Posts Tagged ‘upper eyelid lift’

Unique Considerations for an Upper Blepharoplasty or Eyelid Lift in Males

Tuesday, October 30th, 2012

The eyes are one of the first areas on the face that begin to show signs of aging.  The eyes are central in our non-verbal communication and tired aged eyes can create a discord on how we feel on the inside (young and energetic) and how we look on the outside (aged and tired).  As a male and as a facial plastic surgeon in Charlotte, I understand that there are unique considerations when performing an upper blepharoplasty or eyelid lift in males.  There are certain characteristics of the eye that create a masculine and a feminine appearance.  As an eye specialist, it is imperative that I keep the masculine appearance of the eye during the rejuvenating procedure in a man.

Lets look at what creates and attractive masculine and feminine upper eyelid.

A male upper eyelid should have a low lid crease 6-8 mm above the eyelashes.  The lid should have some excess skin, some skin crepe and some skin redundancy, but not the excess that forms during the aging process.  The goal during male upper blepharoplasty should be to remove a conservative amount of skin and possibly fat, to create a more refreshed appearance to the eye.

Attractive Young Male Eye 197x300 Unique Considerations for an Upper Blepharoplasty or Eyelid Lift in Males

Young Tom Cruise Attractive Male Eyes. Low lid crease and some excess skin.

A female upper eyelid should have a higher and deeper lid crease 8-10 mm above the eyelashes.  There should be minimal excess redundant or crepy skin.  During a female upper eyelid lift, typically the goal is to make a higher and deeper lid crease.  If this is performed on a man, this can feminize a male face and produce a poor result.

Young attractive female eye 300x240 Unique Considerations for an Upper Blepharoplasty or Eyelid Lift in Males

Young Katie Holmes with Higher Lid Crease with Minimal Excess Skin

Before undergoing an upper eyelift in Charlotte, I thoroughly discuss with all of my patients what their goals are concerning:

1)      The height of their eyelid crease

2)      The depth of their eyelid crease

3)      The possible locations of the incision

4)      The position of their eyebrows

After I understand these goals, I can formulate the best surgical upper blepharoplasty plan to create the most optimal outcomes for my patients undergoing eyelid surgery in Charlotte.

 

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How Does a Charlotte Facial Cosmetic Surgeon Make the Eyes Look Better After an Upper Blepharoplasty (Eyelift)

Monday, August 20th, 2012

The eyes are typically the first area to show signs of aging, but this can be dramatically improved by an upper blepharoplasty (eyelift).  As a Charlotte facial cosmetic surgeon, I have had many patients seeking upper eyelid rejuvenation, but they do not understand what the procedure entails.

I believe the appearance of the eyes are the single greatest factor in how others judge our mood, feelings, and level of consciousness.  People with open, bright, and beautiful eyes are considered energetic, intelligent, and attractive.  As we age, the upper eyelid begins to droop and develops wrinkles and hollowness.   A beautiful upper lid should gently overlap the colored part of the eye and have 3-6 mm of skin showing below the upper lid crease.

Charlotte Beautiful Eye 300x276 How Does a Charlotte Facial Cosmetic Surgeon Make the Eyes Look Better After an Upper Blepharoplasty (Eyelift)

A Beautiful Eye Has 3-6 mm of Skin Before Eye Crease

Picture used from permission from Master Techniques of Blepharoplasty and Periobital Rejuvenation, Springer Science and Business Media PLLC, 2011

 

As we age, the skin begins to sag onto the eyelashes, and we lose the 3-6mm of the skin below the upper lid crease.  The smoothness of the skin above the crease either becomes hallow or fat begins to bulge in this area.  Bulging fat in this area creates fullness over the eye and contributes to upper eyelid bags.

