Eyelid Surgery is a highly specialized surgery often performed by oculoplastic surgeons who are specializes in surgery in and around the eyes. The most common eyelid surgery in Denver that is performed is blepharoplasty but there are many different eyelid surgeries that can be done. Often when patients look up Eyelid surgery on the internet or tell their friend, neighbor or family member that they had eyelid surgery, it can refer to a myriad of different surgeries. Sometimes other eyelid surgeries have to be combined with blepharoplasty or cosmetic eyelid surgery to repair an underlying medical issue of the eyelid while the blepharoplasty is being done. The most common surgeries are included below:
Blepharoplasty: Removing skin and fat around the eye
Ptosis Repair: Raising the height of the eyelid by tightening the eyelid muscle or levator
Ectropion surgery: Fixing an eyelid that has turned out away from the eye
Entropion surgery: Repairing an eyelid that is rotating against the eye most often with eyelashes rubbing against the eye
Upper Eyelid retraction repair: Lowering the eyelid height when the eyes are too wide open (commonly seen in graves disease)
Lower Eyelid retraction repair: Raising the eyelid height when the lower eyelid is pulled down (commonly due to aging or previous surgery)
Eyelid Cancer Reconstruction: Removing basal cell, squamous cell, melanoma and other cancers from the eyelid or reconstructing after Mohs surgery
Skin grafting to Eyelid: Placing skin in the eyelid to help the eyes close properly
Gold Weight placement in the eyelid: Placing a weight in the eyelid to help the eyelids close after stroke, Bell’s palsy or cancer removal
Stye Removal: Removing a stye from the eyelid
Tarsorrhaphy: Suturing the upper eyelid to the lower eyelid to help protect the front of the eye or cornea
Misdirected eyelashes repair: Removing or Rotating eyelashes that are rotating against the eyeball itself
Myectomy of the eyelid: Removing muscle on the eyelid surface to help with eyelid spasms
As can be seen here there are many different procedures concerning the eyelid itself. In each category of surgery there are in fact five to six different variations of each surgery that can be done. Often surgeries I perform as an eyelid specialist in Denver are referred from other doctors who recognize an eyelid surgeon is needed to handle the delicate anatomy of the eyelid and its surrounding structures. Hopefully this article educates patients and doctors in Denver to the many different eyelid surgeries that are performed. Each particular eyelid surgery has its own specific downtime, risks and recovery. On the website, each surgery is described in greater detail.