Eyelid Surgery Procedure

Eyelid surgery, also known as blepharoplasty, improves the appearance of the upper eyelids, lower eyelids or both. It results in a rejuvenated appearance to the surrounding area of your eyes, making you look more rested and alert.

Enhancing Your Appearance With Eyelid Surgery

What Eyelid Surgery Can Treat:

• Loose or sagging skin that creates folds or disrupts the natural contour of the upper eyelid, sometimes impairing vision
• Excess fatty deposits that appear as puffiness in the upper eyelids
• Bags under the eyes
• Droopiness of the lower eyelids, showing white below the iris (colored portion of the eye)
• Excess skin and fine wrinkles of the lower eyelid

Is Eyelid Surgery Right For Me?

Eyelid surgery is usually performed on adult women and men with healthy facial tissue and muscles who have realistic goals for improvement of the upper and/or lower eyelids and surrounding area.

You should have this surgery for yourself – not to fulfill someone else’s desires or to try to fit any sort of ideal image.

Ideal Candidates Are:

• Healthy individuals who do not have a life-threatening illness or medical conditions that can impair healing
• Non-smokers
• Individuals with a positive outlook and specific goals in mind for blepharoplasty
• Individuals without serious eye conditions

Be Sure to Tell Dr. Van Natta If You Have Any of These Medical Conditions:

• Eye disease such as glaucoma, dry eye or a detached retina
• Thyroid disorders such as Graves’ disease and under or overactive thyroid
• Cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure or other circulatory disorders or diabetes

What To Expect During Your Consultation With Dr. Bruce Van Natta

A safe and successful eyelid surgery depends very much on being completely candid during your consultation. Be sure to address any problems, concerns and questions with Dr. Van Natta. He will ask you a number of questions about your health, desires and lifestyle.

Be Prepared To Discuss:

• Why you want eyelid surgery, your expectations and desired outcome
• Medical conditions, drug allergies and previous medical treatments
• Use of current medications, vitamins, herbal supplements, alcohol, tobacco and drugs
• Previous surgeries you have had

 Dr. Van Natta May Also:

• Evaluate your general health status and any pre-existing health conditions or risk factors
• Take photographs for your medical record
• Discuss likely outcomes of eyelid surgery and any risks or potential complications
• Discuss the type of anesthesia that will be used

Preparing For Eyelid Surgery

Prior To Surgery, You May Be Asked To:

• Get lab testing or a medical evaluation
• Take certain medications or adjust your current medications
• Stop smoking well in advance of surgery
• Avoid taking aspirin, anti-inflammatory drugs and herbal supplements as they can increase bleeding

Special Instructions You Receive Will Cover:

• What to do the night before and the morning of surgery
• The use of anesthesia during your procedure
• Post-operative care and follow-up

Your procedure will be performed at Meridian Plastic Surgery Center, an accredited office-based surgical center, utilizing seasoned, board certified anesthesiologists from St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis, Indiana.

You’ll Need Help

Be sure to arrange for someone to drive you to and from surgery and to stay with you for at least the first night following surgery.

What Happens During Eyelid Surgery?

Step 1 – Anesthesia

You will have general anesthesia administered by a board-certified anesthesiologist.

Step 2 – The Incision

The incision lines for eyelid surgery are designed for scars to be well concealed within the natural structures of the eyelid region.

Droopy conditions of the upper eyelid can be corrected through an incision within the natural crease of the upper eyelid allowing repositioning of fat deposits, tightening of muscles and tissue, and/or removal of excess skin.

A transconjunctival incision (one hidden inside the lower eyelid) is Dr. Van Natta’s preferred technique to correct lower eyelid conditions and redistribute or remove excess fat.

(Illustrations courtest of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons)

Step 3 – Closing the Incisions

Upper eyelid incisions typically are closed with removable sutures. For lower lid surgery with the incision on the inside of the eyelid, Dr. Van Natta uses no sutures. He also often recommends performing a laser peel procedure during blepharoplasty to help smooth fine wrinkles and improve skin texture of the lower eyelids.

Step 4 – See the Results

The results of your eyelid surgery will appear gradually as swelling and bruising subside. You will enjoy a smooth, better-defined eyelid and surrounding region as well as an alert and rejuvenated appearance.

Important Facts About Eyelid Surgery Risks and Complications

The decision to have eyelid surgery is extremely personal. You’ll have to decide if the benefits will achieve your goals and if the risks and potential complications are acceptable to your personal situation.

Dr. Van Natta and/or his staff will explain in detail the risks associated with surgery. You will be asked to sign consent forms to ensure that you fully understand the procedure you will undergo and any risks or potential complications.

