Even though many patients who get eyelid surgery at our Denver, CO, facial plastic surgery practice are 40 or older, it’s not unusual for younger women and men to want to improve the appearance of their upper or lower eyelids.
Selfies posted on social media have certainly contributed to this trend. In the era of Zoom meetings and wearing face masks, people of all ages are noticing how their eyes can make them appear older or tired when they actually feel refreshed.
The “Zoom boom” fueling the increased interest in facial cosmetic surgery is real. Still, the reasons for considering lower and upper eyelid surgery (also called blepharoplasty) besides age-related changes have always existed.
In this blog post, I’ll briefly describe what happens during eyelid surgery and explain 4 situations that prompt younger patients to get upper or lower blepharoplasty in Denver.
How Is Eyelid Surgery Performed?
Even though blepharoplasty is considered a fairly straightforward procedure, a facial plastic surgeon with comprehensive knowledge of the anatomy surrounding the delicate upper and lower eyelids is best suited to performing the procedure.
During upper eyelid surgery, I make incisions in the lids’ natural creases and then remove fat and excess skin. Scarring after the procedure is virtually imperceptible. Lower blepharoplasty also removes excess skin or fat from a patient’s lower eyelids but is also used to remove and reposition fat below the eye. The incisions are made either along the natural lash line or inside the lids.
As you can see in our gallery of eyelid surgery before-and-after photos, the incisions are nearly undetectable.
What Are the Reasons Younger Patients Get Eyelid Surgery?
The 4 main reasons not related to aging that someone may want eyelid surgery include:
- Hooded upper eyelids that are an inherited trait: Genetic traits inherited from your parents can feel like winning the lottery or getting the short end of the stick. Some women inherit their mom’s high cheekbones. Men may get their dad’s strong chin. Hooded upper eyelids are a less popular trait, even though many people aren’t bothered at all by the appearance they create. If hooded eyelids begin sagging, though, it makes the “sleepy” appearance more pronounced, and upper eyelid surgery produces a “lifted” look that patients want.
- Bags under the eyes: Younger patients who come in for lower eyelid surgery consultations often say they want “eye bag removal surgery,” a phrase that has gained traction online. Young adults who want to eliminate the puffy bags under the eyes can benefit from either plastic surgery or nonsurgical solutions, such as injections of dermal fillers. The advantage of lower eyelid surgery compared to fillers is that the results are permanent.
- “Lazy eye”: The phrase lazy eye is sometimes erroneously used to describe the asymmetrical sagging of an eyelid, which is more accurately called ptosis. The surgical procedure to correct this condition involves the eyelid but is more technically demanding than blepharoplasty and should be performed by a plastic surgeon specializing in facial plastic surgery.
- Lack of a crease in the upper lid (Asian eyelid surgery): People of Asian descent who are born without a crease in their upper eyelids sometimes choose to undergo a cosmetic procedure called double eyelid surgery. Plastic surgeons adjust the eyelids’ anatomy to create creases that look natural. Removing extra fat or puffiness during the procedure improves the definition of the eyelid crease.
Younger adults have grown up in an era when less stigma is attached to getting plastic surgery, and they’re more comfortable researching cosmetic surgery options and discussing their choices with family and friends. However, it’s important that they find an experienced facial plastic surgeon for eyelid surgery.
If you’re considering blepharoplasty, contact us using the online form to request a consultation or call our office at (303) 253-7686 to schedule an appointment.
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