Eyelid surgery, sometimes referred to as blepharoplasty, is a common procedure among the older population. As we age, our skin starts to sag because it starts to slow down its production of crucial supportive substances, like collagen. The effects of gravity also take their toll on the muscles, causing muscle sagging. Fortunately, at Aesthetic Surgical Arts/Mia Bella Donna Medspa in Overland Park, KS, just 11 miles from Kansas City, we offer blepharoplasty.
If you have noticed your field of vision decreasing over time, it could be that your upper eyelid skin has sagged to the point that your vision is affected. This can affect your independence because driving safely may no longer be possible. Also, your quality of life can be otherwise affected because reading can become much more difficult. Today, we’re taking a closer look at this procedure that can be performed near Kansas City to help you decide if it’s right for you.
How Long Does Eyelid Surgery Take?
As a general rule of thumb, you can expect your eyelid surgery to take between one and two hours to complete. However, if you are only treating concerns that are relatively mild in nature, your procedure may be completed in as little as 45 minutes. We will give you a better idea of how long you can realistically expect your procedure to take during your initial consultation once we have evaluated your concerns and discussed your anesthesia options.
What Anesthesia Options Do I Have?
Most of the time, blepharoplasty near Kansas City is performed under local anesthesia and an oral sedative. In other words, only the areas of concern will be numbed. The sedative is used to ensure you remain calm throughout the entire operation. One thing that makes local anesthesia better than general anesthesia is that more people qualify for local anesthesia.
General anesthesia requires one to have strong pulmonary and cardiovascular health. If your heart or lungs are not very healthy, you will not be able to receive this numbing medication. Also, local anesthesia is usually preferred over general anesthesia because you must be able to fast for eight hours prior to receiving the latter. If you opt for the former, there will be no need to skip any meals prior to your operation.
What Can I Expect During My Procedure?
On the day of your operation, you will need someone to drive you to our office. Irrespective of whether you get general anesthesia or a combination of local anesthesia and sedation, you will not be able to drive once your procedure is complete. Getting a ride to and from your operation ensures you don’t have to worry about how your vehicle is getting home afterwards.
Before your procedure begins, we will inspect your areas of concern to verify that the skin is not irritated. Then, we will administer the anesthesia to ensure you remain comfortable throughout the procedure and administer oral or intravenous sedation to ensure you remain calm. If you are getting upper blepharoplasty, we will make discrete, minute incisions in your eyelids through which we will tighten loose muscles and skin. Then, the incisions will be closed.
What Happens During Lower Blepharoplasty?
During upper blepharoplasty, we tighten loose, sagging tissues and remove excess muscle tissue. In the case of lower blepharoplasty, loose tissues are tightened. However, we also usually remove excess fat tissue in addition to excess skin and muscle tissue. This goes a long way in reducing bags in the undereye area. Furthermore, if necessary, we will manipulate the remaining fat tissue to help you look younger, slimmer, and healthier.
How Long Does Recovery From This Procedure Take?
You can feel pretty confident that you will be recovered from your eyelid surgery near Kansas City roughly four to six weeks after your operation. Everyone heals at a different rate, and your expected recovery timeline will vary based on the scope of the procedure and how well you care for yourself afterwards. Generally, the expected recovery timeline is shorter if you get only lower blepharoplasty instead of upper and lower blepharoplasty.
It is important to understand that even though it will take four to six weeks to recover from your procedure, you won’t need to take nearly that much time off from work. You can generally expect to need between three and five days off from work to focus on your recovery after lower blepharoplasty. However, you may need to take a couple of weeks off from work to focus on your recovery if you have a physically demanding job.
What Can I Do To Speed Up My Recovery?
One of the most important things you can do to speed up your recovery is to get plenty of rest. Ideally, you should sleep for nine consecutive hours. If you can’t sleep for nine consecutive hours, do your best to get as much consecutive sound sleep as you can. If you only sleep for 7.5 hours through the night, do your best to take a 90-minute nap the next day.
Also, make sure that you sleep on your back with your head elevated above your heart. If you sleep on your side or your stomach, there is a chance that the pressure applied to your eye area will slow your recovery. If you usually toss and turn throughout the night, you may want to sleep in a recliner or between a couple of body pillows to prevent rolling. Furthermore, you may find that you need a relatively firm mattress pad to properly support your spine.
