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Blepharoplasty to Tighten Fragile Cheeks Skin?

asked 2 years ago by Janesthename in Florida
Latest answer by William Portuese, MD
Question viewed 759 times
Tags: age 25-34, lines, under eyes, wrinkles, sagging, fine lines, rash, skin, thin, tightening, veins

I'm 26 and when I was a teenager I was stricken by an aggressive rash that covered my entire body. After many diagnoses, the only thing that helped was lots of cortisone.

My face became dependent on it and I used it for 3 years. I now have thin and fragile skin. I have had IPL and Pulse Dye done to minimize the vessels. Now the skin on my cheeks just under my eyes is sagging with fine wrinkles.

Will Blepharoplasty tighten this skin? Will it sag again anayway? It doesn't need much and it's JUST the top layer! Will it last?

14 answers to Blepharoplasty to Tighten Fragile Cheeks Skin?

Cheeklift for tightening skin

A blepharoplasty is a poor choice for tightening lower eyelid skin. It can cause pulling down of the lower eyelid, rounding of the eye, giving it an unnatural, operated appearing shape. We use short incision cheeklifts (USIC) for this purpose. Cheeklifts can be used to tighten lower eyelid skin with very low risk to the lower eyelid shape.

Brent Moelleken, MD
Beverly Hills Plastic Surgeon

www.drbrent.com

Blepharoplasty for cheek skin tightening

Jane, I'd be very cautious about doing a lower eyelid lift for cheek skin wrinkling. Something about the story doesn't add up. Although you've had several reasons to explain the problem, without a photograph it is all the more complex to discuss your situation. Consider a few consultations with board certified plastic surgeons. You're too young to have someone jump into a blepharoplasty and learn a lesson. I would recomend several opinions in your area. They have great plastic... more

Ricardo A. Meade, MD
Dallas Plastic Surgeon

Blepharoplasty is not effective at tightening cheek skin

Blepharoplasty is very effective at tightening upper and lower eyelid skin, but it is not realistic to expect long-term cheek skin tightening with this procedure. For a minor amount of skin excess, you will be better off with laser skin resurfacing, a chemical peel, or an aggressive skin care regimen which utilzes retinols. Hope this helps. Best of luck.

Sam Jejurikar, MD
Dallas Plastic Surgeon

Treatment of thin, atrophic skin and Blepharoplasty

I would not recommend a blepharoplasty for you at this time, as it will probably not last and you will, most likely, “sag again anyway.” Skin that is already thin and atrophic will generally stretch again and recreate a problem similar to the original if pulled tight with surgery. There are also increased risks of surgery with skin like this. My recommendation would be to start a Retin-A skin rejuvenation program. This will thicken the dermis (the support layer of the skin and... more

Robert T. Buchanan, MD
Highlands Plastic Surgeon

Blepharoplasty will not tighten cheek skin

A blepharoplasty is not performed to tighten cheek skin. The primary goal for a blepharoplasty is to remove the fat bags on the lower lids and tighten a small amount of eyelid skin. Trying to tighten cheek skin from a blepharoplasty will only pull the eyelids down and give a hound dog appearance.

William Portuese, MD
Seattle Facial Plastic Surgeon

www.seattlefacial.com

The cheek will beat the eyelid in that tug-o-war so don't do it!

Removing eyelid skin in an attempt to lift up and smooth out sagging or wrinkled cheek skin is a bad idea. It is more likely to cause lower lid retraction (pull down of the eyelids) than lift up of the cheeks. The cheeks are heavier and will win that tug of war 9 times out of 10!

David W. Kim, MD
Bay Area Facial Plastic Surgeon

Blepharoplasty, fine eyelid skin, eye wrinkles

Dear Jane, It is difficult to determine what would be best for you without a proper examination. Several factors -- eye condition/dryness, position of the eyelids, eyelid laxity, shape of the cheeks and eyelid hollows, and degree of change you are looking for. There are several approaches, limited skin excision (pinch bleph), full lower lid rejuvenation with fat transfer and canthal support, fat transfer only, treatment with laser or Thermage.

Trevor M. Born, MD
Toronto Plastic Surgeon

Lower Blepharoplasty

It really depends here how much skin we are talking about and how much wrinkles there are. It is unrealistic to think it can tighten the entire cheek area. But you can get an improvement for the lower eyelid area. So it is difficult to tell you what you can achieve without a proper exam, especially with what you are describing. Good luck.

Farbod Esmailian, MD
Orange County Plastic Surgeon

Blepharoplasty is not good for cheek skin

The problem you are describing sounds like you may have festoons and not excess skin of the lower lid. Festooning is a problem that we see in an older population but, in someone with your medical history of steroid use anything is possible. Attempting to remove or elevate skin of the cheek using blepharoplasty techniques is a dangerous proposition. You will likely not really address the problem and can easily cause further damage to your eyelid.

Philip S. Schoenfeld, MD
Chevy Chase Facial Plastic Surgeon

Blepharoplasty for cheeks

A blepharoplasty is not a solution for loose cheek skin. It is unusual for a 26 year old to have this problem. Certainly, your condition explains some of the reasons.

Steven Wallach, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Blepharoplasty no good for tightening cheeks.

Hi. Unfortunately, yours sounds like a tough problem, and the treatment is controversial. Get several opinions. Without seeing you, I would guess you may benefit with a mid facelift, done through the mouth. A blepharoplasty approach would probably pull your lower lids down.

George J. Beraka, MD
Manhattan Plastic Surgeon

Blepharoplasty should not be done to tighten cheek skin

Lower blepharoplasty is a procedure best suited for excessive fat or dark circles of the lower eyelids. It can also be useful to remove excess lower eyelid skin. It is not a good procedure to tighten the nearby cheek area skin since the weight of that skin is too much gravity for the lower eyelid margin to support. This is analgous to a hammock with a very fat person in the middle. It will sag in that area. For the same reason to try to lift the cheeks from the eyelids will result in the... more

Scott Trimas, MD
Jacksonville Facial Plastic Surgeon

Can't tighten skin with blepharoplasty as much as you think

Because you can pull laterally on the lower lid with your finger and create a tight smooth lid, it is tempting to think surgery can do this also. But it can't. I would suggest using Retin A and excellent sun screens and avoid any surgery.

Richard P. Rand, MD, FACS
Seattle Plastic Surgeon

Would recommend an abundance of caution

Hi Jane The corticosteroids as you recognize can damage the facial skin. You are dealing with a situation where the doctors you will be seeing will essentially have zero experience dealing with your situation. No one knows exactly how your skin will heal. Well meaning surgeons can cause you significant harm. I would recommend seeking numerous opinions regarding your options. At your age, the potential for being harmed by one of these procedures is great. Yes you skin quality may not be so... more