I see patients every day in my office who are concerned with bags and wrinkles on their lower eyelids. The different surgical approaches to the lower lids can be confusing to patients, so here are some commonly asked questions.
Q: What is the difference between the “trans-conjuctival” approach and the “sub-cillary” approach in lower eyelid cosmetic surgery?
A: In the transconjunctival approach, the incision is made on the inside of the eyelid, so that there is no scar and no stitches. This is an excellent choice for younger patients who only have eyelid bags without excess skin and sagging muscle. The advantage of this approach is that the incision is made on the inside of the eyelid, so the recovery is much faster. The disadvantage is that sagging skin cannot be corrected with this approach. I will often combine a transconjunctival blepharoplasty with a laser resurfacing to the lower eyelids. The laser helps to improve the quality of the skin and reduces fine lines and wrinkles.
In the subciliary approach an incision is made just below the eyelashes. This allows a more aggressive solution for patients who have sagging skin, excess rolls of muscle, or skin and muscle that are hanging.
Q: Are the results of lower eyelid surgery permanent?
A: While your lower lids will continue to age with the rest of your face, the bags that are removed typically do not come back. I have been in practice for 21 years, performing lower lid blepharoplasty, and I have seen my patients results age naturally over the years. It is very uncommon to repeat a lower lid blepharoplasty once it is done.
Q: What is the recovery time for the the “trans-conjuctival” approach and the “sub-cillary” approach in lower eyelid cosmetic surgery
A: In the transconjunctival approach, recovery is remarkably quick. Most patients are back at work within 4–5 days, sometimes sooner. With the subciliary approach patients have stitches for a week, and then usually some residual swelling for another few days after the sutures are removed. So, I tell patients it is about a 10-day recovery when we approach the eyelids with a subciliary incision.
Call us at (212) 832-5456, or request online that we call you back by submitting our online request form here.
