As a Denver eyelid surgeon, there are many procedures that are performed by an eyelid specialist. There are two broad categories of surgery that eyelid surgeons perform: functional and aesthetic surgery.

What is functional surgery?

Functional eyelid surgery is in short eyelid surgery that fixes a medical problem. The purpose of the surgery has nothing to do with cosmetic improvement or appearance of the eyelid. Instead, it focuses on the health of the eyelid and eye.

Functional surgery of the eyelid is really broken down into two areas:

Cancer treatment

Eyelid malposition

Cancer treatment treats the main cancers of the eyelid: Basal Cell Cancer, Squamous cell cancer and Melanoma. Eyelid malposition involves treating eyelids that are turning in against the eyeball, turning out (ectropion), lashes turned against the eyes, drooping eyelids, eyelids too high and much more. Though the eyelid can improve cosmetically the main goal is improving the vision and health of the eye.

Cosmetic Surgery of the eyelid

Cosmetic surgery of the eyelid involves improving the appearance of the eyelid by removing loose skin and fat, tightening skin, and filing hollow areas.Cosmetic surgery of the eyelid is just as complex as functional eyelid surgery. Surgeries that are performed for cosmetic improvement of the eyelid are commonly upper blepharoplasty and lower eyelid blepharoplasty.

Functional and Cosmetic Crossover

Certain procedures such as ptosis repair and blepharoplasty are two surgeries where the eyelid surgery may be covered by insurance but also as a side effect improve the appearance of the eyelids and face. Ptosis repair involves raising the height of the eyelid whereas blepharoplasty involves removing excess skin that blocks the vision of the eye.

When to contact your eyelid surgeon?

An oculoplastic surgeon or eyelid surgeon is the one doctor you should contact if you notice a problem with your eyelid. It can be any of the problems described. Some patients come to see me for something as simple as a stye whereas others come for more complex issues such as eyelid drooping or cancer. The key thing is to contact the office and make an appointment.