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Who can
benefit
Excess skin and bags
often have nothing to do with your age. Very often your ancestors are to blame.
Hereditary factors are a determining factor or at least play a major role. Women
usually only decide to have a surgical intervention when they are in their
forties or fifties. However, the predisposition and the contours of the eyes are
already visible and can be ascertained at a much earlier age. Therefore, an
eyelid correction does not need to be postponed until a woman reaches a certain
age. The procedure can be done much earlier, as young as the age of 18.
There is no need to wait
to undergo this surgical procedure to correct and enhance your look until you
have reached an advanced age. This applies to women as well as to
men.
You suffer from
excess skin
Excess skin (a
surplus of skin of the upper eyelids) can be caused by many factors. One is
heredity. The others are ageing and exposure to ultra violet radiation, like the
rays of the sun. The surplus skin makes the eyelid heavier and causes you to
look tired and sad. Moreover, it can impair your vision.
Of all the
available plastic surgical procedures, the eyelid correction (or blepharoplasty)
is the one that is performed the most. With a blepharoplasty of the upper
eyelids the excess skin and the underlying fat is surgically removed,
immediately resulting in a younger and more attractive
look.
You have "bags"
under your eyes
Like excess
skin, dark rings and bags under the eyes can be caused by hereditary factors.
Whilst time is progressing the dark rings and bags become more visible. However,
there is no need to accept that as just a fact of life. Bags can be minimised
neatly or -in most cases- be removed completely by a simple surgical
procedure. This applies to women as well as men. The correction of the lower
eyelids is done transconjunctivally. This means that it is done from the inside
of the eyelid. There are no sutures needed and there are no visible scars. The
result is a very natural, refreshed and younger look.
Eyelid corrections for
men
The most effective (and
mostly performed) aesthetic procedure for men is the correction of the lower
eyelids. Many men suffer from heavy bags underneath their eyes. However, these
are easily removed. The correction is performed through the inside of the lower
eyelid, leaving no scars and without the need for suturing.
The
correction of the upper eyelids in men is highly effective, but Dr. Bouzouaya is
of the opinion that it should be performed with subtlety. The intervention, that
gives a very natural and beautiful result with women, can -when performed on
men- leave a "surgical" and unnatural impression. Therefore, Dr. Bouzouaya
advises not to remove too much skin and underlying fat. With this in mind, the
result will be a younger and refreshed look.
The mini-incision technique
Doctor Bouzouaya is constantly seeking to
improve today's techniques for blepharoplasty. He uses state of the art laser
technologies to perform his blepharoplasties.
To further reduce bruising
and swelling, to minimise complications and to limit the recovery period after
surgery to the absolute minimum, Dr Bouzouaya perfected the transconjuctival
lower lid blepharoplasty with his own "mini incision" technique. Instead of
opening the entire lower lid from the inside to remove the underlying fat, he
only makes three mini button hole incisions which allow him to sculpt the
underlying fat from the three underlying fat pockets. These mini incisions do
not require any suture and heal very quickly. This personal technique was
published in the US medical journal "Ocular Surgery News" and was translated in Spanish and even in Japanese. The technique
is
now performed by a growing number of doctors. In order to further optimise the
technique Dr. Bouzouaya developed an instrument, the Chedly Thermoplasty. With this instrument Dr. Bouzouaya can shrink
the skin from inside the button hole incisions. Thereby improving the final
result of a lower lid blepharoplasty.
Because Dr Chedly Bouzouaya found
that the presently available medical instruments did not allow him a perfectly
accessible operating field, he designed a medical instrument that does exactly
that. The Chedly Lid
Retractor is patented in the USA, fabricated and
commercialised by Ellman Inc., New York. It helps surgeons gain better access to
the surgical field and it helps to minimise manipulation of the eyelids and
reduces the recovery period.
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT
BLEPHAROPLASTY
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Blepharoplasty (eyelid
tuck) can be performed on your upper and/or lower eyelids.
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Eyes generally show age
before other facial structures. A Blepharoplasty will give a refreshed, alert
appearance to your eyes.
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Blepharoplasty is
performed using local anaesthetic (numbing medication). We may give you some
oral pre-medication to relax you.
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On the upper eyelid, a
Blepharoplasty will remove excess tissue which may include skin, muscle and
fat.
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For an upper lid
blepharoplasty we use stitches that will need to be removed or a biological
glue. The stitches are well hidden in the lid crease of the upper eyelid. After
approximately one month nobody will be able to detect the scar.
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A Blepharoplasty does
not correct sagging eyebrows. A brow lift is required to elevate eyebrows. This
can be performed separately. In some patients, a Blepharoplasty may actually
make the eyebrows droop more. In these patients, a browlift is required to give
the best results.
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After an upper eyelid
Blepharoplasty, you should expect bruising and swelling. This actually normally
resolves over one week.
-
For a lower eyelid
Blepharoplasty, we make small button hole incisions inside the
eyelid.
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Because of swelling and
bruising from either an upper or lower eyelid Blepharoplasty expect to take one
week off from work.
PRE-OPERATIVE PLANNING
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Please stop all aspirin or
aspirin related products 10 days before the operation.
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Please stop all
anti-inflammatory medication including Ibuprofen/Naprosen/Celebrex or others 10
days before the operation.
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Please stop Ginkgo Biloba,
Multivitamins, Vitamin E and Vitamin C and any other herbal preparations at
least 10 days before surgery.
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Please arrange to have
someone pick you up after surgery as you will not be able to drive.
WHAT TO EXPECT THE DAY OF SURGERY
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After being greeted, we
will ask you to sign a consent form, and then we will take photographs of your
eyes. You will be given a gown to wear before laying on the theatre
bed.
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We may give you an
inhaler to relax you just before local anaesthetic is injected.
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We will have you lie on
the procedure table while we mark your eyelids, place some topical anaesthetic
in your eyes, and then also inject your eyelids with local
anaesthetic.
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During a lower lid
Blepharoplasty, you will feel the pressure of a protective eyeshield on your
eyes.
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Immediately after the
surgery is done, the patient can move normally. The eyes are not covered with a
bandage.
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The patient is usually
kept under observation for a few hours after the procedure before being allowed
to go home.
POST-TREATMENT CARE
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You will be given a
prescription for oral antibiotic and anti-inflammatory medication for three
days. Antibiotic eye drops and ointment will be prescribed for a period of 10
days. The eye drops need to be administered into the eye. The ointment needs to
be put in the eyes before going to sleep and on the suture on the upper eyelids.
Both the drops and ointment are painless. Whilst
administering the eyedrops, you should absolutely avoid to pull on the lower
lids (after lower lid
blepharoplasty) as this can lead to a "round eye", an effect you will want to
avoid.
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You should place an ice
cool eye mask for one hour every three hours while you are awake for the first
three days after surgery.
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While awake, you should
minimise the time that you are laying down. When going to bed, elevate your
pillow for the first week.
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No water should be
placed on your eyelids for the first 48 hours. Apply ointment 4 times daily to
keep the lids moist. You may shower but not wash the eyes for 7
days.
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It is advised to rest
the first 24 hours after surgery. You must avoid any heavy lifting or strenuous
activity for at least 2 weeks. You may resume jogging and non-contact sports
after 2 weeks. You may resume more strenuous activities at 4 weeks after the
procedure.
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Please remember to take
your prescribed medication.
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You must return for a
one week post-operative check.
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Sutures of upper lid
blepharoplasty are removed after a week to ten days after the surgery. Removal
of the sutures is painless.
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