Blepharoplasty is the surgical alteration of the eyelids – the upper, lower, or both. Many times it is done to improve the global harmony of the aging face when the eyelids show advanced aging such as hooding of upper eyelid skin or fat pads bulging on the lower eyelids. Excess skin and fat is removed and so is the ‘droopy’ eyelid appearance. Patients are given a more youthful, fresh appearance as the years are eliminated along with the wrinkles and folds.

Often the reasons aren’t just aesthetic though– people might be suffering from obscured vision, and the only way to correct or improve the vision is by removing excess skin, fatty deposits or muscle from the eyelids. If this affects you, Medicare and your private health fund may help cover your surgery.

If blepharoplasty is performed for reasons including the correction of vision, it is known as functional blepharoplasty. Other reasons for functional blepharoplasty could be to reduce muscle strain from having to raise eyebrows to improve vision, excess skin becoming irritated or the impediment of glasses due to the skin overhang. The excess skin around eyelids might even make eyes tired come day’s end or contribute to frontal headaches as the brows strain to lift the upper eyelids. Excess skin can also ‘push’ the eyelashes so that they irritate the cornea – this is not only annoying, but can cause damage such as corneal ulcers. Functional blepharoplasty can correct all these concerns.

If you think you may be a candidate for aesthetic or functional blepharoplasty, the first thing you need to do is consult an accredited plastic surgeon, who will assess and tailor the procedure to you and your requirements.