Aging Eye That Need Blepharoplasty in Charlotte How Does a Charlotte Facial Cosmetic Surgeon Make the Eyes Look Better After an Upper Blepharoplasty (Eyelift)

The Aging Upper Lid Loses the Crease of the Upper Lid

Picture used from permission from Master Techniques of Blepharoplasty and Periobital Rejuvenation, Springer Science and Business Media PLLC, 2011

 

During an upper blepharoplasty excess skin and sometimes fat is either removed or moved to a better position.  If the upper eyelid has lost fat, then fat should not be removed.  In this situation, I may move excess fat from a full area to the hallow area.  During an upper eyelid lift different amounts of skin will be removed depending on the patient.  The typical amount and location of skin that is removed is seen in the photo below:

Upper Blepharoplasty incisions Charlotte How Does a Charlotte Facial Cosmetic Surgeon Make the Eyes Look Better After an Upper Blepharoplasty (Eyelift)

Typical Amount of Skin Removed In Upper Eyelid lift

After the skin is removed, the 2 fat pockets, nasal and pre-aponeurotic, and the lacrimal gland, are inspected.  The fat pads are then removed or moved as needed, and the lacrimal gland is re-suspended if it is sagging.  The incisions are then closed with sutures.  Sutures are removed 1 week post surgery and bruising and swelling resolves over 7-14 days.

The outpatient surgery procedure takes about 1 hour to complete and it is a wonderful procedure to bring back youthful and more expressive eyes.   As a facial cosmetic surgeon, I believe an upper eyelift  is one of the best procedures to get my patients looking on the outside how they feel on the inside.

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Video Blog of Dr. Kulbersh Discussing Insurance Coverage of Blepharoplasty in Charlotte

Wednesday, May 23rd, 2012

I am frequently asked if blepharoplasty (eyelid lift) in Charlotte is covered by insurance.  The answer is…  maybe. See video below for the answer:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WdckGKpuPNI

 

Enjoy!

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Do You Have Issues Putting on Your Eye Shadow?

Wednesday, February 15th, 2012

Many years ago, when I started medical school, I would never have imagined that I would be writing about eye shadow today. I will admit that I do not know how to apply it (which I think is a good thing), but after my years working in facial cosmetic surgery, I know the basics:

- Most women like to wear eye shadow

- Eye shadow can accentuate beautiful eyes

- It can be a real pain when a woman has to pull up their brow to put on eye shadow due to a droopy lid

- When a woman has to pull on their brow to apply shadow or shadow starts to get lost in their crease, women begin to notice that their eyes and brows are starting to droop due to age, which can alter the entire appearance of their face.

Since I am a facial cosmetic surgeon, specializing in ONLY procedures of the face, I can tell you what is starting to happen to your eyelids when you begin to experience this. When we are young, the fat above our eye is held in a space near the eyeball. As we get older, this tissue, the orbital septum, gets weak. The fat in the lid goes through the weak orbital septum, causing a fullness of the lid. It will also blunt or hide the upper lid crease.

The quality of the eyelid skin diminishes as it loses elasticity and begins to droop. The final change that contributes to an inability to put on eye shadow is the descent of the eyebrow. If the eyebrow falls, then there will be excess skin on the upper lid.

The good news is that there are ways to fix this! There are many non-invasive procedures to rejuvenate the eyes, but when a patient is having difficulty putting on eye shadow or dislikes the way their eye shadow is starting to look, the success rate of these procedures are marginal at best.  Typically a surgical procedure is necessary at this point.

Surgically, there are two procedures that can make a huge difference in the eye. The first is an upper eyelid lift, or blepharoplasty, at the Carolina Facial Plastic Surgery Center in Charlotte. It is a minimally invasive procedure that has about one week of downtime. The anatomy of the eye is delicate, interlocking, and complex.  I did specialized training with oculoplastic surgeons (doctors that only specialize in eye surgery), during my training in Beverly Hills. I believe this extra time I dedicated to become an expert in eye surgery will result in my patients having better results with upper eyelifts.

The second procedure that can be done for the eyelid skin is a brow lift. There are four types of brow lift techniques I use in Charlotte: a one centimeter brow lift, an endoscopic brow lift, a direct brow lift, and a coronal brow lift. Please see the brow lift page on my website for a full description of each procedure. Placing the brow in a more natural and aesthetically appealing location will improve the look of the upper eyelid skin. Depending on the needs of the patient, a brow lift may be the only necessary procedure to correct this area.  Often a brow lift and blepharoplasty are done at the same time to get the best result.

If you are interested in reading any of my other blogs, click on the blog button on the top of this page!!

Jonathan Kulbersh is a board-certified head and neck surgeon who did fellowship training for facial cosmetic surgery in Beverly Hills. After practicing in Beverly Hills, he moved back home to the Carolinas.  He has offices in Charlotte and Columbia serving all patients in the North and South Carolina.

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