Eyelid surgery without surgery, is it possible?
Do you feel like you always look tired? In addition, do others more often estimate your age to be higher than you actually are? This may be due to overhanging eyelids. Puffiness in the lower eyelids can also intensify this effect. You may be considering eyelid surgery, but this feels like a step too far for you (perhaps)? Or you are afraid of pain? What options are available for eyelid surgery without cutting? In this article, plastic surgeon John Sawor explains whether eyelid surgery is possible without surgery.
Excess skin above your eyes
Excess skin or fat above the eyes usually results from aging. The muscles in the skin become weaker, causing the skin to droop over the eyelashes . There may be excess skin on the upper eyelids as a result. We then speak of overhanging eyelids. Overhanging upper eyelids can get in the way of your daily life for several reasons. For example, droopy eyelids often give you a tired look. When the skin of the upper eyelids has become extremely flabby, it is even possible that your vision will be obstructed, resulting in eyestrain or headaches.
Dark circles come from a lack of volume because the cheekbone under the eyes is set back a bit, creating circles. These are often confused with “bags” under the eyes. On the contrary, puffiness is fat deposits that create pockets of sorts under the eyelid.
What can you do about it?
There are several treatments on the market today to undergo eyelid surgery without surgery or without cutting. The best-known solutions are fillers or a so-called plasma treatment. A filler treatment targets the lower eyelids. A plasma treatment on the upper eyelids.
A filler treatment
Are fillers suitable for treating dark circles? Yes, in some cases, fillers are suitable for reducing dark circles. To fill a volume deficit around the eyes, the specialist uses a syringe with a substance that provides more volume. The specialist inserts the filler into the tear duct and fills the skin area around the eye. This causes the contours from the cheeks to the eyes to blend gradually. After a filler treatment, the results are immediately visible. The disadvantage is that the effect is not permanent, so you have to repeat the treatment after 12 to 18 months.
Plasma treatment
Unlike fillers, in plasma treatment (also known as PlexR II) a specialist does not enter the skin with needles, but stays on the surface of the skin. Plasma treatment uses plasma energy to correct the eyelids. Small pieces of skin near the eyelids are vaporized using a special device. Evaporation causes the skin fibers to contract. A shrinking effect of the skin is created, which would produce a tight and lifted result of the skin.
What do the experts say?
The Dutch Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery says of this plasma treatment that it is not nearly as effective as a surgical eyelid correction. ‘This treatment has no scientific basis whatsoever,’ experts say. ‘The whole treatment is based on scar tissue formation. That can go either way. There are definitely risks involved’. One of our clients also wrote down her experiences with PlexR compared to a real eyelid surgery.
MOOI Clinic does not offer plasma treatment.
Eyelid surgery with cutting is the only option
In a real eyelid surgery, the piece of excess skin is cut away. This may sound painful, but the anesthesia ensures that you won’t feel any of this. Unfortunately, no other treatment can remove the excess skin above your eyelids, where you can achieve a permanent and natural result. In 99% of our patients, the procedure is not too bad in retrospect.
Eyelid surgery is a relatively minor procedure
A smile on your face when you look at yourself in the mirror is what the MOOI clinic is all about. After eyelid surgery, you will have a fresh and open look and you will feel the same way. Performing eyelid surgery is a minor procedure for our plastic surgeons, but we understand that it’s quite a big step for you.
An upper eyelid correction, lower eyelid correction or a combination of an upper and lower eyelid correction are performed at MOOI clinic by experienced plastic surgeons who understand their profession and perform this procedure on a daily basis. We will discuss with you what results you can expect and what suits you best. We perform an eyelid correction under local anesthesia in a treatment room at our Maastricht clinic. You won’t feel any pain! For an eyelid correction under general anesthesia, we very consciously choose the safe setting of the operating room. After the procedure, you can go home immediately. You will have to be picked up by someone else because driving is not possible for a while. In the days following the treatment, it is good to get plenty of rest and cool well. The pain and swelling are thereby reduced as much as possible. After a week you can resume your work, this of course also depends on the work you do. After one week, the stitches were removed and most of the swelling/ bruising healed.
If you still have questions after reading this article or are considering eyelid surgery? Then contact us for a no-obligation intake interview.
