Eyelid Surgery (Blepharoplasty) Manchester & Liverpool

When would eyelid reduction surgery be performed?

Patients choose to have blepharoplasty surgery in Manchester, Liverpool or nearby for both cosmetic and medical reasons.

Cosmetic Eyelid Surgery

Cosmetic eyelid surgery is performed purely for cosmetic improvement. Unfortunately during the ageing process, your upper or lower eyelids may become droopy or baggy. You may also find your eyebrows sag or droop as well.  In this instance to achieve a more youthful appearance cosmetic eyelid surgery may be performed.

Medical Eyelid Surgery

A functional eye lift may be done to remove loose skin from the upper eyelid in cases where it droops low enough to affect a person’s vision for driving and other visual requirements. Other people may find difficulty in wearing contact lenses and hence be a candidate for eyelid surgery.

Other medical conditions that may suggest a need for eyelid surgery include:

• Irritation around the eye area due to the excess skin around the eyelid rubbing together.
• Discomfort and pain around the forehead due to the person constantly having to overuse the muscles to lift the skin in the eyelid area.

Both men and women can eyelid reduction / Blepharoplasty surgery. Many people still believe that this type of cosmetic surgery is mainly performed on Women. Mr El Gawad is a plastic surgeon with over a decade of cosmetic surgery experience.  Mr El Gawad indicates that the number of men, booking in to have eyelid surgery, is rising every year.

If you have significant sagging of the eyelids, or around the eye area, unfortunately there isn’t a good alternative to having blepharoplasty surgery.   In these cases surgery is the only option.

However in milder cases, when the signs of aging are not as obvious, patients may choose to have non surgical treatments as an alternative. The results however would not be as dramatic to those who have gone ahead and had eyelid surgery.

For those patients who are looking for an alternative to eyelid surgery and have much milder symptoms, they may consider treatments  such as:

• For the lower eyelid a combination of injectable fillers and resurfacing techniques such as laser or chemical peel.
• For the upper eyes they may be a good candidate for a brow lift or a non surgical brow lift using Botox injections.

It must be noted that the results will never be as good with the non surgical options that you would get from going ahead and getting eyelid or eyebrow surgery. But for those who are wanting a more subtle result with little downtime then the non surgical options are definitely viable.

The NHS will sometimes cover the cost of Blepharoplasty surgery if your excess skin is affecting your vision. Or is the eyelids are so heavy that you struggle to open them. The NHS will not do eyelid surgery for cosmetic reasons.  

The eyes will continue to age after you have had eyelid surgery. Lower eyelid surgery is very long lasting and rarely needs to be done again. If the upper lids sag again with the normal aging process, many patients decide to have a forehead lift rather than having another eye lift.

Skin that sags around the eye area not only makes you appear to be older, but it can also reduce your peripheral (side) vision and especially the upper and outer parts within your field of vision.  Eyelid surgery can reduce or eliminate problems with your vision. It can also make the eye area appear younger and much more alert.

Eyelid surgery is a very popular  type of cosmetic surgery. However it is not recommended to people who suffer from dry eye syndrome.

It’s not your age that determines whether you are able to have eyelid surgery, but your level of health and fitness. If you have underlying conditions, such as high blood pressure, it’s important that you have this under control before having cosmetic surgery. Be sure to discuss any health complaints with your surgeon before commencing with and cosmetic procedure.

If you decide to go ahead and have a eyelid surgery in Manchester, Liverpool or nearby, with expert cosmetic surgeon Mr El Gawad: You should expect to have one or more consultations before the surgery goes ahead.  During which, Mr El Gawad will discuss exactly what will happen before, during and after the surgery: As well as detailing any pain you might experience and how to manage it.

Your face will then be reassessed before surgery. Photographs may also be taken for your medical records. Before your eyelid surgery takes place, your surgeon may use a surgical pen to mark the areas that will be altered during the procedure.

Other considerations may include:

•  Smoking. If you smoke it is advised that you stop up to eight weeks before your surgery takes place. Smoking can affect your rate of recovery. For example you are more likely to get a wound infection if you smoke. The amount of blood that reaches the skin is reduced when you smoke, therefore healing is much slower.
• Contraception. To reduce the chances of blood clots (thrombosis), it is usually advised that the contraceptive pill is stopped four to six weeks before surgery.  Its very important to use an alternative method of contraception.
• Your medical history.  You will be asked to discuss any past or current conditions with your cosmetic surgeon. You need to let them know about any issues such as allergies, dry eyes, glaucoma, circulatory problems, diabetes or thyroid problems. You also need to tell your doctor if you use any other medications (including vitamins or herbal supplements), how much alcohol you drink, or whether you use tobacco or drugs.

It depends.

Blepharoplasty cosmetic surgery can be done under anaesthetic or under general anaesthetic.

Local Anaesthetic with Sedation.

If you have local anesthesia for your eyelid surgery, you will be awake during the procedure. A drug will be administered around the eye area to make it numb.  Sedatives can be given, either orally or intravenously, to enhance the use of  local anesthesia for eyelid surgery.

