Upper eyelid lift (upper blepharoplasty)

The upper eyelid lift is the most commonly performed surgical procedure in the facial region. People are most often dissatisfied with “tired-looking eyes”, difficulty applying make-up or a limitation of the peripheral field of vision. The aesthetic efficiency of an upper eyelid lift and the short time needed to recover from this procedure, which is most often performed under local anaesthesia and in the context of outpatient treatment, make it very attractive to people in the age group of 38-70 years. Individual consultation in advance is always necessary; in most cases, reduced skin and muscle tone occurs in combination with drooping of the eyebrows (eyebrow ptosis).

In case of a concomitant eyebrow weakness (eyebrow ptosis), the weight of the eyebrows may increasingly rest on the upper eyelids, resulting in signs of fatigue when opening the eyelids (during work on a computer and many other things). In the informed consent discussion, it is important to us to explain these contexts to allow for a realistic assessment of the expectations.

Besides the excision of the excess skin above the upper eyelid fold (supratarsal fold), conventional blepharoplasty also includes the resection of the emerging (prolapsing) fat around the eyeball (orbital fat). After splitting and, if necessary, retentive resection of the orbicularis oculi muscle, the separating layer between the muscle and the adipose tissue underneath (orbital septum) is exposed across its entire width and then split for 0.5 cm. The emerging fat (hernia formation) is evaluated and, if necessary, carefully exposed by means of electricity (bipolar electrocoagulation) and resected using mosquito forceps.

If no fat is removed, it should be checked whether the septum needs to be lifted (septoraphy).
At the end of surgery, fine adhesive bandages (Steri-Strips) are applied for 5 days and, depending on whether the skin has been “bonded” or stitched, the bandage and/or suture material is removed.