Dr Jun Kwon
PLASTIC SURGEON
Blepharoplasty
What is a Blepharoplasty?
Blepharoplasty is surgery to remove excess skin from the eyelid. It may involve rearrangement of fat or muscle to improve the contour, or the opening of the eyelid.
In Asian blepharoplasty, the goal may include all of the above, but also may involve creation of a new supratarsal crease, or "double eyelid". If there is no excess skin requiring removal, this can be done with a suture using very small incisions ("non-incisional" technique). If there has been prior surgery, or there is excess skin requiring removal, then an "incisional" technique is used.
What does surgery involve?
For upper eyelid surgery, the surgery is typically performed under local anaesthesia, and the procedure can take approximately an hour.
For lower blepharoplasty, the surgery is typically performed under general anaestheisa, and the procedure can take about 90 minutes.
With both procedures, you normally can go home the same day.
What is the recovery period?
Usually the surgery is not very painful, but this varies from person to person. Simple pain relief such as Paracetamol and cool compresses should help with the discomfort. The skin around the eyelids is very thin, you can expect some bruising and swelling after surgery, this tends to be most severe at 3-4 days after surgery, before starting to settle.
We advise 7 days off work, longer if you do physical work. You may return to the gym at 3 weeks after surgery. The swelling will take around 6 months to fully settle. The scar will take 12-18 months to fully mature.
What are the risks?
As with any surgery, there is a risk of bleeding, infection and scarring. There is also a small risk of revision surgery.
What are the costs?
An upper blepharoplasty under local anaesthetic in our clinic is approximately $5000.
An upper blepharoplasty under general anaesthetic is approximately $11,000.
A lower blepharoplasty under a general anaesthetic is approximately $15,000.
An upper and lower blepharoplasty under a general anaesthetic is approximately $22,000.
If the excess skin is interfering with your field of vision, then the procedure may be covered by your insurance plan. Usually a letter from your optometrist is required to facilitate this.
A personalised quote will be provided after your consultation with Dr Kwon.