Under Eye Bags Removal (Lower Blepharoplasty)

The Consultation

At The Private Clinic, our Consultant Plastic and Reconstructive Surgeons are highly experienced in lower blepharoplasty. In many cases, they combine the procedure with an upper blepharoplasty at the same time.

At your consultation, your surgeon will go through the lower blepharoplasty surgical procedure in detail. They will then examine your areas of concern and assess your suitability for Lower Blepharoplasty surgery.

Your surgeon will then discuss:

• Your medical history
• Your expectations from the surgery
• The risks and complications of Lower Blepharoplasty surgery
• The aftercare and recovery process of Lower Blepharoplasty surgery

After you consult with the surgeon, you will be allocated a dedicated patient coordinator who will be your point of contact should you wish to proceed with a lower blepharoplasty procedure.

Eye Bag Removal treatment consultations are available in our London Harley Street, Birmingham, and Northampton clinics.

Pre-Operative Appointment

In the interests of patient safety, all our patients are assessed against our patient selection criteria. Following your consultation your medical history will be reviewed and the pre-operative nurse will choose which pre-operative tests to carry out which are going to be most appropriate to you. Most pre-operative assessments include a blood test, MRSA swabs, urine test and a blood pressure test.

They will also advise you of any precautions you need to take in the days or weeks leading up to your eye bag surgery procedure and let you know of any medication that you will need to stop taking ahead of your surgery.

Under Eye Bags Surgery

There are a variety of Lower Blepharoplasty techniques;

Most blepharoplasty procedures are performed under general anaesthetic in theatre. The procedures take around 1 hour to perform but this will vary depending on the complexity of the case.

Transconjunctival Lower Blepharoplasty

If the purpose of your lower blepharoplasty procedure is to reduce the appearance of lower lid bags then the transconjunctival approach could be suitable as the surgeon will be able to remove excess fat causing the bags by making an incision through the inside of the lower lid which means no visible scar on the exterior of the eye.

A transconjunctival blepharoplasty involves a small incision (1-1.5 cm) being made on the inside of the eyelid.

The excess fat creating the eye bag is then removed via this incision. The lower eye area then may be sculpted and repositioned based on your needs. The incision does not require stitches and usually closes within 24 hours.

Transcutaneous Lower Blepharoplasty

If you have excess loose wrinkled skin, then a transcutaneous technique would be better suited as it allows the surgeon to remove the skin.

A transcutaneous lower blepharoplasty involves an incision below the lower eyelash line.

Any excess fat that causes puffiness is removed, while any unwanted loose skin can also be addressed.

Orbiculares Hitch Blepharoplasty

This specialised technique involves tightening the underlying muscle of the lower eye, using sutures to lift it back up to a higher position by anchoring it to the bone just on the outer surface of the eye. The principle is very similar to lifting the muscle layer during a facelift. Once the muscle layer is tightened, most patients will find that what looked like redundant skin in the lower eyelid was actually sagging muscle, so very little skin needs to be removed (this is called a pinch excision, where only a thin strip of skin is removed just below the level of the lower eyelashes. 

Pinch Blepharoplasty

A Pinch Blepharoplasty involves pinching the skin of the lower eyelid using forceps before then removing the excess skin without making an incision or touching the orbicularis muscle. This technique is suitable for those who are experiencing laxity of the lower eyelid skin but do not have prominent eye bags. This technique is a lot less invasive but it is a specialised technique and should only be performed by an experienced surgeon who can assess and take the right amount of skin to achieve the most effective result.

Results

Our surgeons pay extreme attention to detail and make sure that their incisions follow your face’s natural lines and creases to avoid scarring and achieve aesthetically pleasing results. Your eye bags will be reduced so that you look refreshed, rejuvenated and more youthful.

After your lower blepharoplasty

Immediately following your lower blepharoplasty procedure you can expect to experience some mild pain or discomfort as the anaesthetic wears off, this can be managed with pain medication which should be distributed to you after the procedure.

Swelling and bruising are common following a lower blepharoplasty procedure. Whilst any bruising tends to subside after a week, swelling can still be present for 3-4 weeks.

An appointment will be made for 1 week following your procedure where your stitches will be removed.

We recommend taking 10-14 days off work which will vary depending on your job role. If you can work from home in a desk-based role, then you may be able to return much sooner.

For the first couple of weeks, we recommended wearing sunglasses to protect the eyes from becoming irritated by wind or sun.

You should keep the eyes dry whilst washing in a shower or bath for the first 3 days. After this time, the eyes can be gently washed before returning to your usual washing regime after the stitches have been removed and you have been advised that you can do so.

Recovery Time

Blepharoplasty surgery has one of the fastest recovery times of any plastic surgery procedure. After two weeks any swelling should be very subtle, and results can be quite dramatic giving a refreshed and younger appearance.

Best results are seen after 2-3 months. Lower eyelid scars are usually hidden by lashes and barely seen.