Eyelid Lifts

The following information is provided as an educational service about laser eyelid surgery (blepharoplasty) by Dr. Paul Van Camp of Laser Medical Skin Center. Full information will be provided to patients for eyelid surgery during their consultations. Please contact us if you have any questions or desire further information about these procedures.

Traditional scalpel surgery for eyelid lifts works very well. However, there are distinct advantages to using a surgical laser instead. A surgical laser causes the blood vessels to contract and close instantly. So there is no bleeding or very little bleeding. This allows the procedure to proceed quickly and cleanly with no need for electric cautery. During healing, there is generally less bruising and discoloration with faster resolution of swelling. At Laser Medical Skin Center, Dr. Paul Van Camp uses the Clinicon® diamond laser tip. This focuses a very fine laser beam to the tip of a synthetic diamond blade. This provides exceptional precision and safety over free-beam laser methods.

The eyelids can undergo changes over the years that affect their function and appearance. This may include redundancy (overgrowth) of the eyelid skin structures. This can result in laxity, extra skin folds, hooding over the lashes, and a heavy or droopy look. In some cases, this can result in fatigue of the lid muscles or can even interfere with vision.

There are fat pads around the front of the eyes that normally protect the eyes and provide smooth and attractive contours. Aging may cause these fat pads to change. The skin and membranes surrounding the fat pads may weaken allowing them to bulge. Alternatively, with aging there may be a loss of fat from the fat pads creating a hollow appearance. This can make one appear older or not as "healthy".

Skin quality may deteriorate from chronic sun exposure. Elasticity and resilience is lost and the collagen is degraded in the dermis. The skin becomes thinner and may have a "crepe paper" texture. (This type of damage may be better corrected by laser resurfacing of the eyelids.)

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Eyelid surgery or blepharoplasty is a surgical procedure to correct some of these changes to the eyelids. Excess skin and associated layers of the eyelids are reduced by removing a carefully measured crescent of the redundant skin and tissue. If there is excess bulging fat, this will be carefully reduced.

Some patients may need to have bulging fat of the lower eyelids corrected as well. This can be done from an incision on the inside of the lid so there will be no visible scar. Skin usually does not need to be removed from the lower eyelids, as laser resurfacing will usually restore sufficient tightness and elasticity to the lids while improving the skin quality.

Since the aging process will ultimately lead to loss of fat from around the eyes, it is important to preserve as much of the fat pads as possible. Often very little or even none is removed. This is to prevent a sunken-eyed appearance from developing in the future. Sometimes fat actually needs to be added to the areas around the eyes (see fat transfer) to restore the most attractive and healthy appearance.

For many patients, the best results are achieved by combining an eyelid lift with resurfacing of the skin of the eyelids to restore the quality tightness and resilience to the eyelid skin. This can be done at the same time as the eyelid lift and is less expensive when performed as a combined procedure.

This will be determined in your consultation. You will be examined and all appropriate options will be discussed. Some patients may only require laser skin resurfacing. This is because laser resurfacing results in 15% or more tightening of the loose eyelid skin with a restoration of elasticity and resilience as new collagen is formed following the procedure. Some patients benefit from a combination such as an upper and/or lower eyelid lift with resurfacing of the upper and lower lids. If a laser blepharoplasty is felt to be appropriate, the procedure, alternatives and risks will be discussed in detail. All of your questions will be answered before you decide on any treatment.

Preparation is very simple. You will need to carefully avoid taking any aspirin or aspirin containing medications for at least one week before the procedure. This also applies to Ibuprofen (Advil, Nuprin), other similar NSAID medications, and higher dose Vitamin E supplements that can promote bleeding or bruising. If you have had Lasik surgery for vision correction, you should wait three months before eyelid surgery (So that the eye protectors do not put pressure on the healing corneas.) You will wash with an antibacterial cleanser before the procedure and have only a very light or no breakfast that morning. See the detailed instructions accompanying the consent and information form.

The laser eyelid lift is performed at the Laser Medical Skin Center under local anesthesia. This makes it quite comfortable and there is no pain during the procedure. If one is anxious, a mild oral sedating medicine may be given. The procedure usually takes about an hour or less.

Since you will have some swelling initially, you will need to have someone to drive you home afterward. (For out-of-town patients we can arrange transportation to your suite.) You may use an antibiotic eye-drop for a few days after the procedure.

The soreness afterward is usually very minimal. Tylenol Extra Strength is usually sufficient for any discomfort during healing. Cold compresses are used for one to three days to reduce swelling. There may be mild or no bruising present. If stitches are used, they will be removed after 4 to 7 days. Some patients may not need external stitches or the Dermabond skin adhesive may be used instead.

There may still be a small amount of swelling present for a few weeks. Most patients will return to normal activities and work within a few days to a week. Risks such as infection, bleeding, or over-tightening of the eyelid are rare. Damage to the eye, which is protected during the procedure, would be extremely rare. After healing, the laser incision will be a fine hairline within the normal eyelid fold – virtually invisible.

You may call us at to request information or to discuss your concerns and goals. If you live out of the Central Oregon region, we can arrange a telephone consultation. Sending us pictures of your eyelids with eyes bothand closed is very helpful. We can then arrange for your eyelid procedure during a brief visit to Bend. Typically, you may return home within 2 to 5 days after eyelid surgery by laser. The time may be shorter if you have a doctor who can remove the stitches for you near your home. See our Getaway page to learn more about options for our out-of-town patients.

Important Information About Laser Eyelid Surgery