General Anaesthetic

You may require the procedure to be done under general anesthesia if the blepharoplasty is more complicated. Or alternatively if you are undergoing other cosmetic procedures at the same time. This means you will be asleep during the procedure.

You will be asked to avoid food or drink for several hours before the procedure takes place. However, it’s important to follow your anaesthetist’s advice tailored for your individual case.

If you decide to go ahead with upper eyelid surgery in Manchester, Liverpool or nearby, it would be helpful to know what happens during surgery.

Blepharoplasty on the upper eyelids generally involves:

• The surgeon makes an incision along the eyelid crease – along the natural skin fold of the eyelid.
• Excess skin, fat or muscle is then removed.
• The procedure then involves closing up the incision.
• Any scarring scar will be hidden in the natural fold present in the eyelid.

If you decide to go ahead with lower eyelid surgery it would be very helpful to know what happens during your surgery.

Surgery on the lower eyelids generally involves:

• The surgeon makes a cut either just below the lower lashes or on the inside of the eyelid.
• The next step involves removing or moving fat from any bags underneath the eyes.
• Sometimes a small amount of skin may also be removed.
• Finally the surgeon must support the muscles and the tendon of the eyelid if necessary.

After surgery your surgeon will normally use thin, sticky strips to support the eyelids after the surgery has taken place. These are called suture strips and are usually removed up to a week later.

A blepharoplasty on the upper eyelid may take about one hour.  Blepharoplasty on the lower lid may take up to two hours.

The majority of patients can usually go home the same day. Although individual cases may vary.

Surgeon Check

To ensure everything is going as planned, your surgeon may want to see you again for a check a couple of weeks after the procedure.

Of course if you have any concerns in the meantime you must contact your surgeon or phone emergency medical care.

You are home from hospital – now what?

When you get home from having blepharoplasty in Manchester, Liverpool or nearby, some people may find the following information helpful.

• Using pillows – use pillows to prop your head up for a couple of days after surgery when resting. This will to help to reduce any swelling after eyelid surgery.
• Cleaning your eyelids after surgery. You will possibly have to gently clean your eyelids using a prescribed ointment or eyedrops. Your surgeon will advise on your individual case.
• A cold pack periodically held on the eye area may be helpful for a few days after the surgery. A pack of frozen veg can be used for this purpose wrapped in a tea towel.
• When out and about it may be advisable to wear sunglasses. This to help protect your eyes from outside elements such as the sun and wind.
• You will be able to relieve any mild pain by taking paracetamol or another prescribed painkiller.

Returning to work

It’s usually advisable to take around a week off work so that you can recover from eyelid surgery. It may be obvious for a little longer than a week that you’ve just had blepharoplasty. This is due to the fact that the bruises and redness may take several weeks to fade.

Exercising after eyelid surgery.

Light to moderate exercise

This intensity of exercise may be resumed at around 2-3 weeks after eyelid surgery.

Intense exercise

You are recommended to avoid higher impact activities for 3 to 4 weeks after blepharoplasty surgery.

The scars may be pink or a bit angry for a few months after surgery . You may also experience tightness around the scars. This normally settles after around four to six months. The scars usually become invisible when completely healed, although this dependant on the individual and guarantees cannot be made.

Your eyes may seem tight and swollen immediately after surgery and some bruising will be present. The bruises usually can be disguised by using make-up and dark glasses. The swelling should take a few weeks to settle.  It may take a few months, after having eyelid surgery before the final results are seem.

Some patients find their new shape more difficult to get used to, but most are very happy with the final result.

The guide price for eyelid surgery in Liverpool, Manchester or nearby is as follows:

Upper eyelid cost, Manchester, Liverpool and all Northwest Clinics – £3350

Lower eyelid cost, Liverpool, Manchester and all Northwest Clinics – £3450

Upper and lower eyelid cost, Manchester, Liverpool and all Northwest Clinics – £7,240

Please use these costs for eyelid surgery as a guide price for the majority of cases. Please  contact me for a FREE consultation to determine whether eyelid surgery is suitable for your individual case and needs.

Contact lenses can usually be worn approximately 10 days after having had the surgery. This is dependant on the assessment of your recovery, performed by your surgeon. Many patients however wish to wait longer than 10 days before wearing contact lenses again.

This is dependant on your individual healing rate. It is advisable to wait at least 10 days before applying makeup after having eyelid surgery. Many patients prefer to wait a little longer before applying eye makeup so that your incisions are completely healed.

This usually happens in the early few hours to few days. This may require a visit back to theatre.

This usually happens in the first few days. This may need a course of antibiotics.

Blindness; if the bleeding behind the eye is not addressed.

This means that both sides are not exactly equal.

See the next few posts for more details.

This means lack of closure of eyes because of shortage of Lower eye lid movement. This is usually due to over correction of Lower eyelid excess skin. This may improve by massaging or could need a skin graft.

This may need frequent dressings and would leave a stretched scar. The scar could be revised at a later stage. This could need a skin graft.

This may improve on its own or needs skin graft.

This should improve on its own in few months time. However, it could be permanent.

This causes asymmetry of the forehead movements (Muscles). This may improve on its own or needs further surgery. The most common nerve injury is the Eye brow branch.