Cosmetic Eyelid Surgery in Denver in 2024: Update on procedures and techniques
Every year I write an update of cosmetic eyelid surgery or blepharoplasty and update the techniques that are out there. I have my own beliefs about what is helpful and what is not when it comes to determining procedure techniques. The standard blepharoplasty has not changed in general in that it involves removing or moving fat and excising skin. The way we do it has.
Fat grafting
More and more surgeons are grafting fat from the abdomen to the lower eyelids. There are advantages and disadvantages to this technique. The advantage is that fat can be moved into the tear trough or area where there is hollowness under the eyelid. The disadvantage is that even if one has a perfect result, we don’t really know what these patients will look like in 10 to 20 years. Will the abdominal fat change over time? Will it look lumpy?
Fat repositioning
This is the technique where the puffy fat of the lower eyelid is moved further down to bridge the gap where there is a tear trough or hollow. The advantage is that you are moving eyelid fat that won’t grow or change like abdominal fat. The disadvantage is that you can only use the fat that you have in the lower eyelid that is puffy. There is also a risk of double vision for this procedure.
Plasma Pen for skin tightening
This is a new technique where a pen burns the skin to tighten it. It has been used in upper and lower eyelid blepharoplasty. The advantage is no cutting but the disadvantage is that the pen can hyperpigment the skin. This is pretty controversial and there are no oculoplastic surgeons who I know of who are using this technique.
The blepharoplasty for patients hasn’t changed that much in 50 years except the finess on the techniques have varied. In my practice where I am performing 1000 a year, my technique has evolved and changed. Human anatomy hasn’t changed in time but our understanding of it has. Staying up to date is critical in order to maximize results. This is what has evolved in the last year or so and hope it gives patients so more information to make a smart decision
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