Upper blepharoplasty removes excess, hooded skin from the upper eyelids to open the eyes back up and restore a more rested, awake look. It’s one of my favorite procedures to perform — the smallest amount of surgery and downtime for one of the biggest visible changes I can offer.
This is an in-office procedure done under local anesthesia only — no general anesthesia, no IV sedation. Start to finish, it takes about an hour. You’ll still need a ride home afterward, purely out of caution: we’ve just operated on your eyelids, and I don’t want you driving with any residual ointment blurring your vision or worrying about a stray drop of blood.
The incision sits right in your natural upper eyelid crease, so it heals hidden in a fold you already have. How much skin comes off varies a lot from person to person. For some, it’s a small amount — just enough that you can apply eyeliner again without your lid getting in the way. For others, there’s a lot more excess skin, and the incision extends out into the crow’s feet to remove it all.
Bruising is common after this procedure, and some patients do get a black eye or two — that’s normal and not a sign anything went wrong. Despite how it can look, upper blepharoplasty usually isn’t very painful, and patients tend to do very well.
I use permanent sutures, which come out 5–7 days after surgery. You’ll need to hold off on makeup and contacts for 10–14 days while things heal. Most patients are back to normal activities within 1–2 weeks.
This surgery can make dry eye worse, so if you already deal with dry eyes, we need to approach it carefully — we’ll go through your history in detail at your consultation.
I also don’t recommend this procedure within 6 months of LASIK or other refractive eye surgery. Your eyes need time to fully recover first.
My practice doesn’t accept insurance. In some cases, upper blepharoplasty can be covered if the skin of your upper eyelid is obstructing your visual field. If you think this might be you, I’d recommend seeing a plastic surgeon, facial plastic surgeon, or oculoplastic surgeon who accepts insurance first to find out if you’d qualify.
No — this procedure treats the upper eyelid only. Bags and hollowing under the eyes are a separate conversation, addressed with a lower blepharoplasty or fillers.
The goal is a natural, refreshed look, not a dramatic change to your eye shape. I remove only what’s needed to open things back up while keeping your eyes looking like yours.