Possible Eyelid Surgery Risks May Include:

• Unfavorable scarring
• Temporarily blurred or impaired vision
• Dry eyes
• Difficulty closing your eyes
• Lid lag – a pulling down of the lower eyelid may occur and is often temporary
• Ectropion – a rolling of the eyelid outwards
• Bleeding (hematoma)
• Poor wound healing
• Infection
• Fluid accumulation 
• Numbness and other changes in skin sensation
• Anesthesia risks
• Pain, which may persist
• Skin discoloration and swelling
• Deep vein thrombosis, cardiac and pulmonary complications (Extremely rare)
• Possibility of revision surgery
• Loss of eyesight (Extremely rare)

These risks and others will be fully discussed prior to your consent. It is important that you address all your questions directly with Dr. Van Natta. It is natural to feel some anxiety, whether excitement for the anticipated outcomes or preoperative stress. Be sure to discuss these feelings with Dr. Van Natta during your consultation.

When You Go Home

If you experience shortness of breath, chest pains, or unusual heart beats, seek medical attention immediately. If any of these complications occur, you may require hospitalization and additional treatment.

The practice of medicine and surgery is not an exact science. Although good results are expected, there is no guarantee. In some situations, it may not be possible to achieve optimal results with a single surgical procedure. Another surgery may be necessary.

Your Recovery

Following Dr. Van Natta’s instructions is key to the success of your surgery. It is important that the surgical incisions are not subjected to excessive force, abrasion or motion during the time of healing. Dr. Van Natta will give you specific instructions on how to care for yourself.

After your procedure is completed, lubricating ointment and cold compresses may be applied.

Specific Instructions May Include:

• How to care for your eyes
• Medications to apply or take orally to aid healing and reduce the potential for infection
• Specific concerns to look for at the surgical site or in your overall health
• When to follow-up with Dr. Van Natta

Initial healing may include some swelling, bruising, irritation or dry eyes and discomfort that can be controlled with medication, cold compresses and ointment. Irritation at the incision sites also is possible. Be sure to ask Dr. Van Natta specific questions about what you can expect during your individual recovery period.

Be sure to use darkly tinted sunglasses until the healing process is fully complete.

Long-Lasting Results

Your final results will appear within several weeks, but it may take up to a year for incision lines to become fully refined.

While eyelid surgery can correct certain conditions permanently, you will continue to age naturally. Life-long sun protection will help to maintain your results.

Eyelid Surgery Costs

As an elective surgery, the cost of eyelid surgery is always a consideration. Prices for eyelid surgery can vary widely according to which procedures are done, how much time is required and whether or not the eyelid surgery is being done in conjunction with other procedures. We will give you a detailed list of the charges at the time of your consultation with Dr. Van Natta.

Our office offers patient financing plans, so be sure to ask.

Eyelid Surgery Cost May Include:

• Surgeon’s fee
• Surgical facility costs
• Anesthesia fees
• Prescriptions for medication
• Medical tests

Your Satisfaction Involves More Than a Fee

When choosing a plastic surgeon for eyelid surgery, remember that the surgeon’s experience and your comfort with him or her are just as important as the final cost of the surgery. And remember, as with most things in life, you get what you pay for. Cosmetic surgery is not a place to try to cut corners.

Most health insurance plans do not cover cosmetic surgery or its complications.

Eyelid Surgery Glossary

• Blepharoplasty: Eyelid surgery to improve the appearance of upper eyelids, lower eyelids or both
• Ectropion: When the lower eyelid is rolled outward after eyelid surgery; often a temporary condition.
• General anesthesia: Drugs and/or gases used during an operation to relieve pain and alter consciousness.
• Hematoma: Blood pooling beneath the skin.
• Transconjunctival incision: Incision hidden inside the lower eyelid.
• Skin resurfacing: Treatment to improve the texture, clarity and overall appearance of your skin.
• Sutures: Stitches used by surgeons to hold skin and tissue together.

Things You Should Know About Dr. Van Natta:

• He is certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery.
• He was specifically trained in the field of plastic surgery
• He has 5 years of general surgery training and 2 ½ years of plastic surgery training.
• He has been in private practice for over 20 years.
• His surgical facility, Meridian Plastic Surgery Center, is accredited by a nationally recognized accrediting agency, and it is state-licensed and Medicare-certified.
• He also has hospital privileges to perform this procedure at St. Vincent Hospital.

We encourage you to check out Dr. Van Natta’s eyelid surgery before and after pictures.