Are you tired of being told you look tired? The bags and puffiness that form beneath your eyes over the years can project an image to other people that does not reflect the way you feel. That is why facial plastic surgeon Dr. David D. Magilke has performed lower eyelid surgery on so many Portland patients: they want others to see them as being as vibrant and youthful as they feel on the inside.
Lower Eyelid Surgery Benefits
Lower eyelid surgery, or lower blepharoplasty, is used to target the skin, wrinkles and fat that rests directly below the eye. By removing or repositioning the fat and skin to fill in the hollows beneath your eyes, that renewed smoothness to the area should help you to look both younger and less exhausted.
The lower eyelids themselves can also be adjusted to reduce the sagginess that results from having heavier lower eyelids. If your lower eyelids are asymmetrical in appearance, that can also be corrected through this procedure.
What Happens During Lower Eyelid Surgery
Dr. Magilke will numb your eyes with a local anesthetic and then make an incision just below your lower lash line. (In surgeries where the patient does not request skin removal, the incision can instead be done inside the eyelid to even better conceal any scarring.)
Through this carefully made cut, Dr. Magilke can reposition fat to fill in the hollows beneath your eyes and take off any unwanted skin. After that, he is able to tighten the remaining skin and muscles to generate a younger appearance and keep that skin in position by suturing up the incisions.
Altogether, this surgery lasts about an hour, though many patients will choose to pair lower blepharoplasty with another surgical procedure in order to rejuvenate another part of their face and allow the recovery times to run concurrently. You may discuss your suitability for multiple procedures during your consultation with Dr. Magilke.
Lower Blepharoplasty Recovery
For most patients, the pain is moderate and lasts for just a couple of days. You may alleviate any discomfort with Tylenol and icepacks. As far as work goes, patients typically return to their jobs a week after surgery, unless the job is physically demanding since you are discouraged from exercising for at least two weeks.
The swelling and bruising that follow lower eyelid surgery may last around 10 to 14 days. When you do leave the house, Dr. Magilke recommends you wear sunglasses both to protect your ailing eyes from the elements and to hide bruising and swelling. Once the bruising and swelling have subsided, you should begin to notice the change from the blepharoplasty procedure.
Ask the Portland Face Doctor about Lower Blepharoplasty
Dr. Magilke is one of Portland, Oregon’s most respected facial plastic surgeons, and he has some impressive before-and-after pictures of lower eyelid surgery patients to demonstrate the rejuvenation that is possible with this procedure. To chat with Dr. Magilke about what lower eyelid surgery may accomplish for your face, fill out our form to schedule a consultation.