What Else Can I Do To Hasten My Recovery?
Another important step you can take to speed up your recovery process is to make sure your eyes are very well rested. You may be tempted to watch television or play mobile games during your recovery, but do your best to resist this temptation. It is highly advisable to minimize your screen time, be it a television screen, computer monitor, tablet, phone, or mobile game console.
If you get bored while you’re recovering, consider listening to an audiobook or putting together a puzzle. Filling in a jumbo crossword puzzle or working on a similar activity is also better than exposing your eyes to the blue light emitted by electronic devices. Other good ways to fill your time while you are recovering include playing card games, like solitaire, or going for walks.
Will Exercise Help To Shorten My Recovery Period?
While getting plenty of deep sleep is crucial to your recovery process, it is also very important that you get lots of exercise. Your skin will heal itself thanks to a very special protein called collagen. However, that collagen needs to be healthy, hydrated, and well-nourished. For this reason, drinking plenty of water during your recovery period is also vital. To ensure your skin is nourished enough for it to heal itself, a couple of things need to happen.
First, you need to eat nutritious foods during your recovery period. Make sure you’re eating citrus and tropical fruits and dark green vegetables for vitamin C. Dark green cruciferous veggies, along with legumes, seafood, poultry, and mammals, will provide you with all of the amino acids you need for healthy collagen. Exercise supports your cardiovascular system which delivers the nutrients, oxygen, and human growth factors to your skin.
How Much Should I Drink During My Recovery Period?
Aim to drink at least half of a gallon of water per day during your recovery period. If you notice that your urine is dark or your brain is foggy, aim to drink three quarters of a gallon of water daily. How much water you need to drink is largely dependent on your body mass and activity level. The greater your body mass, the more water you need to drink to properly sustain all of your vital functions.
Similarly, the more active you are, the more you need to drink to stay hydrated. It is important to note that avoiding vigorous physical activity, like participating in sports and lifting weights, is not allowed during the first several weeks of your recovery. This is crucial for a number of reasons, including keeping your blood pressure normal. However, even if you walk regularly during your recovery period, your water intake needs will increase.
How Long Will the Results of My Procedure Last?
Individual results vary, but you can feel pretty confident that the results of lower blepharoplasty will last a lifetime. This is because excess fat is usually removed, and your body can’t grow new fat cells to replace the eliminated fat. Therefore, you don’t need to worry about bags under your eyes anymore. The results of upper blepharoplasty usually last for 10 to 15 years.
Am I a Good Candidate for This Procedure?
You should feel confident that you will qualify for blepharoplasty if you are in relatively good health and have concerns about the appearance of your upper eyelids. There is an excellent chance that you will be considered a good upper blepharoplasty candidate if you have upper eyelids that sag so much your vision is impaired. There is a great chance that you will qualify for lower blepharoplasty if you have permanent dark circles under your eyes.
However, attending an initial evaluation to verify your candidacy is crucial. There is a chance that your health will disqualify you from this procedure. For instance, blepharoplasty will be deemed a poor fit for you if you have a bleeding disorder, uncontrolled diabetes, or kidney failure. Also, there is a chance that a different procedure will be more effective at helping you reach your aesthetic goals.
Schedule Your Initial Consultation Near Kansas City Today
Do you think eyelid surgery would help you improve your self-confidence? Do you find yourself struggling to see clearly due to sagging upper eyelids? If so, blepharoplasty may be right for you. How long it takes depends on a number of factors, including the scope of the procedure. However, you can generally expect it to take around one to two hours. Your procedure will take longer if you are treating both your upper and lower eyelids.
Contact us today at Aesthetic Surgical Arts/Mia Bella Donna Medspa in Overland Park, KS to schedule your initial blepharoplasty consultation. We will evaluate your concerns once you have advised us on your concerns and goals and craft a tailored treatment plan that works for you. Whether you’re worried about your upper eyelids, lower eyelids, or both, we can help you achieve an aesthetic that you can be proud of. We’ll see you soon.
