Cosmetic Eye Surgery

The purpose of this surgery is to correct the signs of ageing around the eyes and replace the “tired” look by a more rested and relaxed look.

Action can be taken at different levels

• UPPER LIDS: these may be heavy and drooping, with excess folds of skin that can cover the eyelashes and even affect the vision (blepharochalasis); this loosening of the skin is often associated with a pocket of fat on inside of the eyelid; this requires an upper blepharoplasty.
• LOWER LIDS: excess fat that is responsible for “bags” often associated with skin sag or droop. This requires a lower blepharoplasty.
• EYEBROWS: eyebrows that droop with age emphasise the droop in the upper lids. A temporal or forehead lift may be suggested, that could also be combined with blepharoplasty.
• RINGS: darkening of the skin below the lower lids is a condition that may be congenital or acquired through relaxation of the cheekbone tissues or due to a shadow projected by bags under the eyes. This could be remedied by lower lid blepharoplasty, a centro-facial face lift, filling through the injection of fat (lipostructure) or hyaluronic acid. There is not usually much that can be done, however, in the case of congenital dark rings under the eyes.
• WRINKLES such as crow’s feet and frown lines (between the eyebrows): these can benefit from botulinum toxin (botox) injections.

BLEPHAROPLASTY

BLEPHAROPLASTY SCARS

• Paupières supérieures (blépharoplastie supérieure): elles sont dissimulées dans le sillon situé à mi-hauteur de la paupière, entre la partie mobile et la partie fixe de la paupière.
• The lower lids (lower blepharoplasty): these are positioned 1 to 2 mm below the eyelashes, and can be slightly extended outwards.
• N.B.: For the lower lids, in the case of isolated “bags” (without a need to remove excess skin), a blepharoplasty can be performed trans-conjunctivally, i.e. by means of incisions placed inside the eyelid so that no scar is visible on the skin.

The blepharoplasty operation

• The anaesthesia is generally local and combined with a sedative, so that the patient feels “out of it” and thus feels nothing. Sometimes the anaesthesia is purely local if an isolated upper blepharoplasty is performed, it is rarely general unless it is combined with another surgical procedure or if the patient is very stressed.
• Time taken for the operation: 30 minutes to 1½ hours.
• The operation begins by drawing the future incisions before any anaesthesia.
• The incisions performed on the upper lid in the crease makes it possible to remove the excess skin as well as bags on the inside of the eyelid.
• On the lower lid, the incision can be made on the inner conjunctiva if all that is required is the removal of the fatty bags or those just below the lower eyelashes, extending into the crows’ feet if necessary and re-sectioning a little of the skin (if it is loose).

Post-operative blepharoplasty

• Hospitalisation usually consists of day surgery that is to say that you are discharged on the same day after being monitored for a few hours.
• The post-operative condition is almost painless.
• The stitches are removed in three to five days.
• Swelling and bruising will disappear in three to 15 days in general although the swelling may take longer to disappear (especially in relation to the lower lids).
• Post-operative complications from blepharoplasty will be explained during the consultation as well as in the documentation supplied.

FOREHEAD OR TEMPORAL LIFT

The purpose is mainly to lift a sagging eyebrow caused by drooping of the skin of the forehead.

The operation

• Usually performed under general anaesthetic.
• The incisions and therefore the future scars are under the hair though they may also be in front of it. They may consist of incisions of merely a few centimetres in the case of a face lift at the temples or endoscopic forehead lifting or a “headband” incision from one ear to the other.
• The operation consists in detaching the skin of the forehead and re-stretching it by re-sectioning a strip of hair-covered skin or sliding this strip back.
• Time taken for the operation 1 à 2 h.
• Hospitalisation 24 hours.
• Thread reabsorbed in a fortnight.
• Ecchymoses may last for 1 to 2 weeks but œdema often lasts for 3 to 4 weeks.
• Plan to avoid socialising for three weeks.
• Any consequences or complications will be explained to you during the consultation as well as in the documents provided.

THE CONCENTRIC MALAR LIFT

The concentric malar lift technique, perfected by Dr. LE LOUARN, is designed to correct ageing of the centre of the face by making the classic lower blepharoplasty incision, improving circles under the eyes, restoring volume to the cheek bones and reducing the top of the furrow of the nasal alar.

The operation

• General anaesthetic.
• Operation lasts 1½ hours
• Consisting of lifting all of the tissues in the cheek by detaching them via the scar of the lower blepharoplasty and securing them around the eye socket using deep thread.

Post-operative condition

• Hospitalisation for 24 hours.
• Thread ablation on the fifth day.
• Ecchymoses last one to two weeks but oedema may often persist for 3 to 4 weeks.
• Plan to avoid socialising for three weeks.
• Post-operative recovery and any complications will be explained to you during the consultation and through the literature supplied.

LIPOSTRUCTURE

This intervention (injection of autologous fat using the technique perfected by Dr COLEMAN) consists in filling hollows under the eyes or eyebrows by injecting fat taken from the patient. This involves “a graft of the fat cells” but only part of the graft will “take”, the rest being re-absorbed by the body.

The operation

• General or local anaesthetic with sedation.
• The fat is removed via liposuction from the inside of the knee or the belly.
• After it has been purified by centrifugation it is then re-injected in the area to be filled using micro-cannulas.
• Operation lasts 30 minutes.

Post-operative condition:

• Day surgery.
• Ecchymoses and œdema generally last for 1 to 2 weeks (sometimes longer).
• Due to the partial re-absorption of the fat injected, a hypercorrection will be necessary during the first month.
• Post-operative recovery and any complications will be explained to you during the consultation and through the literature supplied.

INJECTIONS

BOTULIN TOXIN is worthwhile to correct frown lines and crow’s feet (for which surgery is not very effective).

HYALURONIC ACID may supplement the action of the botox in the case of a very deep wrinkle and can attenuate a ring under the eye and fill out the eyebrow.

(see also wrinkle correction)