. Minimal pain is encountered by most patients. Recovery from cosmetic eyelid surgery usually takes about 2 weeks. Patients can return to work about 10 to 14 days after surgery.
Facial Plastic Surgery: The Nasojugal Groove
01 year ago
Deep nasojugal grooves and fat grafting.
Scottsdale – In reporting this plastic surgery technique, I see a variation on the use fat grafting. As the authors explain, the technique is not truly new, but has been used before using a variety of other materials. In this article, the researchers placed a rolled fat graft into the nasojugal groove, one of the most challenging areas of the anatomy to obtain satisfactory correction.
The plastic surgeons in this study, obtained the fat graft from the fat pad found in the upper eyelid, which is typically removed during an upper eyelid lift or blepharoplasty. They then rolled the fat graft into the best shape to fill in the groove between the cheek and the eyelid, the nasojugal groove. Their technique offers two important advancements: the first is the choice of filler material. The fat of the eyelids is quite unique and many practitioners believe there is an advantage to using orbital fat when the need is in the human orbit. Second, the technique used to place the fat graft. They advocate creating a tunnel under the orbicular muscle. The tunnel is directly created by the surgeon using scissors. It is the combination of material and technique that adds up to establishing very nice results from this cosmetic surgery procedure. The before and after photos are truly impressive.
The article was published in the Aesthetic Surgery Journal in 2009, and was presented at the annual meeting of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery in New Orleans, LA in 2005.
The authors make some important distinctions about when this type of plastic surgery should be used. It is indicated in patients in which there is no excessive fat found in the lower eyelids before surgery. The authors advocate a more traditional treatment to the groove and eyelid if the lower eyelid fat pads are present. That second cosmetic surgery procedure is a lower eyelid lift or blepharoplasty. The fat that is found in the orbit is placed into the groove using a sliding fat flap technique. Some plastic surgeons recommend other treatments for the groove including facial silicone implants like the Flowers Tear Trough implant.
My view on Plastic Surgery.
My take on this cosmetic eyelid surgery technique: I found this article and technique very useful. The fact that you can custom design the fat graft to fit the patient’s groove is quite important. This allows the plastic surgeon to treat more variations of the same deformity in more patients. Fat is an ideal material and can be universally applied using this technique. The other useful aspect of the technique offered was the use of the pocket under the orbicualris muscle. This is an important step because grafts placed above the muscle and under the thin eyelid skin can be seen when the swelling dissipates after surgery. By going below the muscle, the cosmetic surgeon can feel more confident about the post-surgery results being smoother and avoiding step-offs and lumpiness in the eyelids.
In fact, I use the same dissection technique, under the orbicularis muscle, and place the fascia of the postauricular muscles in the nasojugal groove.
This is a very effective technique in my practice. I have been using this method since I published the anatomy and harvest techniques for the postauricular fascia in the journal Archives of Facial Plastic Surgery in 2004.
