Blepharoplasty (Eyelid Surgery)
Vancouver, BC
The eye region is often the first area of the face to show age-related structural changes. Because the delicate eyelid skin is among the thinnest on the entire human body, it loses elasticity rapidly, leading to sagging, fine folds, and pronounced hooding. When the tissue stretches, it can cause you to look perpetually tired, sad, or older than you feel inside.
At Dr. Jennifer Prince Plastic Surgery in Surrey, BC, we offer advanced blepharoplasty surgery to elegantly reverse these structural changes. Dr. Prince meticulously sculps away excess skin and fat to restore a refreshed, natural contour that effortlessly illuminates your entire face.
Outpatient surgical procedure
7 to 10 days for initial swelling and bruising; normal activity resumes within 1 to 2 weeks
Brighter, refreshed eyes visible within 2 weeks, with incisions fading over several weeks
Brief procedure completed in 45 to 60 minutes under local anesthesia or light sedation
The blepharoplasty procedure, commonly known as an eyelid lift, is a specialized facial plastic surgery performed to restore structural firmness and youthfulness to the eyelids.
An upper blepharoplasty targets sagging tissue over the upper lids that can result from aging or genetics. By removing excess eyelid skin and tightening the underlying tissues, this cosmetic procedure uncovers the natural shape of your eyes, instantly taking years off your facial appearance without changing your authentic character.
Unlike more invasive facial adjustments that require general anesthesia, an upper eyelid surgery is generally performed in our accredited office procedure room using simple local anesthesia. The area is completely numbed, allowing you to remain awake, relaxed, and pain-free during the procedure, which typically takes around 45-minutes.
To perform the surgery, Dr. Prince creates a small incision that is well concealed within the natural upper eyelid crease. Through this discreet entryway, she removes excess skin and fat and anchors the remaining skin back to the underlying structures to define a clean supratarsal fold.
Dr. Prince plans the degrees of tissue removal with extreme accuracy to protect your eye's natural mechanics. She contours the thin underlying fat pads to eliminate localized puffiness near the nose bridge while ensuring the eyes never look hollow or over-pulled. The incision follows the natural contour of your upper eyelid crease and extends slightly into the fine lines at the lateral canthus (outer corner of the eye) to minimize scarring. The tiny entry points are closed with delicate, hair-thin sutures, resulting in a discreet line that is often imperceptible once healing is complete.
Upper blepharoplasty provides aesthetic and functional physical correction of skin and underlying tissue that has sagged and created a heavy appearance over time, addressing concerns like:
Upper Lid Hooding: Corrects heavy, sagging skin that obscures your natural eyelid crease.
Obscured Visual Field: Improves the field of vision in patients with skin that obscures peripheral vision.
Localized Puffiness: Eliminates pockets of excess fat that create a tired or swollen appearance.
Trouble With Makeup Application: Eliminates skin folds that cause makeup to smudge, collect in creases, or disappear.
Tired-Looking Eyes: Erases the heavy look that makes eyes appear tired.
Upper blepharoplasty significantly but subtly rejuvenates your look in a brief, minimally invasive procedure. Reducing and tightening lax tissue opens up the eye region, giving you a naturally vibrant, well-rested, and youthful appearance. For patients whose vision is obstructed by drooping skin, blepharoplasty also has significant functional benefits. The eyelid lift procedure has a high satisfaction rate among patients, who appreciate how it refreshes their look in a way that highlights the unique beauty of their features.
If you are frustrated by heavy, tired lids, hooding skin, or a blocked visual field, you are likely a good candidate for this procedure. Ideal patients are healthy adults who do not smoke and do not suffer from severe, uncontrolled dry eyes or chronic thyroid problems that cause eye protrusion.
During your consultation, Dr. Prince will thoroughly assess your facial anatomy to determine whether your hooding is due to excess eyelid skin or sagging eyebrows. If the brow has dropped significantly, she may discuss pairing your surgery with a brow lift to achieve optimal results. Additionally, you will review your medical history to ensure a safe experience.
Because this is an outpatient procedure performed under local anesthetic, you can comfortably walk out of our clinic and return home immediately following your surgery. For the first 24 to 48 hours, your primary focus will be applying cold compresses or ice packs at regular intervals to reduce swelling and bruising.
Most patients experience swelling and bruising similar to a mild black eye, which peaks on day three and resolves rapidly over the first week. You will have small sutures in each eyelid, which Dr. Prince will remove approximately one week after surgery."
We recommend applying Aquaphor or Vaseline ointment to the incision lines to keep the tissue soft and comfortable. While blurred vision is common for the first few days due to the ointment, severe pain is rare and should be reported to our office.
Most individuals can return to light remote work within 3 to 5 days and resume a normal activity routine within 1 to 2 weeks. However, you must absolutely protect your healing eyes by wearing sunglasses outdoors and avoiding strenuous exercise for a minimum of 14 days.
You will see the refined contours of your upper lids as initial swelling and bruising fade away over the first one to two weeks. Your tissues will continue to settle and refine over several weeks, and your final results will be fully realized around the two-month mark.
The structural removal of heavy upper eyelid skin and bulging fat is permanent. While no surgical procedure can halt the natural aging process, an upper blepharoplasty effectively resets the clock. Most patients find that their eyes remain beautifully open, bright, and refreshed for 10 to 15 years, and they will always look younger than they would have without the intervention.
Because the margins of the eyelid are measured in fractions of a millimeter, performing a successful blepharoplasty requires a plastic surgeon with extreme accuracy and expertise in reconstructive surgery. Dr. Jennifer Prince's experience in complex trauma and micro-reconstruction allows her to handle the delicate eyelid skin and eye muscles with exceptional safety and precision.
As a female plastic surgeon, Dr. Prince understands that the goal is never to look overdone or startled, but rather to look rested, sophisticated, and authentic. She dedicates substantial time to analyzing your eyes and facial features during your consultation to create a personalized treatment plan that prioritizes your safety and your long-term confidence.
An upper blepharoplasty focuses strictly on the upper lids to eliminate sagging, hooding skin, and correct compromised upper visual fields. A lower eyelid blepharoplasty addresses the lower eyelid region, primarily by removing or repositioning bulging fat pads to reduce puffy undereye bags and smooth out dark circles. Dr. Prince specializes heavily in upper lid rejuvenation to ensure maximum focus and exceptional accuracy.
An upper eyelid surgery is beautifully engineered to treat excess skin and fat on the lid itself, but it does not extend outward or upward enough to eliminate crow's feet, fine lines, or lift a heavy eyebrow. To target deep crow's feet, non-surgical options like targeted injectables are highly effective. If your main concern is a heavy, dropping forehead, a brow lift is the appropriate procedure.
Most patients are pleasantly surprised by how comfortable the entire process is. Because the procedure is performed under local anesthesia, you will feel absolutely nothing while Dr. Prince is working. During the initial recovery period at home, you may experience a mild tight or gritty sensation across the eyelids, but this is easily managed with cold compresses and standard over-the-counter comfort options.
To protect the healing incision line from bacterial contamination or mechanical stretching, you must strictly avoid applying any eye makeup or creams for at least 10 to 14 days after surgery. Contact lens wearers should switch to glasses for the first week to 10 days to prevent pulling on the outer corner of the eyelid while the internal tissues lock into place.
In certain specific cases where extreme age-related changes cause the upper eyelid skin to droop so low that it physically impairs your superior visual function, a portion of the procedure may be deemed medically necessary. This requires a formal visual field test to document the restriction. Dr. Prince can review your structural anatomy during your consultation to determine if your case leans toward a reconstructive or private cosmetic procedure.
